Chenzhou possesses history records originating from more than 2,000 years ago. In 221 B.C., the Emperor of Qin (Qin Shihuang) unified the then China. He divided the country into 36 counties and mapped out Guizhou County and Changsha County in Hunan Province, with Chenxian of Chenzhou under the jurisdiction of Changsha County. 

In Western Han Dynasty (202 B.C. – 9 A.D.), Changsha South County was set up as Guiyang County governing 11 counties; in Southern and Northern Dynasties (420-589), Song (420-479) , Qi (479-502), and Liang (502-557) called it Guiyang Country, and Chen (557-589) Guiyang County. Emperor Wen of Sui Dynasty (581-618) abandoned the name of Guiyang, and adopted the name of Chenzhou; Emperor Xuanzong of Tang dynasty (618-907) in 742 A.D. named it Guiyang County. 

In Song Dynasty (960-1279) it was called Chenzhou, and the armed force was set up here. In Yuan Dynasty (1206-1368) and Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), an administration was set up here. 

In Qing Dynasty (1636-1911) it was called Zhili Zhou (a directly governed administration). The administration of the Republic of China (1912-1949) turned it into a county. All previous dynasties set up administrations in Chenzhou.

Through a thousand years of changes, the Chenzhou has always been the center of administrative organizations here. 

The renowned local scenic spot Suxian Mountain Ridge in the city was honored as the 18th blessed land under heaven for its beautiful legend. "Three Forever Tablets" of Song Dynasty on the ridge, "Emperor Yi’s Mausoleum "in the city, Han Yu's "Pavilion for Fishing "in Beihu all recorded the long history of Chenzhou. During the Democratic Revolution period, Chenzhou was the cradle for Southern Hunan Uprising. Mao Zedong, Zhu De, Chen Yi and other old generation proletariat revolutionaries all had their glorious footprints left here.