Anqing (simplified Chinese: 安庆; traditional Chinese: 安慶; pinyin: Ānqìng, also Yicheng, Nganking and formerly Hwaining, now the name of Huaining County) is a prefecture-level city in the southwest of Anhui province, People's Republic of China. Its population was 4,165,284 as of the 2020 census, with 728,501 living in the built-up (or metro) area made up of three urban districts. Anqing is famous as the birthplace of Chen Duxiu, one of the founding fathers of the Chinese Communist Party, who served as the first General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party from 1921 to 1928. Huangmei opera, a renowned Chinese opera style, originated in the city of Anqing. This captivating art form gained immense popularity since the 1950s, largely attributed to the exceptional talents of local actors and actresses from Anqing. Huangmei opera is a significant cultural treasure that defines the rich heritage of the city of Anqing.

During the Song dynasty, the Eight Counties of Anqing were known as Shuzhou, along with the ancestral name of Tong'an, and were under the jurisdiction of the Deqing Army. In 1147, the Deqing Army was renamed, combining the last characters of Tong'an and Deqing to create Anqing, naming the army and later the settlement. Anqing itself means "peaceful and auspicious'. Anqing's other name of "Yicheng" was named by the Eastern Jin scholar Guo Pu, describing the location of Anqing as "suitable for a city."

The region around Anqing contains many Neolithic cultural sites, including the Zhangsidun site, the Xuejiagang site, and the Sunjiacheng site.

In the Warring States period, the Zhou emperor granted Qianshan County to the state of Tong, which itself was formerly in Henan. The city of Tongcheng was established around the same time.

During the Qin and Han dynasties, the town of Wancheng existed in modern-day Qianshan County, and following the unification of China by Qin Shi Huang, it belonged to Jiujiang Prefecture, before being transferred to Huainan State during the Western Han. In 164 BC, Huainan was divided into Huainan, Hengshan, and Lujiang. Later, Lujiang Prefecture would absorb Hengshan. Under the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, the region around Anqing came under the jurisdiction of Shu County and Wan County of Lujiang and Yangzhou Prefecture until the Eastern Han. During the Three Kingdoms period, the states of Cao Wei and Eastern Wu fought many times in Anqing. During this period, Shu County was abolished and came under Wan County. Following the conquest of Eastern Wu by the Western Jin, Shu County was reestablished, and in 313, the Wan County was abolished.

During the Wei, Jin, and Northern and Southern Dynasties periods, the towns of Mengcheng and Wankoucheng were built near Anqing, and the town of Shankou was built in what is now Daguan District. During the Eastern Jin, between 405 and 418, Huaining County and Xinye County (now Wangjiang County) were established in place of Wan County, along with Jinxi Prefecture, located near present-day Taihu County. The seat of Huaining County was Qianshan during this period.

During the Liang dynasty, the prefecture of Yuzhou was founded and renamed Jinzhou, governing Huaining County. During the Northern Qi, Jinzhou was renamed Jiangzhou before being reverted to Jinzhou during the Chen dynasty.

At the beginning of the Sui dynasty, Jinxi Prefecture was renamed to Xizhou, which at the time governed five counties: Huaining, Susong, Taihu, Wangjiang, and Tong'an. In 607, Xizhou was renamed Tong'an, but the county seat remained in Huaining. In 626, Tong'an was renamed Dong'an and then Shuzhou. In 742, it was renamed Tong'an again, and then renamed Shengtang in 757, along with a moving of the county seat to Tongcheng. It was then finally renamed Shuzhou the following year.