Motorsport activity in Zhuhai predates the permanent circuit. A street circuit hosted racing in the city in 1993, and events continued there until 1996 when the permanent facility opened. The circuit was designed by Australian engineering firm Kinhill Engineers Pty Ltd, the same company responsible for the Formula One circuit in Adelaide. The first international race held at the new circuit was a round of the BPR Global GT Series in 1996.
The circuit was included in the provisional 1999 Formula One World Championship calendar, representing an attempt to bring Grand Prix racing to China. However, the facility ultimately failed to meet the FIA's required standards and lost its place on the calendar. Formula One subsequently moved to the Shanghai International Circuit when China's F1 debut eventually materialized.
In 2003, Dragon Hill Corporation Ltd, part of the LBS Bina Group, acquired a controlling interest in Zhuhai International Circuit Ltd. In June 2024, LBS Bina Group announced it was selling its stake in the circuit to Huafa Urban Operation (HK) Ltd for RMB 192.18 million.
The circuit measures 4.319 km in length and features 14 turns, of which nine are right-handers and five are left-handers. The track runs clockwise only. The original design contained 16 corners, but corners 7, 8, and 9 were consolidated into a single corner following a change request from the FIM.
The start and finish straight is the longest section of the circuit at 900 m, and is 14 m wide at its widest point. A shorter straight of 500 m provides a secondary opportunity for high-speed running. The circuit has been certified to FIA Grade II standard.
The Zhuhai circuit hosted a wide range of international and regional championships over its most active years. The FIA GT Championship held races at the circuit in 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, and 2007. The 2007 FIA GT race was postponed from its original October date to March 2007 to avoid scheduling conflicts with the Shanghai F1 Grand Prix and the Macau Grand Prix, and was won by the Lamborghini Murciélago R-GT of All-Inkl.com Racing, driven by Christophe Bouchut and Stefan Mucke.
The circuit staged the fourth round of the 2007–08 A1 Grand Prix season in December 2007. Michael Ammermüller representing Team Germany won the Sprint race, and Narain Karthikeyan of Team India took victory in the Feature race. Ammermüller also set the fastest qualifying time on record at the circuit during that event, a 1:23.203 in a Lola A1GP car.
Endurance racing came to Zhuhai in 2004 when the circuit hosted the Endurance World Championship Zhuhai 6 Hours, the first time an international motorcycle endurance race was held at the venue. The Asian Le Mans Series returned to the circuit for the 4 Hours of Zhuhai on multiple occasions, including 2013 and 2016–17. The circuit also hosted rounds of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup in 2010 and 2011.
In 2006, Roberto Moreno drove a 2007 DP01 Champ Car around the circuit in a demonstration, making history as the first time a Champ Car had operated in China. Multi-year deals to bring Champ Car racing to Zhuhai were announced but ultimately never resulted in a sanctioned race, due to the series' own organizational difficulties and its eventual merger with the Indy Racing League.
Zhuhai served as the home circuit for several regional Asian championships. The Asian Formula Three Championship raced there in 2002 and from 2005 to 2008. The Asia Road Racing Championship held rounds at the circuit between 2001 and 2012, with additional appearances in 2019 and 2023. The Hong Kong Touring Car Championship and Macau Touring Car Championship both used Zhuhai as their primary racing venue from the outset of those series.
The circuit was also the site of the inaugural China Superbike Championship in 2007, which Zhuhai International Circuit itself organized and promoted in conjunction with the China Motorcycle Sports Association.
A karting facility was added to the ZIC complex in 2004, and Sunny Racing Club was established there in 2011 using a one-make Sunny Kart chassis with Yamaha two-stroke engines. Track rental activities expanded significantly from 2005 onward, with automotive manufacturers and dealers using the facility for promotional events and customer driving experiences.
The circuit has been represented in simulation software. GTR2 featured the Zhuhai layout based on the 2004 FIA GT Championship season. The track was also available in Project CARS and was released for RaceRoom Racing Experience in March 2018.