Anhui

Anhui

Anhui Province, called Wan for short, lies in the south-east of China. It has a total area of 139,000 square kilometers (about 53,668 square miles). Han Chinese makes up the vast majority of the population, accounting for 99.37 percent of the total. In addition to Han ethnic group, there are 52 other ethnic groups with She and Hui nationalities as the two largest minorities.

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 quite diverse. The densely-populated north of the province is part of the North China Plain while the north-central regions are part of the Huai River watershed. In contrast, the southern, hilly parts of the province become uneven, with the Dabie Mountains occupying southwest and a series of hills and ranges cutting through southeastern Anhui. The climate of the province is varied on each side of the Huai River. The northern area has a temperate monsoon climate, while the southern area a subtropical monsoon climate.

Anhui is very prominent for its agricultural production, hence referred as Big Agricultural Province. The chief farm products include rice, wheat, cotton, vegetable oil crops, tea, jute, silkworm cocoons, and tobacco. Agriculture in Anhui varies according to the climate zones that the province crosses. To the north of the Huai river wheat and sweet potatoes are grown, while to the south of the Huai River it is rice and wheat instead.

Huangmeixi, a form of traditional Chinese opera popular across China, originated in Anqing of southwestern Anhui. Huiju, one of the major precursors of Beijing Opera found its root in the southern Anhui and in the 1950s Huiju was revived. Luju, a type of traditional opera, can be found across central Anhui, from east to west.

Anhui Cuisine combines elements of cooking from northern Anhui, south-central Anhui, and the Hui-speaking areas of southern Anhui and is one of the eight great cuisines of China. This cuisine is known for its use of wild game and herbs collected from both land and sea, and comparatively unelaborated methods of preparation.

Anhui has a high concentration of traditional calligraphy products. The special locally-made products include Xuan paper, Chinese paint-brushes and inkstones. Xuancheng and Huangshan) are revered for producing Xuan Paper and Hui Ink respectively, which are considered the best of paper and ink for Chinese calligraphy. She County is noted for the She Inkstone, one of the most preferred types of inkstones (a required tool in traditional Chinese calligraphy).

Anhui is famous for its picturesque mountains and rivers. Mount Huangshan (World Heritage Site), Mount Jiuhua, Mount Qiyun and Mount Tianzhu are well-known mountains, and the region's premier tourist attractions are Ancient Villages in Southern Anhui - Xidi and Hongcun (World Heritage Site) and Old Town of Tunxi.

Transportation in this province depends to a great extent on its railways, but roads and waterways are also quite convenient. The Beijing-Kowloon Railway runs through the province, with Fuyang and Hefei serving as its major transition hubs. Wuhu, Ma'anshan, Tongling and Anqing on the Yangtze River have all established first-class port where ships can go to Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore. The province has six airports situated in Hefei, Huangshan, Fuyang, Wuhu, Anqing, and Bengbu, from where flights go to 29 cities in China. From Hefei and Huangshan, one can take a direct flight to Hong Kong.