In the Dongzhou period, Anqing was the seat of the “Wan” country, from which the short term “Wan” for Anhui province is derived. The name Anqing came from so called “Anqing Army”in 1147 during Nansong dynasty. Established in 1217, Anqing has a history of nearly 800 years. In the Dongjing dynasty, the renowned poet, Guo Pu, noted that Anqing was a very livable city, hence it is sometimes referred as Yicheng.

Anqing was the capital city and the center of politics, economy and culture in Anhui province from 1760 to 1938. It was also one of the earliest cities in China to embrace the industrial revolution .The first steam engine and the first motor boat in China were made in Anqing. In addition, it is also the home of the first power plant, water supply plant, telegraph office, telephone, officially-funded road, airport, modern library, university and newspaper in Anhui province. During the reign of Emperor Guangxu in the Qing dynasty, Chen Duxiu (the pioneer of the Chinese modern cultural movement) organized a campaign called “New Culture”in Anqing which marked the beginning of this era. Several uprisings also took place over modernization and reform on this land .Anqing has long been referred to be the city of culture, the home of operas and the holy land of Zen. It is the birthplace ofthe TongchengSchool which had played a dominant role for over 200 years in Chinese literature during the Qing Dynasty and the cradle of Peking and Huangmei Opera. Many celebrities made their home in the area such as Fang Yizhi, the famous ideologist of the Ming dynasty, Deng Shiru, seal-cutting calligrapher of the Qing Dynasty, Cheng Changgeng, theoriginator of the Beijing Opera, Zhang Hengshui, the novelist, Zhao Puchu, the master of Buddhism, Deng Jiaxian, a man of great merit in the field of the a-bomb and h-bomb; Chen Duxiu, the founder of CPC, Huang Zhen, a General and diplomat, Yan Fengying, a famous Huangmei Opera artist, as well as many others.