Anyang was designated as a capital as early as the 14th century BC, when the 20th king of Shang Dynasty, Pangeng, moved the capital of Yin.

The rulers of Shang Dynasty organized an immense construction there, and finally built Yin into a great capital in ancient China. After that, some other kingdoms in Central Plain also chose Anyang as the capital as well, but no further accomplishment with regard to city construction was made. Theis ancient city was reduced to ruins by countless wars. After Song Dynasty, cultural and architectural relics of Yin times were discovered from time to time, especially in several large-scale excavations after founding of the People's Republic of China. Gradually the scale and layout of the ancient city have become more and more clear. Today the architecture ruins of the city are called "Yinxu".

Lying about one kilometer away from Anyang, Shang Dynasty Ruins spread to both banks of Huanhe River. In latitudinal direction, the longest distance of the ruins is about 10 km, while in longitudinal direction, the longest distance is about 5 km. It has an area of more than 24 square km, and in this area, more than 50 palace ruins have been found.

Viewed from the extant Yinxus, this ancient city demonstrated a relatively high level in constructing city architecture. The layout of the palaces, folk houses, workshops, and graveyards was fairly mature. The palaces are grand and luxurious. The area of the largest palace is up to 400 square m, and the base earth is up to 2 m thick. All these indicate that Yinxu was a mature ancient capital with an integrated plan, clear layout and high level of architectural skills in that period.

Today, Anyang has become an important city in Henan province. Every year it attracts many scholars and experts for archaeological research, and large number of tourist.