Zunyi, Wade-Giles romanization Tsun-i, city, northern Guizhou sheng (province), southern China. It is situated on the main route from the provincial capital of Guiyang in the south to Chongqing in the north.
The city was brought under regular Chinese administration only in the early 7th century ce. A prefecture named Bo was set up there in 639, and its present name, Zunyi, was given to a county under the prefecture in 642. The city became the seat of Zunyi prefecture, which was established in 1601 during the Ming period (1368–1644), and kept that status under the Qing dynasty (1644–1911/12); however, it was redesignated a county (still under the name Zunyi) in 1914. Zunyi achieved fame as a result of the Long March (1934–35) of the Chinese communist armies northwestward from their bases in Jiangxi province, which took them through Zunyi. In 1935 the Central Political Bureau of the Chinese Communist Party held a conference in Zunyi at which Mao Zedong, the future founder of the People’s Republic of China, finally established his dominance in the party over rival leaders who did not share his views on revolutionary strategy.
Until 1949 Zunyi was not much more than a local market town dependent on Guiyang. During the First Five-Year Plan (1953–57) of the People’s Republic, Zunyi expanded considerably, was designated a city, and became an industrial centre. The old town, primarily administrative, was joined by a newer area containing the commercial and industrial quarters. A silk textile mill, rice and flour mills, small engineering works, and a chemical industry producing phosphates were established. The surrounding area became important for the production of manganese. In the late 1950s large iron- and steelworks were built at Zunyi. Subsequently, factories producing electrical machinery and armaments moved to Zunyi from cities on China’s east coast, greatly enhancing the industrial level of the city. More recent economic expansion has included the making of metallurgical products, electrical machinery and appliances, chemicals, beverages (notably wines), and plastics. The city is connected by railway and expressway with Guiyang and Chongqing.
Zunyi has been designated a historical and cultural city by the national government. The site of the 1935 Zunyi Conference has become a major tourist attraction in the area. Pop. (2002 est.) city, 378,602; (2005 est.) urban agglom., 799,000.