Taicang was just a small village near the sea in the ancient time. During the Spring and Autumn Period (770 BC-476 BC), it was under the jurisdiction of the Wu Kingdom. In the Qin Dynasty (221 BC-206 BC), it was administrated by Kuaiji Prefecture. In the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD), it was under the jurisdiction of Huian Township, Louxian County, Wujun Prefecture. During the Three Kingdoms Period (220-280), the Wu Kingdom set up granaries in Taicang and it was developed gradually.

When the grain shipping was transferred from the canal to the sea course from Liujiagang in the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368), Taicang became prosperous and grew into a city with hundreds and thousands of households. At the 10th year of Emperor Hongzhi’s reign of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), Taicang City got its name. In the first year of the Republic of China (1912), it was named Taicang County. In March 1993, Taicang was upgraded from county to city.