After the Han dynasty collapsed, the area remained under nominal Chinese control, but much of the administration was left to local, non-Han chiefs.

In the 7th century CE, the area came under regular Chinese administration during the Tang dynasty, Zunyi was placed under the new Bo Prefecture (Bozhou).

The chiefdom became an autonomous prefecture of the Song and subsequent dynasties, while the ruling Yang family held power in Zunyi for more than seven centuries.

[5] In 1935, the Zunyi Conference took place in the city, resulting in Mao Zedong becoming the de facto leader of the Chinese Communist Party.

[5] Zunyi is located in northern Guizhou at an elevation of 865 m (2,838 ft); it is situated in the transition from the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau to the Sichuan Basin and hill country of Hunan.

Zunyi has a four-season, monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa), slightly modified by elevation.

It has fairly mild winters and hot, humid summers; close to 60% of the year's 1,022 mm (40 in) of precipitation occurs from May to August.