It has a history stretching back to the Warring States period (403–221 BCE).

Part of the city was formerly known as Changping where a noted battle took place in 260 BCE between forces from the rival States of Qin and Zhao.

Not until the late 20th and early 21st century was Gaoping widely accepted as Yan's birthplace by the global scholarly community.

A local temple to a female river spirit has been identified as portraying Yan's daughter Nüwa (Chinese: 女娃) - not to be confused with the goddess Nüwa (Chinese: 女娲) - since the Ming dynasty.

[2] Ancient sources, such as the Guo Yu, record that Yan and his posterity flourished in the area around a river called the "Giang [Jiang] Water".