The city's administrative area covers about 3,747 square kilometres (1,447 sq mi), and includes some 704 villages and small towns.

In 1927, a major peasant revolt erupted in Macheng, creating a strong base for the ensuing Communist revolution in 1949.

More than 100,000 people joined Mao's Red Army under local Generals, Wang Shusheng and Chen Zaidao.

In an effort to increase crop yields, the local communist cadres began demolishing walls of old buildings, abandoned huts and farm stables where animals had urinated to provide nutrients for the soil.

The People's Daily applauded the efforts in an op-ed and labelled it as a 'model commune' which attracted more than half a million cadres in 1958, including Zhou Enlai, Chen Yi and Li Xiannian.

The region where Macheng is located is considered as a subtropical area and the Dabie mountainous terrain is mainly to the north and northeast.