Xiayi is one of the cradles of Yellow River culture. In ancient times, Lu Li built his capital here, and the Xia Dynasty was a dangerous place. That's the land of Shao Kang's resurgence. Li County is located in Qin Dynasty, and the Northern Wei Dynasty called Xiayi. At the end of the Jin Dynasty, it was renamed Xiayi, meaning "the city of China", which has been in use ever since. On 20 12, 1 1 year 10, the "Ancient Capital Research Association" was held, which further highlighted Xiayi's status as "the ancestral land of China". Xiayi is the ancestral home of Confucius, a great politician, thinker and educator. There is a Confucius Returning Temple in the north of the county seat. Xiayi is also the place where the famous military strategist General Peng Xuefeng lived and fought, and died here. The "General Peng Xuefeng Memorial Hall" built under the personal care of the leaders of Yang, Zhou and other countries was built in Balizhuang, Xiayi, where General Peng Xuefeng died. It is a provincial key cultural relics protection unit and a patriotic education base in Henan Province.

There are 642 schools of all kinds, including 3 technical secondary schools, 7 high schools, 65 junior high schools and 567 primary schools with 268,500 students. There are radio stations, TV stations, newspapers, cultural centers, libraries, museums, cultural performance groups and other institutions in the county. There are 33 health institutions in the county, with 2,652 health technicians and 1925 beds. Xiayi has made great achievements in sports, and was named as "the hometown of national martial arts" by the State Sports General Administration.