It is called Zezhou in the ancient time and was under the jurisdiction of Jin Dynasty. In 376 BC, Jin Dynasty was divided into three parts by Wei, Zhao and Han, and the last emperor of Jin Dynasty Jinggong was forced to move to Duanshi. Gaodu was made the place where the emperor worshipped the ancestors and god, which is the origin of the name of Jincheng. In 1983, Jincheng County was changed into Jincheng city (county level). In 1985, the southeast area was abolished and Jincheng city was upgraded to a prefectural-level city which had jurisdiction over one district, one city and four counties.
City District of Jincheng
In 1985, Jincheng city was upgraded to a prefectural-level city, which consisted of the city district and the suburb (Zezhou County now). This is the beginning of the establishment of the city.
Zezhou County
In Qin and Han Dynasty, Gaogu County, Yang’e County, and Gaodu County were set up. In Beiwei Dynasty, it belonged to Jianzhou. In Kaihuang 3 of Sui Dynasty (583), Jianzhou was changed to Zezhou for it is nearby Huoze River. From Wude 3(620), it was called Jincheng County, and then changed its name for many times such as Jincheng and Danzhou. In 1985, Jincheng city was upgraded to a prefectural-level city, which originally consisted of the city urban area and the surburbs. In 1996, the suburb was replaced by Zezhou County.
Gaoping City
In Yongan 2 of Beiwei Dynasty, Gaoping County was set up, and it got the name Gaoping from its special geographical conditions that the middle area is a plain with mountains around. Tianbao 7 of Beiqi Dynasty (556), Gaoping County was changed to Pinggao County. At the end of Beiqi Dynasty, Pinggao County was changed to Gaoping County again and in 1994 it was upgraded to a city.
Yangcheng County
It was called Huoze in the ancient time. In the first year of Tianbao period of Tang Dynasty (742), Huoze County was changed to Yangcheng County, for the county was located in Yanglingyi, which was the site of Yang’e. The site of Yang’e was adjacent to He Mountain in the south. Just as the semantic book Erya.Shidi says, Big Ling is located in the original site of Yang’e. Yang Spring flows through the county, so it is called Yanghe Counyt or Yangling County.
Lingchuan County
In Zhou Dynasty, it was under the jurisdiction of Jin Kingdom, while in Qing Dynasty it belonged to Shangdang County. In Kaihuang 16 of Sui Dynasty (596), Lingchuan County was set up in the place of Gaoping, which got its name from the name of the mountains. In Zhiyuan 3 under the control of the first emperor of Yuan Dynasty(1266)，it was merged with Jincheng County, and in Zhiyuan 31(1294) it reverted to the jurisdiction of Lingchuan County again.
Qinshui County
In Qin and Han Dynasties, Duanshi County was set up. In Beiqi Dynasty, it was changed to Yongning County. In Kaihuang 18 of Sui Dynasty (598), it got a new name Qinshui County because of Qinhe River which flew through the county.