[1][2] The name of the district literally means "Prolong Peace", and it is still commonly referred to as Nanping, which was its name before 1995.

Before that it was a village governed by Houguan County (Fuzhou).

Because it is the start point of Min River, it acts as a trading transferring center between North Fujian, Jiangxi and Fuzhou.

Also, it is the last stronghold of Fuzhou, the largest city in Fujian, and usually carefully guarded.

Because the soldiers came from north China, the city's dialect was more similar to that of Henan Province.