The area formed part of the medieval Kingdom of Dali and was subdued by the Mongolians from 1253–56, after which it was incorporated into Yunnan of the Yuan dynasty.

[2] In the book of his travels, Marco Polo recorded that the people of Jiandu and its hinterland used no coins but rods of gold bullion reckoned in saggi.

A small change was made using half-catty pieces of molded salt, each reckoned as one-eightieth of a saggio of pure gold.

The city walls in Xichang County, three gate towers—the west, south and north—and some prisons collapsed.

[5] Roman Catholicism was introduced to Ningyuan in the 18th century by the Paris Foreign Missions Society.

Owing to its low latitude and high elevation, Xichang has a monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cwa) milder and far sunnier than the Sichuan Basin, with mild, very sunny and dry winters, and very warm, rainy summers.

Xichang's spaceport is located about 64 kilometres (40 mi) northwest of the city and went into operation in 1984.