Anhui Province, abbreviated as “Wan”, is a provincial-level administrative region of the People’s Republic of China, with Hefei as its capital. Located in East China, it lies in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and Huaihe River, deep within the hinterland of the Yangtze River Delta. Positioned centrally toward the east and connecting rivers to the sea, it borders Jiangsu and Zhejiang to the east, Hubei and Henan to the west, Jiangxi to the south, and Shandong to the north. As of January 2026, Anhui governs 16 prefecture-level cities. Major local dialects in Anhui include Northern Mandarin, Jianghuai Mandarin, Gan dialect, Wu dialect and Hui dialect.
Anhui sits in the transitional zone between the warm temperate zone and the subtropical zone. Divided by the Huaihe River, the area north of the river features a warm temperate semi-humid monsoon climate, while the southern area has a subtropical humid monsoon climate. It is characterized by distinct monsoons and four clear seasons. In winter, cold air masses frequently descend from the north, bringing prevailing northerly winds, cold weather, scarce rainfall and abundant sunny days. In summer, warm ocean currents dominate, resulting in high temperatures, plentiful rainfall and sufficient sunshine. Spring and autumn serve as transitional seasons between winter and summer.
As early as about 2.5 million years ago in remote antiquity, ancient ancestors lived and multiplied on the land of Anhui. The provincial administrative framework of Anhui took shape in 1667. In the early Qing Dynasty, Jiangnan Province was established, covering roughly present-day Shanghai, Jiangsu and Anhui. In the 6th year of the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty (1667), Jiangnan Province was officially split into Anhui and Jiangsu. The provincial name derives from the initial characters of Anqing Prefecture, the political center at that time, and Huizhou Prefecture, an economically prosperous region. Anhui is shortened to “Wan” owing to the ancient Wan State, as well as Wan Mountain and Wan River within its territory. At the founding of the People’s Republic of China, Anhui was divided into Northern Anhui and Southern Anhui Administrative Offices. The two merged in 1952 to restore Anhui Province, with Hefei designated as the provincial capital.
Boasting a strategic transportation location linking the east and west and connecting rivers to the sea within China’s trunk transportation network, Anhui has formed a new water transport pattern featuring “two passages leading to the sea, two rivers feeding into the Yangtze, and integrated river–lake–sea shipping” following the full navigation of the Jianghuai Canal. Endowed with superior waterway conditions, Anhui is traversed by three major rivers: the Yangtze River, the Huaihe River and the Xin’an River. The main water routes of the Yangtze and Huaihe Rivers run across the province, facilitating east–west connectivity. Major cities and mineral resources are distributed along these waterways, creating abundant channel resources. The province enjoys extensive water coverage with more than 300 rivers spanning a total length of over 15,000 kilometers, linking most cities and counties and connecting with 9 provincial-level administrative regions across China. Key ports along the Yangtze River include Hefei Port, Wuhu Port, Anqing Port, Ma’anshan Port, Tongling Port, Chizhou Port and Chuzhou Port.
Anhui has opened north–south transportation corridors including the Beijing–Shanghai, Beijing–Fuzhou and Beijing–Hong Kong routes, east–west trunk lines along the Yangtze River and the Continental Bridge, as well as the Second East China Corridor. A railway network centered on Hefei has basically taken shape, with high-speed rail mileage ranking among the top nationwide. All 16 prefecture-level cities in Anhui are connected to the national high-speed rail network. Direct high-speed trains reach China’s 4 municipalities directly under the Central Government, 23 provincial capitals and more than 110 prefecture-level cities, consolidating Anhui’s pivotal position in China’s high-speed rail system.
Anhui is an important national base for agricultural production, energy supply, raw material provision and processing manufacturing. It is a major agricultural province, a key hub for animal husbandry, and a core producer of freshwater aquatic products nationwide. Industries such as automobile manufacturing, machinery, home appliances, chemical engineering, electronics and agricultural product processing occupy vital positions across the country. Investment, consumption and exports act as the “three driving forces” of Anhui’s economy, with their major growth indicators exceeding the national average. In 2025, added-value growth was achieved in 32 out of 41 major industrial categories. Both total automobile output and new energy vehicle output ranked first nationwide.
As one of the crucial birthplaces of prehistoric Chinese civilization, Anhui boasts profound and time-honored cultural heritage. It nurtured Taoist culture, Jian’an literature, the Tongcheng School, Northern Song Neo-Confucianism and Huizhou culture, and produced renowned historical figures including Laozi, Zhuangzi, Guan Zhong, Cao Cao, Hua Tuo, Bao Zheng, Zhu Yuanzhang, Li Hongzhang and Hu Shi. The Lao–Zhuang Taoist school originating from the Huaihe River Basin, together with Confucianism, forms the two cornerstones of traditional Chinese culture. Huizhou culture stood out as the most influential cultural school during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Hui opera serves as one of the primary origins of Peking Opera; Huangmei Opera ranks among China’s four major traditional opera forms; Chiizhou Nuo Opera is hailed as a “living fossil of drama”; and Huageng Lantern popular along the Huaihe River is known as the “Oriental Ballet”.
By the end of 2023, Anhui had 99 national intangible cultural heritage items such as Dangtu Folk Songs, Fuyang Paper-cutting, Hua Tuo’s Five Animal Frolics, Fengtai Huageng Lantern, Qingyang Tune and Hui Opera, alongside 626 provincial-level heritage entries. There are 175 Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level, including the Renzi Cave Ruins, Li Bai’s Tomb, Twin Pagodas of Guangjiao Temple, the Grand Canal, and cliff inscriptions and stone carvings at Langya Mountain, covering ancient ruins, tombs, architecture, grottoes, stone art, and modern historic sites & representative buildings. As of April 2023, a total of 470 villages in Anhui—such as Hongcun Village in Yixian County of Huangshan, Longtan Ancient Folk Houses in Taihe County of Anqing, and Gangkou Village in Ningguo of Xuancheng—have been included in the national traditional village protection list, with another 818 villages listed at the provincial level, ranking Anhui 7th across China in the total number of state-protected traditional villages. By the end of 2025, the province had 124 cultural centers and 252 museums (including private non-state-owned museums).
Blessed with magnificent landscapes and stunning natural scenery, Anhui is famous for “Three Mountains, Three Rivers and Two Lakes”. Its cultural tourism layout consists of six distinctive sectors: Beautiful Southern Anhui, Joyful Yangtze Shore, Red Dabie Mountains, Leisure Central Anhui, Customary Huaihe Basin, and Legendary Northern Anhui. By the end of 2023, Anhui had 683 A-level and above tourist attractions, including 12 national AAAAA-level scenic areas such as Huangshan Scenic Area, Jiuhua Mountain Scenic Area, Tiantangzhai Tourist Area, and the Yangtze Caishiji Cultural & Ecological Tourist Area.
Leave a Reply