Xintai has a long history dating back to the origins of the Chinese civilisation. In 1966, scientists concluded that a
homo teeth fossil found in Xintai's Wuzhutai village belonged to a female teenager and that
homo erectus were already living in the area five million years ago. Moreover, many primitive social sites belonging to ancient cultures were found on both sides of the Chaiwen River after archaeological excavations, such as the
Dawenkou,
Longshan and
Yueshi cultures. This proves that the ancient Chinese had already created a prelude to the Oriental human civilisation in Xintai some four or five thousand years ago. In the
Shang and
Zhou dynasties, Xintai served as the capital of the
Qi (杞) state. In 219 BC,
Qin Shi Huang held a ceremony at Mount Liangfu.
Emperor Wu and
Emperor Guangwu of the
Han dynasty also held similar ceremonies in Xintai. Besides, there were numerous famous Chinese people from Xintai, such as peace activist
Liu Xiahui and musician
Shi Kuang. In the early
Qing dynasty, in order to improve transport between north and south China, the
Yongzheng Emperor ordered the construction of a new connecting road. After Yangliu station was set up, Xintai became an important centre of transport between the north and south. In August 2007, the
Shandong coal mine flood killed 181 miners. ==Climate==