The area of present-day Kuandian belonged to the
Yan state during the
Warring States period, and was then brought under the
Liaodong Commandery in the
Qin Dynasty. From the
Eastern Han Dynasty until 408 CE, the southern part of the county was incorporated under the rule of various Chinese dynasties. The area became part of
Goguryeo in 408 CE, and afterwards became part of the
Tang Dynasty's
Protectorate General to Pacify the East. The county's name originates from the
Kingdom of Balhae, when the area was known as Kuandianzi (). The area would come under the reign of the
Liao dynasty, then the
Jin dynasty, and then the
Yuan dynasty. In 1467, the
Ming Dynasty built a defensive wall in the eastern part of the region that terminated at the
Yalu River. Various forts were added in 1546 and 1573. Kuandian County was established in 1876 under Fenghuang Subprefecture (). The area belonged to (奉天省) during the early days of the
Republic of China. The county was put under the jurisdiction of the
prefecture-level city of
Dandong in 1965. Kuandian County was approved as an
autonomous county in September 1989, becoming the Kuandian Manchu Autonomous County. ==Administrative divisions==