西汉Western Han Dynasty :it belonged to Yizhou ancient county.

元至元十三年（1276），Set Mengzi County, Enjoyed an Road, Mengzi County Gejiu is a village in the Cinque Terre, it is also one of six in the last twelve years in Mengzi, said the Gejiu inside

清康熙四十六年（1707）In the Gejiu factories called "Gejiu factory", the admission of tin, silver taxable. Guangxu eleven years (1885), set up Gejiu hall, the establishment of the Government Office, responsible for managing mining. 

民国二年（1913）4月， Replaced Gejiu Hall County, Li Mengzi Road. In 18 years (1929), after the waste channel directly under the Yunnan Province. In 31 years (1942) is the third Chief Inspector (in Jianshui County). In 37 years (1948) is the fifth Chief Inspector (in Jianshui County). In 38 years (1949) moved to the Gejiu county Fifth District resident.

1950年1月27日， Honghe on both sides of the Gejiu County and neighboring townships under the newly established Xinmin county.

1951年1月10日， State Council approved: revocation Gejiu county, the establishment of Gejiu city, is under the jurisdiction of Yunnan Province. Its jurisdiction in the main mining area, and the original BAUER Gejiu County Tianxi area and a top area of the mine was placed, a Datun area of Mengzi County's included, the Gejiu Gejiu county cloud genera River areas into Mengzi County.

1958年10月20日 ,81st plenary meeting of the State Council meeting decided: revocation of Mengzi County Mengzi County all the territory under the original Gejiu city. Open four townships away revoke county, the original Kaiyuan County all six districts and seven districts, a village five areas placed under Wenshan County, the rest of the territory under the Gejiu city.

1960年9月13日,103rd plenary meeting of the State Council session: to restore the original Gejiu city incorporated and revocation of Kaiyuan, Mengzi County formed , before merging its administrative region after the names of the original unchanged, Kaiyuan, Mengzi County, led by the Gejiu City .

1988年，Gejiu Yunnan Province plans to municipalities, to exercise the right to state-level economic management.

In 2001, the whole city a streets, eight towns, four townships: city streets城区街道, tin towns锡城镇, Jijie town、鸡街镇,  Datun Town大屯镇,Zhadian Town乍甸镇,  Laochang town老厂镇, Kafang town卡房镇, Fanhao town蔓耗镇, Shadian Town沙甸镇,Tangdian Township倘甸乡, Jiasha Town贾沙乡,Baohe township保和乡, Huangcaoba Xiang.黄草坝乡。

In 2005, the Gejiu city street town revoke Jijie, TangdianTownship and Zhadian Town, with the establishment Jijie town, the town government in the Jijie town government resident.