During the
Neolithic era, the area was already inhabited by several large tribes. According to Chinese tradition, it was ruled between the 21st century BC and the 16th century BC by the
Xia dynasty and between the 16th to the 11th century BC, it belonged to the
Shang dynasty. The existence of the Shang dynasty has been confirmed by archeology. In 390 BC, Shan County was established, the area was often the battleground between the
Qin and
Wei. In 225 BC it definitively became part of the Qin area, governed by Sanchuan commandery. In 1952, Shan County became part of Luoyang. After the
Sanmenxia Dam was (almost) completed in 1959, it became part of Sanmenxia City. In 2016 the county became Shanzhou District. ==Administrative divisions==