Zhaotong region has a long history, as early as the Neolithic primitive people here are home to propagate, to the Western Han Dynasty, is created the splendid Chinese culture to it between the Ba-Shu culture and Yelang Culture, the meeting point of cultures of Yunnan, and the Central Plains Cultural impact, so they have a distinct personality characteristics and regional characteristics, left many monuments.

Zhaotong is used to be the venue of an important conference held in February of 1935 during Chinese Red Army's Long March and it used to be an important gateway to Sichuan and Guizhou provinces, and one of the major economic and cultural centers on the "Silk Road" in south China. 

Fossils discovered in the mountain caves indicate that human settlers began to move here one hundred thousand years ago, and many Neolithic relics have been discovered in the city. Before the Qin Dynasty (221BC-206BC) established Shu Shire here, it successively belonged to Liangzhou, and the Shu Kingdom. The Qin Court carved out the 'Wuchi Dao' here to connect the economic and cultural communication of Yunnan with Central China.      

It is located in the northeast of Yunnan Province, and bordering Guizhou and Sichuan provinces, low-lying South North High. The lowest elevation is 267 meters, the highest elevation 4,040 meters with a total area of 23,021 square kilometers. In history Zhaotong is the two provinces to the Chuanqian important gateway to the Central Plains culture is an important channel into Yunnan, China's famous "Southern Silk Road", known as "Suoyao southern Yunnan, Xishu throat".

Zhaotong City, a jurisdiction in 10 counties, due to the golden sand River, Kraal Jiang rivers such as the vertical and horizontal cutting, stand in cliffs, deep-Qing, climate and diverse. River Valley is a tropical, subtropical, high mountain with a cold, cold, vulgar "one mountain at Four Seasons, different weather within 10 km".

Tourist attractions in Zhaotong are marked Huanglian River scenic area in the higher visibility. National Customs is the liveliest and Miao flower Festival.