Previously known as Wanxian, this city received its name during the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644) and became a Foreign Treaty Port in 1902. Wanzhou has been named because thousands of rivers joined and thousands of commodities gathered and distributed here and it has over 1700 years history. It was called Wanxian Prefecture since 1950 with 9 counties and one city under its jurisdiction.

With the establishment of the Chongqing Municipality under the direct control of the central government, it is changed to be called Wanzhou District of Chongqing Municipality having administration over other four county-level resettlement development zones and 92 townships, towns and sub-districts with an area of 3457 square Kilometers and a population of 1.7 million.

Wanzhou District lies in the middle of the most popular tourist spot - the Three Gorges scenic area. The Port of Wanzhou, one of the biggest ports along the Yangtze River, is also a port where the Yangtze River cruise lines pass. Built in the year of 25, it became a busy port in the Northern and Southern Dynasty (420 - 581); the port of Wanzhou has long been established and plays an important role today. It is said that after the completion of the Three Gorges Project, 10,000-ton cargos are able to berth at, and pass through the port, all year round.