Wuzhong is located in the upper reaches of the Yellow River, in the middle of Ningxia, with Yinchuan to the north and Zhongwei to the south.
In the Western Han Dynasty, a city was built on the island of the Yellow River, and Lingzhou County was established. It was changed to Lingzhou County in the Eastern Han Dynasty and Lingwu in the Sui and Tang Dynasties.
During the Anshi Rebellion in the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang fled to Sichuan, and Crown Prince Li Heng ascended the throne in Lingwu (i.e. Lingzhou, now Wuzhong).