The area was first incorporated under the
Han dynasty as Qucheng County (). Gold was discovered at Zhaoyuan in the
Tang dynasty. The myth accompanying the city's discovery of gold is that a giant tortoise named
Ao once told villagers struggling with famine to dig, and upon digging, they struck gold. When 37 year-old Wu Shuoyan refused to give her phone number to the group, they claimed she was an "evil spirit", and began beating her with chairs and a metal mop handle, ultimately killing her. == Geography ==