Zengcheng County was established under the Qin following their conquest of the area, formerly held by the Baiyue tribes.

In 2006, a western section of Zengcheng was severed to form Guangzhou's Luogang District, which was renamed Huangpu in 2014.

Zengcheng's mild climate, fertile land, annual average temperature of 22.02 degrees and average yearly rainfall of 1,967 millimetres (77.4 in) make it suitable for tropical and subtropical crop growth.

On 28 August 2012 one new subdistrict (Yongning) and one new town (Xiancun) were established from carving out of Xintang.

[6] Owing to the distance from Guangzhou's city center, many locals consider themselves distinct from the other Guangzhounese.