There was a hill in Zhaotang, Qiu Village of Guangde. One year a big flood happened in this hill, which submerged the countryside and caused people to run away from their homeland. However, an old melon man living in the hillside refused to leave. With the big water withdrawing, the old man discovered a melon seedling had revealed a piece of tender leaf in the melon garden. After careful cultivation, a great round melon has tied until the late autumn. The Old man rolled the melon to home. When he arrived at the hillside, he heard a loud sound and found that there was a big crack in the hill. The watermelon rolled into the seam, and the hot pursuit old man had also fallen into it. It seemed as if he arrived at a fairyland with wealth everywhere. Just then, a white hair old man appeared. After finding out the reason, he permitted: here gold, silver valuables and money, you can take any you like. The old man asked for only a gold hoe and a gold spade. When leaving, the old man was given a key and a sentence. He was asked to take anything if he wanted. When he came back, the wealthy person closely examined the origin of his gold hoe and gold spade, and also intimidated him to mention the mnemonics and hand over the key. The wealthy person arrived in front of the mountain, as soon as they read the mnemonics, the mountain really split. The wealthy person had entered, seeing a front door to block the way. As soon as they opened the door by the key, they found money everywhere. The wealthy person sweated profusely by taking this and that. Suddenly, they heard a thunder and found the hill relocked again. From then on, the hill had not split again. Later, people called it “locking hill”.

During Jianyan in Southern Song Dynasty, Yue Fei commanded troops in Guangde to fight against soldiers from Jing. The military provisions supplies were insufficient and the army ran out of food when he garrisoned in Zhong Village and Kulingguan Village. Yue Fei and his men dug the wild herbs together and picked the wild fruit to appease hunger. They would rather starve to death than harass the people. The wild herbs and wild fruit were too bitter and astringent to eat, Yue Fei enlightened his men saying, “The landscape suffers from the oppression, and the people are miserable beyond description. How can we be fear of the wild herbs!” Under the local common people's support, Yuejia army not only got through the difficult time, but also obtained six fights' victory and captured rebel Qi Fang.

At the end of West Han Dynasty, there was a man called Zhang Bo from Wucheng (Huzhou, Zhejiang Province). He decided to inherit the meritorious achievements of ancestors assisting the legendary emperor Yu to regulate waterways to prepare and cut an artificial river from Si'an of Changxing to Nanyi Lake, which flows through Guangde entire boundary. River like this can not only eliminate the flood, but also do goods to the water trade. When he worked in Dongting of Guangde, he used magic to change into God pig to accelerate the progress. He guided countless pigs to do the dredging work… One day, his wife went to the construction place to bring lunch for him. Seeing his wife, he hurried eastward and lived in Mountain Xici. His wife didn't know the inner secret and couldn't find his husband, secretly living in the east city. From then on, they didn't meet each other. The posterity treated him as emperor Cishan, constructed the ancestral hall and set up the temple to offer sacrifice to him. The descendants came to honor him without stop.

It is about 1,800 years since Guangde constructed the county. It was called Tongna in ancient times. It belonged to Wu, Yue, and Chu successively. It was subordinate to Zhang County in Qin Dynasty. In Western Han Dynasty (109 B.C.), Zhang County changed into Danyang County, and was moved to Wanling (now Xuancheng City). Former Zhang County was set up in the original county areas, belonging to Danyang county of Yangchow. Guangde was subordinate to it.  By the early period of Jian'an of Eastern Han Dynasty, Sun Ce had conquered the areas to the east of Xuancheng. After that, Wu Kingdom divided Guzhang into several districts and rearranged them to set up the county of Guangde, which indicates, “The emperor's beneficence and magnanimity are vast and extensive.” In the 5th year of the period of Jian'an (200)，the provincial military governor Xu Kun was appointed as Nobility of Guangde because he defeated Li Shu who was the prefect of Lujiang. In the 8th year of the period of Jian'an (203)，Lv Meng was awarded a merit in the battle of Danyang with Sun Quan,. As a result, he was appointed as the military commander of Pingbei as well as the commanding officer of Guangde, which is located now in the southwest of the county of Guangde and under the jurisdiction of the prefecture of Danyang in Yangzhou. In the 2nd year of Taikang of Western Jin Dynasty (281), it was altered to be under the jurisdiction of the prefecture of Xuancheng of Yangzhou. In the 3rd year of Yongchu of Song Dynasty of Southern Dynasties (422), the five counties of Guangde, Guzhang, Changcheng, Yangxian, Yixiang were amalgamated jurisdiction into the county of Sui'an, which was in the charge of the prefecture of Xuancheng. In the 4th year of the period of Taishi (468)，it was altered to be under the jurisdiction of the prefecture of Yixing of southern Xuzhou but was revoked soon. The county of Guangde was then set up again and still under the jurisdiction of the prefecture of Xuancheng. In the Qi Dynasty of Southern Dynasties, the county of Guangde was under the jurisdiction of the prefecture of Xuancheng, Southern Yu prefecture government. In the 1st year of Shaotai of Liang Dynasty of Southern Dynasties (555), the prefecture of Guangliang and the county of Shifeng were added to Guangde, the seats of which are all in the town of Taozhou of Guangde. (Guangliang was changed to Daliang because of the taboo of Emperor Sui Yangdi.) After the rebellion of Hou Jing, Xu Du was again appointed as the Nobility of Guangde and granted the county of Guangde as his feudal estate. In the 2nd year of Yongding of Chen Dynasty of Southern Dynasties (558), it was changed into the prefecture of Chenliu and his feudal estate was transformed to county. In the 9th year of Kaihuang of Sui Dynasty (589), the prefecture was once again revoked. Furthermore, the four counties of Guangde, Anji, Yuanxiang, Guzhang were amalgamated jurisdiction into Shifeng, which was then renamed the county of Sui'an under the jurisdiction of Xuanzhou. In the 3rd year of Renshou (603)，it was under the jurisdiction of Huzhou. In the 2nd year of DaYe (606), the jurisdiction was regained by Xuanzhou, the name of which was changed to the prefecture of Xuancheng the next year. In the 3rd year of Wude of Tang Dynasty (620), the county of Sui'an was changed to Taozhou, which consisted of three counties of Sui'an, Tongchen and Huaide as its jurisdiction areas. In the 7th year, Taozhou was revoked while Tongchen and Huaide were added to Sui'an, which were all under the jurisdiction of Xuanzhou. In the 1st year of Tianbao of Tang Dynasty (742)，they were under the jurisdiction of the prefecture of Xuancheng. In the 2nd year of Zhide (757)，the county of Sui’an was renamed Guangde because Emperor Tang Suzong hated An Lushan. In Wu State of Five Dynasties and Ten States, the county of Guangde was under the jurisdiction of Xuanzhou of Ningguo Jun. In the early period of Southern Tang of Five Dynasties and Ten States, the county of Guangde was under the jurisdiction of Prefecture of Jiangning of Xidu. In the 8th year of Baoda (950), the official department was established in Guangde, which was still under the jurisdiction of Prefecture of Jiangning. Northern Song Dynasty cancelled system set at the department, while Guangde County still kept it as before. In 975, Guangde County belonged to Xuan prefecture. In 979, Guangde army was set up to govern Guangde County. In 988, the villages such as Tong, Zhaode, Linghu, Yuantong, and Miaoquan were combined into Jianping County, which belonged to Guangde army. In 997, it belonged to Jiangnan Road, but in 1018 it changed into Jiangnan East Road. In 1277, Guangde army changed into Guangde Road belonging to Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, and main government office was set up to guide Guangde and Jianpin two counties. When Zhu Yuanzhang seized it, he changed Guangde Road into Guangxing government, Guangde County into Guangyang County. Guangxing government took charge of Guangyang and Jianpin, belonging to Jiangnan province. In 1368, under the direct guide of capital, Guangxing government was renamed Guangde government office soon. In 1372, government office was changed into state. In 1381, it included Guangyang and Jianpin. In 1403, it was under the direct guide of Nanjing. It was under the guide of Chiangnan left provincial administrative commissioner department in Qing dynasty and Anhui provincial administrative commissioner department in 1667.Then it was turned over to the Zhejiang governor, who acted as an agent temporarily. In 1864, it returned to Anhui Province, belonging to Taiguang Road and the southern Anhui Road.
In April, 1st year of Republic of China (1912) the state changed into county, which did not get Jianping the county, was subordinate to Anhui Province. From 1914 to 1928, it had been subordinate to Wuhu Road of Anhui province. In 1928, it was under the direct guide of Anhui province. From October 1932 to august 1933, it had been the ninth administrative area of Anhui Province. Since August, it had changed into the sixth administrative area of Anhui Province.
After the People's Republic of China had been established, Guangde County belonged to the Xuancheng special area, southern Anhui people administrative office. In 1952 it was Wuhu special area, Anhui Province. In March 1971, it belonged to Wuhu area of Anhui Province. In February 1980, it belonged to Xuancheng area of Anhui Province.

In last years of Qing Dynasty, people had no means to make a living because of Cixi's dictatorship. Farmers Tian Hualong, Cheng Zilong, Wang Zilong, Zuo Silong and Zhu Honglong from Nan Village of Guangde assembled for revolt on the top of Mountain Taishan. Troops fighting in a good cause developed into several hundred people very quickly. Tian and other leaders sent people to reach an agreement with troops in Nanhu of Langxi: after the troops captured Ningguo, Guangde and Langxi, both armies gathered in Xuancheng, waiting for an opportunity to make north draft to attack Beijing and overthrow the Qing government. One day, after the treaty of alliance, “five dragons” gathered the troops and commanded the army to set out for Ningguo. When the attacking army had reached the city, they did not dare to attack a city easily because they did not know the actual situation in the city. Tian Hualong sent the human to deliver a letter with great speed in the starry night to request reinforcements from Nanhu to attack the city. Because it was far away, army from Qing surrounded Tian Hualong troops before the letter was delivered. Although bravely carrying on life-and-death fight with enemy, Zhu and Wan as well as other brave soldiers of the troops sacrificed heroically because of the disparity in personnel. The other three “dragons” that broke successfully were soon betrayed by rebels and fell into enemy's clutches and killed.