Zunyi is known for being the location where Mao Zedong was first elected to the leadership of the Communist Party of China during the Long March. After this famous "Zunyi meeting", Mao Zedong and other two leaders formed a group to control the procedure of the Long March. Chinese tourists come to take photographs in the meeting hall where this historic election took place (at the Zunyi Conference). This historical meeting hall once belonged to a local warlord and after being occupied by the Red Army served as the temporary headquarters.

Zunyi has a long history. During the Spring and Autumn Period, it was once the territory of the Ba and Shu. During the Warring States Period, it was a vassal state of Yelang. In the Qing and Han eras, it was a prefecture. In the 13th year of the Zhenguan reign of the Tang Dynasty, Bozhou was established and named "Luomeng"; then later, in the Song Dynasty, it was renamed "Bochuan County." In the Ming Dynasty, it had the name "Zunyi" and was under the government of Sichuan Province. In the fifth year of Yongzheng during the Qing Dynasty, Zunyi became part of Guizhou Province.

During the Republic of China period, Zunyi had a Commissioner's Office. After liberation, Zunyi became an administrative district. Zunyi's history is rich and long, and civilization and culture have been evolving down to the modern era, when the remarkable Zunyi Meeting was held, and it established itself as an important place in China's revolutionary history. In June, 1997, it was designated as "Zunyi City" by the State Council. Before the 1950s, Zunyi was a small town of two square kilometers and a population of less than 50,000. After a short 50 years of development, Zunyi has sprung up to be the second largest city in Guizhou.