At the end of the Qing Dynasty, with the penetration of information and capital from the Western Industrial Revolution, many domestic operating capitals gradually matured. Public and private parties jointly funded the establishment of factories, established foreign banks and other entities, and the capital operations of the financial economic system began in China. Various fields of the land blossomed conveniently, and many economies in the Qing Dynasty also became important cooperation and investment targets for both government and business parties.
Zaozhuang, a special area rich in high-quality coal, is beginning to show signs of privately-owned mining operations. With the promotion of big names such as Li Hongzhang and Zhang Zhidong, it has spread throughout the country. New Zhongxing Company, a large joint-stock coal enterprise that has a place in the world's energy field, was established.
The main coal mine of Xinzhongxing Company is named Zaozhuang Coal Mine because the coal field under its jurisdiction is within the residence of Zaozhuang Town.
After liberation, the new Zhongxing Company began to restructure. With the official approval of the Ministry of Coal, Zhongxing Company was renamed Zaozhuang Mining Bureau.
Due to the promotion of coal mines, Zaozhuang Town has led the local economy to develop very well, and was soon upgraded from Zaozhuang Town to Zaozhuang County.
In 1964, with national approval, the Shandong Provincial Government officially announced that Zaozhuang County would be upgraded to a provincial-level prefecture-level city.