Anhui

Anhui

With a population of over 59 million, Anhui is an inland province in southeast China that stretches over the Yangtze and Huai rivers. Anhui is adjacent to six provinces: Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hubei, Henan and Shandong. One of the province’s main attractions is its capital, Hefei City, which has a 2,000-year-old history.

Covering an area of 130,000 square kilometers, Anhui boasts abundant tourist resources and is a top tourist attraction among many provinces in the southeast. Some sites include Amazing Mount Huangshan, which is famous for its towering pines, precipitous stones, wonderland "cloud sea" and hot springs; Mount Jiu Hua Shan, one of the four famous Buddhist Mountains in China; and Mount Tian Zhu, also a well-known scenic spot. The magnificence of these peaks is stupendous. Standing on top of any one of these peaks would overwhelm even the most intrepid hikers. Another important, unique and meaningful attraction is the cluster of well-preserved ancient villages from the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911) in Yi Xian County near Mount Huang. It is a worthy sight to visit and a must-see for visitors keen to learn more about the life of those times.

Anhui intrigues and astonishes tourists with its marvelous scenery and centuries-old cultural relics. The province's annual average temperature ranges between 14C and 17C. The best time to visit the scenic areas is during autumn (September, October and November) and spring (April, May and June). However, the snow-covered landscapes of Huangshan during the winter are also breathtaking.

Anhui is also well known for its various craftworks, such as rice paper, ink stone and Chinese ink. Together, they form the precious Chinese four treasures of literary pursuits.

Bozhou

Bordering Jiangsu, Shandong, Anhui and Henan provinces, Bozhou lies northwest of Anhui Province and is the center of the Huanghuai Plain. It has three counties under its jurisdiction -- Woyang, Mengcheng and Lixin, including one district, Qiaocheng.

As one of the birthplaces of the Chinese people, Bozhou has a history of more than 3,700 years, according to written records. Even as early as in the Shang Dynasty (17th-11th century BC), Bozhou was relatively advanced in economy and culture; it was one of the most civilized cities in the world at the time.

The city’s long history, splendid ancient culture and many famous people have left Bozhou with plenty of valuable ancient relics. Bozhou has 18 key cultural relics sites under state- and provincial-level protection; 36 under municipal protection and 150 ordinary sites. Among them are the famous Huaxi Building with its marvelous carvings and colorful paintings; the Yuchi Temple relics, reputed as the first primitive village of china; the Underground Passageway for Army Deployment in the Period of Cao Cao which claims to have the oldest and most intact underground Great Wall; the Huazu Buddhist Convent with its eight scenic spots -- the sound of the hut, fragrance of the medicine garden, cry for longevity by five animals and convent with an inscription by Guo Moruo; the tombs of the Cao family with their fine architecture; the Tianjing Palace and the Zhuangzi Ancestral Hall with their grand buildings; tombs containing the hat and clothes of the respectable King of Chengtang of the Shang Dynasty; the Baiyi Law School; the old temples of the Muslims; and the 72 old streets and 36 old roads with Ming and Qing characteristics.

Many famous persons -- such as Laozi, the founder of the Taoism; Zhuangzi, the sage; Cao Cao, the King of the Wei Kingdom; and Huatuo, the highly skilled doctor –were born in Bozhou. In 1995 the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China, Jiang Zemin inscribed Bozhou as the "Hometown of Huatuo, Village of Medicine," spreading the fame of the capital of medicine far and wide.

As the golden triangle of the ox, Bozhou has created a new situation featuring ox husbandry on a large scale, including professional development and corporate management. Bozhou is a major producer of paulownia and poplar; the wood is exported to Japan and Southeast Asian countries.

Bozhou was approved by the State Council as being directly under the jurisdiction of the provincial government in June 2000. It is a cultural and historical city at the state level and an excellent tourist city of China.

Shouxian

With ancient names of Shouchun, Shouyang and Shouzhou, Shouxian is located in the middle of Anhui Province and the south bank of the Huaihe River, with 32 towns and villages under its jurisdiction.

The seat of Shouxian was once the capital of the Kingdom of Cai, the Kingdom of Chu, the Kingdom of Huainan in the Western Han Dynasty (206BC-8AD) and Yuanshu Establishment in the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220) and the Song Kingdom in the Nanchao Period.

Shouxian has many historic sites. Some 30 kilometers south of the city of Shouchun is the Anfeng Pond (called Shaopi in ancient times), the so-called biggest pond of China, which was built by Sun Shu’ao, the Prime Minister of the Chu Kingdom in the Spring and Autumn Period 2,500 years ago. A government official of the United Nations praised it as the oldest of China and the biggest of the world. Close to the city is Bagong Mountain Forest Park. The mountain is so strategic that it is always the focus of fighting. The major battlefield of the famous Battle of the Feihe River was just at the foot of Bagong Mountain. Though not as elegant as Huangshan Mountain, Bagong Mountain is still well known both at home and abroad, for it is the place of the tombs of the famous warrior Lian Po and the King of Huainan, Liu An. The Bao’en Temple Museum, situated in the northeast of the city, was first built in the Zhenguan reign in the Tang Dynasty (618-907). It is one of the largest temples in the Huaihe region with an area of 14,700 square meters.

Endowed by nature a rich reserve of minerals, Shouxian is also one of bases of commodity grains of China. Grain, oil and fish output are quite important to the economy of the county. Shouxian is the birthplace of the Chu culture and the origin of bean curd. The State Council proclaimed it as a historical and cultural city in 1986.

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