Anhui Travel Guide
Anhui is a largely agricultural province in central eastern China stretching across the Yangtze and the Huaihe river basins, with Jiangsu to the east. Anhui is mainly visited for the spectacular jagged peaks of Huangshan Mountain.
Anhui is relatively sparsely populated and rarely visited by tourists at large, other than for Huangshan. It stretches from the North China plain down to the mountains of the south and encompasses many interesting towns. Hefei is the capital of Anhui Province.
The Anhui borders have existed since the Qing Dynasty days in the mid-1600s and it has been the main agricultural center of China for centuries. The traveling is thus not as straightforward as in other parts of China, although major highways connect the likes of Wuhu, Hefie and Huainan. The southern, mountainous part of Anhui is the toughest to get about, with the Yangtze snaking through it.
If you have the time to hang around in Hefei, there are one or two decent tourist sights worth checking out. Shu Shan Mountain in the west of town is one of the main sights, with fine views over the compact city.
The main tourist area in Anhui, however, is that of Mount Huangshan, or Yellow Mountain. Mount Huangshan is a World Heritage site featuring striking, jagged peaks and incredible sunsets. It is accessed via Tunxi (Huangshan City), a charming old town in the south of Anhui.
Other popular World Heritage sites in Anhui include the ancient villages of Xidi and Hongcun, also in the south.
Anhui has a temperate north and warmer south, both of which are best visited in the fall. The province takes its name from Anqing and Huizhou in the south of the province.
Luogang International Airport in the capital, Hefei, is the main gateway airport to Anhui Province. It receives flights from all over China, yet there are few connections with cities outside. Many train lines also cross into Anhui from neighboring provinces, while bus travel can be tough going.
For Mount Huangshan, nearby Tunxi, right in the south, has a domestic airport and is only around an hour’s drive from the mountain. Flight time from Shanghai is about 50 minutes. Overnight trains to Tunxi from Shanghai take 13 hours.