Huangshan City is also a region with time-honored history and splendid cultures. Shexian and Yixian Counties were established more than 2,000 years ago. In the Jin Dynasty (265 A.D. -420 A.D.) Huangshan City was called Xin' an Shire. In the Song Dynasty ( 960 A.D. -1279 A.D.), the name was changed into Huizhou, the city was famed for its affluent Hui merchants, Xin'an School of painting and carvings, Xin'an traditional medicine, Hui ancient architecture, Hui Cuisine, and Huangmei Opera.
In April 1988, Huangshan City, a prefecture level city, was officially established under the jurisdiction of Anhui Province.
The origin of Huangshan civilization can be traced back more than 5000 years ago. The cultural relics unearthed from Shexian （歙县）, Qimen（祁门） and other places show that today's Huangshan City has lived as early as the Paleolithic Age. In the Neolithic Age, our ancestors had already created primitive indigenous cultures.
During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period (770 BC-221 BC), the area of Huangshan still belonged to the relatively independent sphere of influence of the ancient Yue（越） natives.
During the Qin Dynasty (221 BC-206 BC), in the 26th year of Emperor Qin Shi Huang (221 BC), Qin unified China and implemented the county system, which was under the jurisdiction of Kuaiji (会稽） County.
During the Three Kingdoms Period (220-280), the area of Huangshan was under the jurisdiction of Xiuyang County（休阳县） in the Kingdom Wu. In the first year of King Wu Yong'an (258), in order to avoid being named after Sun Xiu (孙休）of the King Wu, Xiuyang County was renamed Haiyang County（海阳县）.
During the Western Jin Dynasty (265-316), in the first year of Emperor Jin's Taikang reign (280), the King Wu was conquered and Xindu County was renamed Xin'an Prefecture. Xinding County was renamed Sui'an County, and Haiyang County was renamed Haining County. Xin'an Prefecture governs Shixin, Zuo, She, Sui'an, Liyang, and Haining counties, with the county seat in Shixin County.
During the Song Dynasty (960-1279), in the third year of Emperor Xuanhe's reign (1121), the uprising led by Fang La, a native of Shezhou, was destroyed by the court. As a result, Shezhou became Huizhou （徽州）.
From then on, until the 790 year of the third year of Emperor Xuantong of the Qing Dynasty (1911), as the name of the prefecture, Huizhou remained unchanged.
In the first year of the Republic of China (1912), the prefecture was abolished and the counties under Huizhou were directly under the jurisdiction of Anhui Province.
In 1949, after the founding of the People's Republic of China, Huangshan area was under the jurisdiction of Huizhou Prefecture of Anhui Province.
In April 1988, Huangshan City, a prefecture level city, was officially established under the jurisdiction of Anhui Province.