Lying in the north of Jiangsu Province and Huaihe River, Suqian in the Spring and Autumn Period was known as Zhongwu Country before Su Country moved its capital here. The city was called Xiaxiang County in Qin Dynasty until the West Han Period when Ling County was abolished and Xiaxiang was established. After East Han Period and West Jin Period, Xiaxiang was re-named Suyu County in the First Year of Yixi of Emperor An in East Jin Period (405 A.D). The name remained in the Northern and Southern Dynasties (420-589) and Sui Dynasty until the First Year of Baoying of Emperor Dai Zong in Tang Dynasty (762 A.D) when Suyu County was changed into Suqian County to avoid taboos as Emperor Dai Zong’s name included the character Yu. Then Huaiwen County, Tongyang County, Taoyuan County and Linhuai County were successively set up under its jurisdiction. Thereafter in Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties, prefectures witnessed repeated abolishment or substitution. During the Anti-Japanese War and Liberation War, the north of the Canal was named as Suyu County while the west was Sisu County. Subei County covered an area from the north of current Xiaodian Town to Xin’an Town. From September 1945 to July 1946, Suqian City was once established under the jurisdiction of Sisu County. Suqian County (including the east and west of the Canal) was afterwards merged with the southern area of Xinyi River in Subei County into a new Suqian County in June 1946, under the jurisdiction of the Huaiyin Special Administrative Area which then turned into Huaiyin Region in 1970. In 1983, the Region was approved as Huaiyin City. On December 31, 1987, approval of the State Council led to the abolishment of the Suqian County and the establishment of the county-level Suqian City. In July 1996, the State Council approved that the county-level Suqian City was upgraded into the prefecture-level Suqian City with Shuyang County, Siyang County, Sihong County, Suyu County and Sucheng District under its jurisdiction. The Municipal Government was located in Sucheng District. In March 2004, approved by the State Council, Suyu County was abolished and Suyu District officially came into existence.