Formerly known as Guangzhouwan, Zhanjiang was a peaceful village until the French noticed its strategic potential in the Leizhou Peninsula, leading to the lease of the territory as the free port of 'Fort-Bayard', the only French colony in China. As one of the few safe havens guarded by the Great Powers, the influx of refugees had brought short-lived prosperity to Zhanjiang in the Second Sino-Japanese War, but quickly faded away after the French authorities surrendered themselves to the Japanese.

When peace returned to China, Zhanjiang was also returned to the hands of the Nanjing Government alongside Hainan per the treaty of Guangdong. However, as an enclave far beyond Nanjing's reach, the city soon evolved to a hotbed of insurgencies and dissents and eventually descending into chaos during the 1955 crisis, resulting in the expulsion of Nanjing officials by the Southwest warlords in the name of 'Pacification'. Since then, Zhanjiang has been under the control of the warlords.

Being the only major port of the Southwest, Zhangjiang has received much-needed resources and investments for its prosperity, and never have the city been more bustling alongside the never-ending shipments in and out of the ports. Undoubtedly, the importance of Zhanjiang will continue to grow as the key pillar of Southwestern autonomy - even this development is unwelcomed by some forces out there.