Liaoyuan was an imperial hunting ground during the Qing Dynasty, going by the name Shengjing Paddock. In 1902, Qing government established Xian County in this region, which became today's Xi'an District. However, this name is a duplicate of Xi'an, Sha'anxi's capital. It was renamed Liaoyuan in 1952, since Eastern Liao River originates in this region. It was the capital of Liaobei province from 1945 to 1949; from 1949 to 1954 it was part of Liaodong province. After 1954, Liaoyuan was put under Siping Prefecture's jurisdiction. Liaoyuan became a prefecture-level in 1983, administering two districts and two counties. Covering an area of 5,125 square kilometers, Liaoyuan is the smallest among the prefecture-level cities in Jilin