Its predecessor administrative area Huazhou/Hua prefecture was first established in 596 during the Sui dynasty. In 606 it was named Yanzhou (兖州), and soon after as Dong commandery. In 618 it was combined with present Changyuan and Yanjin as Huazhou again. In 1372 it was demoted to a county.[2] The name 'Hua' means 'slip', given because the city had many slipways.[3]
The county executive, legislature, and Basic People's Court are in Daokou, together with the CPC and PSB branches.[4] Prior to 1949 the administrative center of Hua County was in Chengguan.[2] Its current administrative subdivisions are:[5]
On 10 September 2009, the Basic People's Court sentenced Wei Fazhao to death for his January drunk-driving killing of eight people and injuring of three. It was the first death penalty given to a drunk driver anywhere in Henan.[8]