The territory takes its name from the Tribute of Yu wherein Yu the Great wrote: Between the sea and Mount Tai there is only Qingzhou. In around 5,000 BCE the area was the cradle of Dongyi culture. During the Xia and Shang dynasties, it was home to the Shuangjiu (, Shuǎngjīu), Jize (, Jìzé), and Pangboling (, Pángbólíng) clans and the state of Pugu.