About 7,000 years ago, there were inhabitants living in Weihai. In 1398,the Ming Dynasty stationed troops in Weihai which was called eihaiwei.In 1898,Weihai became the concession of Britain. In October,1930, Weihai was regained and Weihaiwei Administrative Division was set up. In 1945,Weihaiwei City was set up which was renamed Weihai City after the establishment of the People Republic of China. In June,1987,Weihai City was approved to be the prefectural city by the State Council.

The coastal line of Weihai is 1,000 kilometers ,accounting for 1/3 of that in Shandong .There are 3 large fishing grounds along the coast ,which makes Weihai one of the largest fishing production bases in China. More than 300 kinds of aquatic products can be found in Weihai such as prawn, sea cucumber, abalone, shellfish, algae and fishes. There are more than 30 kinds of minerals can be mined such as gold ,iron ,copper and zinc. The high-quality granite has a large reserve in Weihai, and the granites with the name of hidao Red, endeng White and ushan Black　have enjoyed good fame at home and abroad .

The climate here is agreeable and it is neither too cold in winter nor scorching in summer, with clear variation of four seasons. The average annual temperature is 12"C, the annual sunshine time 2,600 hours and the annual rainfall 800 mm.

Weihai is abundant in tourism resources. There are mountains, sea, islands, beaches, springs, forests, places of historical interest and signs of modern civilization as well. Now it enjoys great prestige both at home and abroad. There are over 80 scenic spots, of which more than 20 have been exploited. Among them, Liugongdao Island and Chengshantou belong to national Beauty Spots and Chashan Hill, Shengshuiguan and Sacred Classics Hill are of provincial level. There are four provincial tourism resorts: Huancui, Silver Beach, Shidao Bay and Swan Lake.