The name of Beihai came from its position of bordering on the sea in the north. It was first used in the early years when Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty was in power. Since Emperor Jiaqing came into power, it has been called city.

In 1876, Beihai was designated as a trading port according to Sino-British Yantai Treaty. It was a town under the jurisdiction of Hope County in 1949 when the People’s Republic of China was founded. In January 1951, it became a municipality under the jurisdiction of Guangdong Province. In May of the same year, it was entrusted to Guangxi Province and incorporated into Guangxi formally in March 1952. While in May 1955, Guangdong resumed its jurisdiction. It’s reduced to county level city in 1956 and further to Beihai People’s Commune (similar to a town) under Hope County in 1958. In 1959, it is converted to county level town and its position as county level city was restored in 1964. In 1965, Beihai was put under the administration of Guangxi again. In April 1984, Beihai was approved by the State Council as one of the fourteen coastal cities further opened to outside world and in July 1987, Hope county was put under the jurisdiction of Beihai city.