Anhui province, called Wan for short, lies in the south-east of China. It has a total area of 139,000 square kilometers, and a population of 58.17 million.

The Yangzi River and the Huai River flow through the province and divide it into three parts: Huaibei, Jianghuai, and Jiangnan. The topography of the three regions is different. Huaibei is flat.   Jianghuai is a hilly area. Jiangnan is mostly covered with mountains.

The climate of the province is varied on each side of the Huai River. The northern area has a temperate monsoon climate, and the southern area has a subtropical monsoon climate. 
The main mineral deposits of the province are coal, iron ore, and copper ore. 

The chief farm products include rice, wheat, cotton, vegetable oil crops, tea, jute, silkworm cocoons, and tobacco. The province is very prominent in China for its production of vegetable oil crops and tobacco.

Anhui is a major source of coal of southern China. Its industries are metal making, power, mechanical engineering, petrochemical, textiles, food processing, and papermaking. 

Transportation in this province depends to a great extent on its railways, but roads and waterways are also quite convenient. Anhui is famous for its picturesque mountains and rivers. Huangshan, Jiuhuashan, Tiazhushan, and Qiyunshan are well-known mountains, and the regions premier tourist attractions. The special locally-made products include Xuan paper, Chinese paint-brushes, Gujinggong liqueur, and the Huaibei Kouzi liqueur.

Recommended Scenic Spots

Mount Huangshan

Mount Huangshan, towering between Taiping and Shexian counties in Anhui Province, is one of the most famous scenic spots in China, and perhaps the world.

With a circumference of 250 kilometers, it consists of 72 distinct peaks, the highest being Lotus Flower (Lianhua) Peak (1,800 meters). Mount Huangshan is every scenic mountain rolled up in one -- it is as lofty as Mount Taishan, as precipitous as Mount Huashan and as charming as Mount Emei. It can be blanketed in clouds like Mount Hengshan and has clliffside springs like those of Mount Lushan. Xu Xiake (1586-1641), the well-known geographer of the Ming Dynasty, extolled the beauty of Mount Huangshan in these words: "It is not worth seeing other mountains of you have been to the Five Great Mountains; and it is not worth seeing the Five Great Mountain if you have been to Huangshan."

The pines with their fascinating shapes, the rocks with their strange contours, the sea of mist and clouds, and the hot springs -- these are the four wonders of Huangshan. Many of the pines on the mountain have their roots deep in rock crevices; the famous Welcoming Guests (Yingke) Pine is representative of these hardy trees. The temperature of the mountains hot spring-water is around 42 Dgrees Centigrade throughout the year. Clear and sweet, the water is ideal for drinking and bathing.

Tianzhu Mountain

Tianzhu Mountain, lying in Qianshan County, Anqing City in Anhui Province, is located at the joint place of Dabie Mountain and the Middle-Lower Yangtze Plain.

Tianzhu Mountain has a total area of 333 square kilometers, and its main scenic zone covers 82.46 square kilometers. There are 45 peaks, 17 ridges, 18 cliffs, 22 caves, 86 grotesque rocks, 18 waterfalls and 17 springs. With towering pines, grotesque rocks, running waterfalls and springs, and canyons, secluded caves, defiles and ancient mountain strongholds, the mountain resort combines the features of both Huangshan Mountain and Lushan Mountain, imposing and tranquil.

The Tianzhu Peak, with an altitude of 1,488.4 meters, is high and steep, rising into the sky; the Mystery Valley, with valleys and caves connecting one another, is reputed as the No. 1 granite cave; the Liandai (make pills of immortality) Lake, at the altitude of 1,100 meters, is the third largest alpine lake in China; and the nine great waterfalls run down from steep cliffs. The whole mountain resort boasts 119 families of vegetation, which amount to over 1,000 kinds, and tens of species of rare animals, of which Yulin Mu (fish scale tree), Tiannv (fairy maiden) Flower, and the Giant salamander are called Three Treasures in Tianzhu Mountain.     

Tunxi Ancient Town & Street

At the foot of the Mt. Huangshan, in the bend of Xinan River, lies the beautiful mountain town called "Tunxi", and "Tunxi Ancient Street" can be found in this old city. The street starts in the west at Zhenhai Bridge, a stone arch bridge built during the Ming Dynasty, and ends in the east at the "Memorial Archway." Its total length is about 1.5km and on both sides of the street laid with slab stones. There are hundreds of old but well preserved rows of shops, evoking a bygone era in buildings that are simple but elegant. It is a commercial street, where is only for pedestrians. Merchants from Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, and Fujian provinces jostle each other in a crowd that resembles the picture "The Spring Festival Along the River". An ancient Western-European architect once visited the old street and said that he had found "The Eastern Ancient Rome."

First built over 700 years ago, during the Song Dynasty (960-1279), the street is flanked by some buildings from this period. More noticeable are the buildings from the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368-1911), during which time the "Tunxi Ancient Street" became a distribution center for goods and materials to Huizhou. The shops, workshops and residences have continued to maintain the characteristics and operational layout of ancient stores such as "shop in the front and workshop or house in the back". Most of the buildings are only three stories high, stone-based and brick-laid. They are decorated with small green tiles, wood carvings in the shape of styleHui-nationality, ancient shop signs, and red-lacquered with double eaves on roof.

 Related Tours: Huangshan Tours, Shanghai Huangshan Tour