Anhui, China

Geography and location

The Chinese province of Anhui is located in Eastern China, across the Yangtze River and the Huaie River and occupies an area of 139,900 sq km (54,015 sq mi). The Anhui Province is divided into 17 prefecture-level cities, 5 county-level cities and 56 counties.
The climate is temperate, with hot summers and mild winters, with the north of the region being more temperate than the south. The northern part of Anhui is part of the North China Plain and the northern central area of the region is part of the Huai River Watershed. This means that the northern section of this Chinese region is very flat and densely populated.
The landscape of Anhui instead, has a more irregular profile as the Dabie Mountains and the South East Huangshan Mountains occupy its territory. Anhui is famous for its picturesque mountains and rivers, some of which are part of the UNESCO’s World Nature Heritage List.


Population

Anhui has a population of 59.86 million inhabitants; the majority of which are Han Chines, with the two biggest minorities being She and Hi.


Hefei

Hefei is the capital city of this Chinese region and it is located in the centre of Anhui. It has a population of just over 1 million, which means it is small by Chinese standards and it still has the atmosphere of a small country town. Hefei became capital of the province only in 1952 and, since then, it has become a thriving industrial city. Hefei’s University of Science and Technology is known for the high standard of its education and graduates.


Tourist attractions

The main attraction in the Chinese province of Anhui are the magnificent Huangshan Mountains (Yellow Mountains), declared a World Natural and Cultural Heritage area by UNESCO. The topography of this area includes waterfalls, lakes, beautiful rock formations, bamboo forests, pine trees and hot springs. Other famous attractions include Jiuhuashan, one of the four sacred mountains of Chinese Buddhism, and the traditional Chines village of Xidì, which was declared a part of the "Ancient Villages in Southern Anhui" World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2000.


Anhui Cuisine

The cuisine from this province of China, is one of the eight great traditional Chinese cuisines. Its main ingredients include herbs, wild games and land and sea products. The favourite cooking methods in Anhui cuisine are braising and stewing. Frying and stir-frying, so common in other Chinese culinary traditions, are not used much in Anhui cuisine.


Airports in Anhui

The Chinese province of Anhui has six airports: Hefei, Huangshan, Fuyang, Wuhu, Anqing, and Bengbu. From these airports there are flights to twenty-nine cities in China. From Hefei and Huangshan, it is possible to fly directly to Hong Kong.