[1] Inhabited since the Neolithic Era, the first incarnation of Nan'an was established as a commandery in the early 500s by the division of Jin'an County under Emperor Wu of Liang.

Following the establishment of the Republic of China, Nan'an was a part of Jinjiang Prefecture until its incorporation into Quanzhou City in 1986; it was the site of military engagements during the Chinese Communist Revolution.

Nan'an is situated below Anxi County, adjacent to Jinjiang City to the east and Tong'an District of Xiamen to the West.

Nan'an has very strong rail infrastructure and road links making it a gateway for tourism as well as commerce.

[citation needed] Nan'an is closely connected to the history of overseas Chinese, having been a hub of the Maritime Silk Road and a longtime economic and cultural centre for the Minnan people, with over 4 million overseas Chinese tracing their ancestry to the area[9][10] Nanguan music has its origins in the area in and surrounding Nan'an.