From Pre-Qin to the Qing dynasty According to ancient texts, during the
Xia and
Shang periods, the area that is now Zhoucheng Town belonged to
Xuzhou, one of the
Nine Provinces, and was known as "Qià Xiāngchéng" (恰乡城) during the
Shang dynasty. In the
Spring and Autumn period, it was part of the
State of Lu. During the
Qin dynasty, the region around Zhoucheng Town fell under the jurisdiction of
Xue Commandery. From the
Han dynasty to the
Tang dynasty, it was successively part of Jidong State, Dahe Commandery, Dongping State, Dongping Commandery, and
Yunzhou. In the early Northern Song dynasty, the area around Zhoucheng belonged to Yunzhou. At that time, the administrative center of Yunzhou was in
Xuchang City, situated in the present territory of Laohuzhen in Dongping County. However, in the third year of the Xianping era (1000 AD), due to a breach in the Wanglingsao of the
Yellow River, Xuchang City, being at a lower elevation, suffered severe flooding. The Prefect of Yunzhou,
Yao Xuan, subsequently built a new city in a higher-lying area in Wenyang Town, still referred to as Xucheng. This city became the modern-day Zhoucheng, and from then on, Zhoucheng became the new political center of Dongping. Following the fall of the Northern Song dynasty, Zhoucheng briefly served as one of the capital cities of
Liu Qi. During the Jin dynasty, the Shandong Western Route was established, with its administrative center in
Dongping Prefecture, where the prefectural government was located in what is now Zhoucheng. During the
Yuan dynasty, Zhoucheng served as the administrative center of the Dongping Route of the
Ministry of Personnel. With the opening of the
Grand Canal, Dongping became an important hub for waterborne transportation, and it was referred to as a "magnificent and grand metropolis" by
Marco Polo in his
travel accounts. During the Ming and Qing periods, Zhoucheng served as the
administrative center of
Dongping Prefecture. In the late Ming dynasty, residents in Dongping Prefecture gathered and set fire to the prefectural office. In the 14th year of the
Chongzhen era (1641), a peasant army led by
Li Qingshan captured the prefecture, but later, they were defeated by Ming dynasty forces. During the Qing dynasty, the
Baojia system was implemented. In the current jurisdiction of Zhoucheng Subdistrict, it was divided into different Bao districts, including Xinzibao (Southeast Xinzibao, Northwest Xinzibao), Ruiren Bao in the east, Furen Bao in the west, Aili Bao in the south, and Yifang Bao in the north. In the late Qing dynasty and early Republic of China, Dongping County faced security issues, with peasant armies and armed bandits attacking the county town multiple times. In the first year of the
Tongzhi era (1861),
Zhang Lexing's Nian army crossed the Grand Canal and besieged Zhoucheng twice but failed to capture it. with the prefectural city continuing to serve as the county seat, and the Bao system was retained. In 1918, bandit
Zhang Zhanyuan broke into Dongping County and, along with the mutinous garrison led by
He Duoyu, looted the county. In 1926, the Hongqiang Party, composed of peasants, gathered to attack the prefectural city. In 1931, the Bao system was abolished, and district offices and townships were established. At that time, the northwestern and central areas of what is now Zhoucheng Subdistrict belonged to Dongping District 1, which included four towns and four townships. Some southeastern villages were part of the fourth, sixth, and seventh townships of Dongping District 5. In October 1937, the
Chinese Communist Party (CCP) established the Dongping County Work Committee. On December 25 of the same year,
Japanese warplanes launched an air raid on Zhoucheng, causing more than 30 casualties. Following the air raid,
Sun Yonghan, who was then the county head of Dongping, escaped to Zhoucheng. On August 17, 1938, Japanese troops and local militias from southwestern Shandong attacked Zhoucheng. The temporary Dongping County government organized over a hundred people to resist, but the defense failed, and Japanese forces subsequently occupied Zhoucheng. In 1939, the Japanese set up a garrison in Zhoucheng. In August 1940, the Dongping County Anti-Japanese Democratic Government, under CCP leadership, incorporated Zhoucheng into Dongping District 1 On May 17, 1945, the
Eighth Route Army launched the
Dongping Campaign to liberate Dongping. By May 18, the Eighth Route Army had captured Zhoucheng and defeated the Japanese forces by the 19th. After the CCP took control of Zhoucheng, they removed parts of the city walls. In 1947, during the
Second Chinese Civil War, both the Nationalist (
Kuomintang) and CCP forces contended for control of Zhoucheng. In March 1947, the Nationalist army took Zhoucheng but fled on April 21. They briefly reclaimed Zhoucheng on August 4 but were later defeated by the
Liberation Army in November. In December, the
Dong'e County Homecoming Regiment captured Zhoucheng. In the same month, the Liberation Army launched an eastward campaign, recapturing Zhoucheng early the following year.
People's Republic of China After the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Zhoucheng remained under the jurisdiction of Dongping District 1. In December 1949, Chengguan District was separated from District 1. In April 1951, Chengguan District was merged back into District 1, which then included several towns: Lianhuawan, Xiliangcun, Houheyayi, Zhifang, Chenfang, Taoyuan, Nanzhen,
Beizhen, Dongzhen, Xizhen, Yaowo, Liulin, and Liulou. In 1955, the four towns of Xizhen, Dongzhen, Nanzhen, and Beizhen in the vicinity of the District 1 county seat were merged into Chengguan Township. At this time, District 1 comprised nine townships. Later that year, District 1 was renamed Chengguan District. By the end of 1956, some townships were again merged, leading to the abolition of Chengguan District. Chengguan Town directly fell under county jurisdiction, while Chenfang and Liangcun townships were initially transferred to Pengji District but were soon returned. In October 1958, during the
People's Commune Movement, towns were dissolved. Chengguan Town was reorganized into Chengguan People's Commune. The eastern part of the original Chengguan District and the western part of Pengji District became Liangcun People's Commune. On December 19, 1958, the Liangcun Commune was dissolved, and its territory was divided between Chengguan Commune and Pengji Commune. In October 1959, Dongping County was abolished, and Chengguan Commune was transferred to
Wenshang County. In 1960, Chengguan Commune was transferred to
Liangshan County, and in 1961, it was once again transferred to Wenshang County. In 1962, Dongping County was reestablished, and Chengguan Commune returned to Dongping, remaining the county seat. In January 1980, Chengguan Commune was renamed Zhoucheng Town. In November 1982, the county seat of Dongping County was relocated from Zhoucheng to
Hutun Village In October 1985, Zhoucheng District was dissolved, and the townships of Sunzhifang and Xiliangcun were merged into Zhoucheng Town. == Environment ==