Chiayi City is formerly known as Jhuluo Town.

Construction of Jhuluo Town began in 1704. The county magistrate, Yong-ching Song built railing walls and erected four gates at the east, west, north and south of the town. Jhuluo was the first walled town in Taiwan.

After Yigui Zhu's insurrection in 1723, Lu Sun, the county magistrate at the time, converted railing walls into soil walls for defensive purposes. He also constructed horse trails within the city and a defensive trench on the city’s outskirts.

In 1727, the new county magistrate, Liang-bi Liu, renovated buildings, constructed drainage culverts, and installed artillery atop the four gates. The town's boundaries extended to the northwest, giving it a resemblance to a peach; it is therefore nicknamed "Thô-á Siânn&" meaning “peach town."

In 1734, He Lu, the county magistrate, grew thorny bamboo around soil walls; the defense system of Jhuluo Town was then finally completed. As a result, the town was highly populous, and its roads were always bustling with activity.

Chiayi City neighbors Alishan, also known as Mount Ali, to the east, and the Taiwan Strait to the west. It is at the northern extremity of the Chiayi-Tainan Plain, and the Tropic of Cancer passes through its southern end, so the climate is warm with little rain. Among Taiwan's 22 cities, the city is only larger than Lianjian County in terms of land area. With such small area, Chiayi City is encircled by Chiayi County, so it has a close relationship with Chiayi County on all sides.

Chiayi City was the distribution center of the agriculture and sugar industries of the Chiayi-Tainan Plain and Alishan's forestry industry. It not only contributes to the growth of the economy, industries, and the city, but it also forms the core of local industry and is essential to residents' livelihoods in the Yunlin and Chiayi areas.

Chiayi is located on the Chiayi-Tainan Plain, of which over 90% is under 50 meters above sea level. To the east are gradually ascending hills which rise over 50 meters above sea level, and the terrain gradually descends from east to west. The Alishan mountain range extends all the way along the skyline to the east of the city, with an average elevation of 2,500 meters. The alluvial plain to the west extends all the way to the Taiwan Strait. The Niuchou River, the border of Chiayi County to the north of the city, the Bazhang River, the southern city boundary, and Lantan Lake are the city's main hydrological features.

Due to the city's early development, historical buildings, monuments, and modern architecture were interspersed, and with the development of forestry, wooden structures were widely utilized, resulting in the current urban appearance of Chiayi.

Under Japanese rule, development of the logging industry and the city modernization program formed the basis of Chiayi's current urban style. Elegant and rustic wooden street houses still remained on Guangcai Street, Langjin Street, and Changrong Street. The material fusion of the Minnan-style red brick and cypress is the hallmark of the street houses, which gives them a hint of Japanese style.

Reflecting on the city's history, the vicinity of the "Central Fountain&" was a part of the city walls in Qing dynasty, called “Thô-á Bué” meaning the bottom of a peach.

Under Japanese rule, the wall was removed and a roundabout was constructed to connect the major roads. A small fountain was then added in its middle. The fountain, with its eye-catching lighting displays and adjacent night market, has become one of Chiayi's most prominent landmarks today.

The original Jhuluo Town has been revolutionized into the modern city of Chiayi. All different types of talents, cultures, and artistic interchange were brought together by the advancement of the economy and the accessibility of transportation, which enriched the city with creativity. On Chiayi Art Street, an abundance of creative energy has been cultivated for over a century.

The interplay between paintings and poetry during the Japanese colonial period was a characterstic of the flourishing arts. The oil paintings of Chengpo Chen, the Chinese traditional paintings of Yusan Lin, and the sculptures of Tiansheng Pu are collectively referred to as the "Three Treasures of Taocheng.” In the fields of literature, theater, music, and crafts, there are also a number of notable creators, making Chiayi City's qualities distinctive in Taiwan.