Hefei

Hefei 合肥市
Prefecture-level city
Clockwise from top: Hefei skyline, Xiaoyaojin Park, Mingjiao Temple, Temple of Lord Bao, Statue of Hua Tuo
Location of Hefei City jurisdiction in Anhui
Hefei Location in China
Coordinates: 31°52′N 117°17′E
Country	China
Province	Anhui
County-level divisions	7
Government
• CPC Committee Secretary	Song Guoquan (宋国权)
• Mayor	Ling Yun (凌云)
Area
• Prefecture-level city	11,434.25 km2 (4,414.79 sq mi)
• Urban	838.5 km2 (323.7 sq mi)
• Metro	438.2 km2 (169.2 sq mi)
Elevation	37 m (123 ft)
Population  (2016 Sampling)
• Prefecture-level city	7,869,000
• Density	690/km2 (1,800/sq mi)
• Urban	5,670,000
• Urban density	6,800/km2 (18,000/sq mi)
• Metro	3,718,000
• Metro density	8,500/km2 (22,000/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+8 (China Standard)
Postal code	230000
Area code	551
Licence plate prefixes	皖A
GDP (2016)	CNY 627.43 billion
- per capita	CNY 73,548
Website	hefei.gov.cn
City trees Southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora L.) City flowers Sweet Osmanthus (Osmanthus fragrans Lour.) Blossom of pomegranate (Punica granatum L.)

Hefei
"Hefei" in Chinese characters
Chinese	合肥
Postal	Hofei
Literal meaning	"Junction of the Fei [Rivers]"
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Héféi Wade–Giles Ho2-fei2 IPA [xɤ̌.fěɪ] Wu Romanization Gheh入-vi平 Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Hahp-fèih Jyutping Hap6-fei4 IPA [hɐp̚˨.fej˩] Southern Min Hokkien POJ Ha̍p-pûi

Hefei (/ˈhəˈfeɪ/, Chinese: 合肥) is the capital and largest city of Anhui Province in China. A prefecture-level city, it is the political, economic, and cultural center of Anhui. Located in the central portion of the province, it borders Huainan to the north, Chuzhou to the northeast, Wuhu to the southeast, Tongling to the south, Anqing to the southwest and Lu'an to the west.

Hefei plays an important role in China Modern and Contemporary History with many influential historical figures on scientific research, sports, politics and commerce. For example, Hefei is the hometown of first Chinese Nobel Prize winner, Chen-Ning Yang. It is the home town of China first Olympic Gold Medal winner, Xu Haifeng. And, Li Hongzhang, China first Prime Minister with the round-the-world trip and the pioneer of "China first Open and reform policy" in Qing Dynasty,came from this city. The first governor of Taiwan Province in history, Liu Mingchuan, came from this city as well.There are 6 Chinese Prime Ministers were born Hefei in last one hundred years, including the current Chinese premier, Li Keqiang.

Hefei is one of the three China Comprehensive National Science Center cities, along with Beijing and Shanghai.

Hefei has an area of 11,434.25 km² (4,414.79 sq mi) and, at the 2016 sampling survey, a population of 7,869,000 inhabitants, 5,670,000 of whom are urban.

History

Old days

Old Hefei Map with wall

From the 8th to the 6th century BC, Hefei was the site of many small states, later a part of the Chu kingdom. Many archaeological finds dating from this period have been made. The name 'Hefei' was first given to the county set up in the area under the Han dynasty in the 2nd century BC.

In the 3rd century AD, the Battle of Xiaoyao Ford was fought at Xiaoyao Ford (逍遙津) in Hefei. Zhang Liao, a general of the Wei state, led 800 picked cavalry to defeat the 200,000-strong army from Wei’s rival state Wu. Several decades of warring in Hefei between Wu and Wei followed this battle.

During the 4th to the 6th century AD, this crucial border region between northern and southern states was much fought over; its name and administrative status were consequently often changed. During the Sui (581–618) and Tang (618–907) periods, it became the seat of Lu prefecture—a title it kept until the 15th century, when it became a superior prefecture named Luzhou.

The present city dates from the Song dynasty (960–1126), the earlier Hefei having been some distance farther north. In the 10th year of Xining (熙宁十年,1077 AD), the taxes collected from the Luchow Prefecture were 50315 Guan, approximately 25 million today's Chinese Yuan, with a ranking of the amount of taxes was the 11th(following Kaifeng, Hangzhou, Qinzhou, Chuzhou, Chengdu, Zizhou, Xingyuan, Mianzhou, Zhenzhou, Suzhou) among all the prefectures of Song Dynasty. During the 10th century, it was for a while the capital of the independent Wu kingdom (902–938) and was an important center of the Southern Tang state (937–975).

After 1127 it became a center of the defenses of the Southern Song dynasty (1126–1279) against the Jin (Jurchen) invaders in the Jin–Song wars, as well as a flourishing center of trade between the two states. When the Chinese Republic was founded in 1911, the superior prefecture was abolished, and the city took the name of Hefei. The city was known as Luchow or Liu-tcheou (庐州, p Luzhou) during the Ming and Qing dynasties (after the 14th century to the 19th century). Hefei was the temporary capital for Anhui from 1853 to 1862. It was renamed as Hefei County in 1912. Following the Chinese victory in the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1945, Hefei was made the capital of Anhui.

Before World War II, Hefei remained essentially an administrative center and the regional market for the fertile plain to the south. It was a collecting center for grain, beans, cotton, and hemp, as well as a center for handicraft industries manufacturing cloth, leather, bamboo goods, and ironware.

The construction in 1912 of the Tianjin–Pukou railway, farther east, for a while made Hefei a provincial backwater, and much of its importance passed to Bengbu. In 1932–36, however, a Chinese company built a railway linking Hefei with Yuxikou (on the Yangtze opposite Wuhu) to the southeast and with the Huai River at Huainan to the north. While this railway was built primarily to exploit the rich coalfield in northern Anhui, it also did much to revive the economy of the Hefei area by taking much of its produce to Wuhu and Nanjing.

Foundation of Modern Hefei

Although Hefei was a quiet market town of only about 30,000 in the mid-1930s, its population grew more than tenfold in the following 20 years. The city's administrative role was strengthened by the transfer of the provincial government from Anqing in 1949, but much of its new growth derived from its development as an industrial city. A cotton mill was opened in 1958, and a thermal generating plant, using coal from Huainan, was established in the early 1950s. It also became the seat of an industry producing industrial chemicals and chemical fertilizers. In the late 1950s an iron and steel complex was built. In addition to a machine-tool works and engineering and agricultural machinery factories, the city has developed an aluminum industry and a variety of light industries.

During the Cultural Revolution, Hefei set the foundations of its future development. Many young people, factories and universities were moved into Hefei under Mao's so-called orders to "Down to the Countryside Movement". Hefei area received many so-called "educated youngsters" from Shanghai, Beijing, and Nanjing. Almost 60 leading factories (including electronic, textile, iron, and vehicle factories), plus 510,575 young people including 141,899 from Shanghai, were moved from other big cities to Hefei. Some leading universities and research centers were moved from Beijing and Shanghai into Hefei, including the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) and related high level operations of the China Academy of Science. Meanwhile, another 2 universities were developed: Hefei University of Technology and Anhui University. Later, more universities and colleges developed or moved from elsewhere to Hefei. These helped build a strong foundation for the city's future boom in the 2000s. Meanwhile, the addition of many young immigrants from nearly every part of China created wide-ranging social and familial connections across the country.

Although economic reforms began in the 1980s, Hefei was not ready for rapid development for another decade 1990s for several reasons. First of all, the city had no effective train system to connect to other areas of China. There was only one slow railway heading north to Bengbu, to connect to trains to other places of China. This was the only way to go out by train; air travel was possible, but a luxury at the time. Second, urbanization was slow, with a large rural population at the skirts of the city. The first problem was solved by the end of the 1990s: within 10 years, the city of Hefei became one of the biggest high-speed train hubs, with more than 8 high-speed railway lines leading in different directions. Today, it is only a 2 hour trip to Shanghai and 4 hours to Beijing. At the same time, the city invested a lot into the education system.Most population of rural people area have been absorbed as city population with the local industrial development and urbanization rate of Hefei reached 72.1% in 2017.

Big boom

After 2000, the city grew much faster and balanced its capablity on transportation, science research as well as emerging manufacturing capability later on. In the first three quarters of 2017, the growth rate of Nominal GDP reached 21.39%, the highest growth rate in China Top 30 cities (Note: China has about 660 cities in total).

Hefei's development is just like a magic story with the population from 50,000 to more than 7,500,000 within only 50 years, listed as one of the quickest growing cities of China, probably only after Shenzhen. In addition, the city's development is pretty comprehensive, not just relying on one or two industries.This makes the city with big potentials in the next 10 or 20 years.

According to statistics released for an annual report by the security department, by the end of 2012, the total resident population of the city reached 7,572,000, with an increase of 51,000. The registered population of the city reached 7,105,000,with an increase of 43,700, of. After 2015, The population of Hefei is even growing quicker with 7,869,000 at the end of 2016.

Geography

Hefei is located 130 kilometres (81 mi) west of Nanjing,380 kilometres (236 mi)west of Shanghai in south-central Anhui. Hefei is located 130 kilometres (81 mi) west of Nanjing in south-central Anhui. Chao Lake, a lake 15 km (9 mi) southeast of the city, is one of the largest fresh water lakes nationally. Though, the lake has unfortunately been polluted with nitrogen and phosphorus in recent decades, situation is becoming better because of the effort of both the government and the people. Hefei is one of 3 regional central cities of Yangtze delta economic area.

Climate

Hefei features a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) with four distinct seasons. Hefei's annual average temperature is 16.18 °C (61.1 °F). Its annual precipitation is just slightly over 1,000 millimetres (39 in), being heavier from May through August. Winters are damp and cold, with January lows dipping just below freezing and January averaging 2.8 °C (37.0 °F). The city sees irregular snowfalls that rarely turn significant. Springs are generally relatively pleasant if somewhat erratic. Summers here are oppressively hot and humid, with a July average of 28.3 °C (82.9 °F). In the months of June, July, August, and often September, daily temperatures can reach or surpass 37 °C (99 °F) with high humidity levels being the norm. Autumn in Hefei sees a gradual cooling and drying. With monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 35 percent in March to 50 percent in August, the city receives 1,868 hours of bright sunshine annually. Extremes since 1951 have ranged from −20.6 °C (−5 °F) on 6 January 1955 to 41.1 °C (106 °F) on 27 July 2017.

Climate data for Hefei (1981–2010)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	20.2 (68.4)	27.5 (81.5)	30.4 (86.7)	34.7 (94.5)	36.4 (97.5)	37.8 (100.0)	41.1 (106.0)	41.0 (105.8)	38.6 (101.5)	34.7 (94.5)	30.1 (86.2)	22.5 (72.5)	41.1 (106.0)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	6.9 (44.4)	9.4 (48.9)	14.4 (57.9)	21.1 (70.0)	26.6 (79.9)	29.3 (84.7)	32.2 (90.0)	31.8 (89.2)	27.8 (82.0)	22.5 (72.5)	16.0 (60.8)	9.6 (49.3)	20.6 (69.1)
Daily mean °C (°F)	2.8 (37.0)	5.2 (41.4)	9.8 (49.6)	16.3 (61.3)	21.8 (71.2)	25.3 (77.5)	28.3 (82.9)	27.6 (81.7)	23.3 (73.9)	17.7 (63.9)	11.0 (51.8)	5.1 (41.2)	16.2 (61.2)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	−0.3 (31.5)	1.9 (35.4)	6.1 (43.0)	12.2 (54.0)	17.6 (63.7)	21.7 (71.1)	25.2 (77.4)	24.3 (75.7)	19.8 (67.6)	13.8 (56.8)	7.1 (44.8)	1.6 (34.9)	12.6 (54.7)
Record low °C (°F)	−20.6 (−5.1)	−14.1 (6.6)	−7.3 (18.9)	−0.4 (31.3)	6.2 (43.2)	12.2 (54.0)	17.9 (64.2)	15.8 (60.4)	10.8 (51.4)	1.5 (34.7)	−5.1 (22.8)	−13.5 (7.7)	−20.6 (−5.1)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	42.9 (1.69)	53.4 (2.10)	75.4 (2.97)	81.5 (3.21)	91.1 (3.59)	145.6 (5.73)	172.4 (6.79)	125.8 (4.95)	65.4 (2.57)	59.1 (2.33)	58.7 (2.31)	30.8 (1.21)	1,002.1 (39.45)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm)	8.2	8.9	11.6	10.3	10.2	10.6	12.1	11.0	7.8	8.5	7.6	6.0	112.8
Average relative humidity (%)	75	74	72	71	71	76	80	81	77	74	74	73	75
Mean monthly sunshine hours	118.7	113.5	138.6	168.0	190.9	165.5	189.2	190.9	153.8	154.4	148.7	135.8	1,868
Percent possible sunshine	38	37	35	42	44	41	46	50	43	46	48	46	43
Source: China Meteorological Administration

Administrative divisions and demographics

Demographics

The majority of the population in Hefei is Han Chinese. There are a small number of Hui Chinese living in the city, which is why there are few mosques in the city. There are over five million people in the city, of which some are migrant workers from other parts of Anhui.

Administration

Local Government

The prefecture-level city of Hefei administers 9 county-level divisions, including 4 districts, 1 County-city and 4 counties.

Under the city's jurisdiction there are four urban districts, four counties, one county-level city and three development zones. Namely: Yaohai, Luyang, Shushan and Baohe Districts, Feidong, Feixi, Changfeng and Lujiang Counties, Chaohu City and Hefei State New & High Technology Industrial Development Zone, Hefei Economic and Technological Development Area and Hefei New Railway Station Comprehensive Development Experimental Zone.

Hefei has 3 national level zones which are the top-listed industrial zones in China.

• Hefei National New and High Technology Industrial Development Zone

Hefei National New and High Technology Industrial Development Zone (or otherwise called for short: Hefei High-tech Park) was founded in October 1990. In March 1991, the State Council approved it a national new and high technology industrial development zone.In September 1997, Hefei High-tech Park, being one of the 53 National-level high-tech Development Zones in China, was granted the honor as an APEC Science and Technology Industrial Park, thus especially open to APEC and EU countries. In 1999, Hefei High-tech Park was approved as a National Pilot Entity for Technical Innovation and in 2000 it was ratified as a High-tech Product Export Base.Now Hefei High-tech Park is ranked as top 10 national Hi-tek parks in China.

• Hefei Economic & Technological Development Area (HETDA)

HETDA was founded in 1993. It is in the list of the national pilot entities for administration reform and restructuring. Approved by the State Council in 2000, it is now a national-level economic and technological development zone.HETDA has always been adhering to the policy of “Modern Industry Priority, Foreign Investment Priority, Export Priority, and Dedication to the New Hi-tech Industries”. In the past 11 years, it witnessed a sustained, rapid and healthy economic growth with 50% up in GDP and 57% up in industrial output on an average annual base.

• Hefei New Railway Station Comprehensive Development Experimental Zone

Approved by Anhui Provincial Government, Hefei New Railway Station Comprehensive Development Experimental Zone was set up in April 1995 as a provincial-level development zone. It has a planned area of 10 square kilometers, with 6 square kilometers for concentrated development. The zone is endowed with the same economic development administration authority of a municipality.

Hefei subdivisions area (km²), population (According to 2010 Census) and population density (per km²).

Map
Yaohai Luyang Shushan Baohe Changfeng County Feidong County Feixi County Lujiang County Chaohu (city)
Division code	English	Chinese	Pinyin	Area in km2	Seat	Postal code	Subdivisions
							Subdistricts	Towns	Townships	Ethnic townships	Residential communities	Villages
340100	Hefei	合肥市	Héféi Shì	11434.25	Shushan District	230000	45	65	19	1	736	1102
340102	Yaohai District	瑶海区	Yáohǎi Qū	142.90	Mingguang Road Subdistrict (明光路街道)	230000	13	2	1		118	18
340103	Luyang District	庐阳区	Lúyáng Qū	139.32	Bozhou Road Subdistrict (亳州路街道)	230000	11	1			84	14
340104	Shushan District	蜀山区	Shǔshān Qū	261.36	Sanli'an Subdistrict (三里庵街道)	230000	8	2			92	17
340111	Baohe District	包河区	Bāohé Qū	294.94	Luogang Subdistrict (骆岗街道)	230000	7	2			77	38
340121	Changfeng County	长丰县	Chángfēng Xiàn	1928.45	Shuihu (水湖镇)	231100		8	6		80	193
340122	Feidong County	肥东县	Féidōng Xiàn	2205.92	Dianbu (店埠镇)	231200		10	4		95	249
340123	Feixi County	肥西县	Féixī Xiàn	2082.66	Shangpai (上派镇)	231600		12	6	1	90	241
340124	Lujiang County	庐江县	Lújiāng Xiàn	2347.48	Lucheng (庐城镇)	231500		17			38	194
340181	Chaohu	巢湖市	Cháohú Shì	2031.22	Woniushan Subdistrict (卧牛山街道)	238000	6	11	1		62	138

Provincial Government

Hefei is the seat of the Government of Anhui Province. Most provincial government departments, as well as the Governor offices are at No.1 Zhongshan Road,moved from old downtown of Hefei since 2016. Provincial government is responsible to manage 16 prefecture-level cities, 105 counties and 1845 townships in Anhui. The National People's Congress (NPC) is just located near provincial government.The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (C.P.P.C.C.) is located at No.317,Suzhou Road.The Provincial Higher People's Court is located No.472.Changjiang Rd.

Typically,annual provincial congress meeting is hold in the first quarter of each year shortly before national congress meeting and the annual meeting of C.P.P.C.C is hold in the first quarter or the fourth quarter of each year.

Economy

The GDP of Hefei was ¥627.43 billion (ca. US$91.12 billion) in 2016. Hefei is listed as the quickest growing city in China after 2005.

Before the Chinese civil war Hefei's main industry was agriculture. After World War II, the capital of Anhui was moved from Anqing to Hefei. To assist the development of the city, many talented people were sent in from other parts of the country. Modern-day Hefei has machinery, electronics, chemistry, steel, textile, and cigarette industries, among others. The city annual growth rate of GDP reached 20% from the year of 2010 and has become China largest manufacturing center of household electrical appliances, automobile and robotic products and artificial intelligence,etc. Following household brands as well as many other electronic products have large volume manufacturing centers of Haier including: Hisense, Whirlpool, Gree, Royalstar, Meling. Hefei, as capital city of Anhui, probably is one of China largest intelligence manufacturing centers in the world.

In the summer of 2005, the municipal government implemented changes designed to beautify the city by demolishing thousands of illegally built structures, and clearing away long established marketplaces in many parts of the city. Overnight, longstanding businesses housed in flimsy structures that once lined many streets were gone. The impact on the local economy could be seen immediately as hundreds, if not thousands, of low paid workers no longer had employment.

Hefei has been identified by the Economist Intelligence Unit in the November 2010 Access China White Paper as a member of the CHAMPS (Chongqing, Hefei, Anshan, Ma'anshan, Pingdingshan and Shenyang), an economic profile of the top 20 emerging cities in China.

Since Hefei is strong on basic science research, the city has many high-tech projects which drive the innovation booming in this area. Aside from quick development in manufacturing industry, the city is developing many hi-tech industries as well as healthcare industry as below:

• Healthcare Industries like: Anke Bio,Tonrol Pharm,Zhaoke Pharm
• New Enery & New Materials like: JA Solar, SunGrow, Guofeng Plastic, 3M Materials, Unilever
• Public Security like: Sun Create, KDlian,China Meyer
• Automobile and Construction Machinery like: JAV, Chery, Volkswagen Electronic, Continental AG,Heli Forklift
• Construction like: Anhui provincial Construction Group
• Semiconductor&electronics like: Hejing Electronic Co(one of world largest Semiconductor product maker)， BOE(world largest LED Screen maker)
• Robotics like: CSG(manufacturing robots maker),Keyiren
• Agriculture and Food like: Fengle Seed,Huida Agro

In the recent years, Hefei also developed its entertainment industries which attracted many China entertainment gaint companies to set their business in this city. Bar street is appearing and international communicaty of Hefei is appearing. The city is becoming more globalized.The local young people have more vivid night life too.

In the year of 2017, Hefei annual economic growth rate(Nominal GDP) reached 21.39% listed as the No.1 of China top 30 cities.

Culture

Old west-style building on Wuhu Road in Hefei old town

Jiang Huai Theater, The oldest Theater in Hefei

Anhui has a long history with long flow of culture.Hefei as capital city has many cultural and art activities every week. The city has some traditional Chinese opera troupes such as Hui Opera, Huangmei Opera and Lu Opera.There are many big and small theaters in Hefei as well.

Opera

Hui Opera

Hui Opera is the ancestor of Peking Opera.As the name indicates, Huizhou Opera originated from Huichi Tune in Huizhou and the surrounding areas of Taiping, Qingyang and Shitai in the Ming Dynasty.It enjoyed a full development during Qianlong's reign and spread all over China during Daoguang's reign in the Qing Dynasty. Huichi Tune was a combination of Huizhou Lilts and Qingyang Lilts. In the 55th year of Qianlong's reign (1790), Gao Langting, a well-known local actor led his Sanqing Huizhou Opera Troupe to Bei-jing, the capital in the Qing Dynasty, successively followed by other troupes such as Sixi, Chuntai and Hechun. They became the famous Four Huizhou Opera Troupes entering Beijing as often mentioned. The troupes aroused a sensation in the capital.

Their performances were so widely loved by the townspeople of the capital that in every theatre Huizhou Opera was put on, and in every performance a Huizhou Troupe took a major part. After that, Cheng Changgeng, a native of Anqing and a descendant of Gao Langting, helped develop Huizhou Opera into Peking Opera by combining it with Han, Kun and other operas. So Huizhou Opera in a sense is an ancestor of Peking Opera.

Huangmei Opera

Once called "Huangmei Tune" or "Caicha Opera",Huangmei Opera is one of the most famous traditional operas in China. As a local drama in East China's Anhui Province, Huangmei Opera actually originated in Huangmei County,Hubei Province, during the 18th century when Chinese local operas were flourishing.

After being introduced to Anhui Province, Huangmei Opera swiftly took off in Anqing City and many other neighboring provinces. Now, the opera has grown into a professional performance piece in both rural and urban areas, becoming a recreational activity for millions of people. Now,Huangmei Opera has become one of the most popular operas all over China.

Museum

Anhui Provincial Museum

Anhui Paleontology Fossil Museum on Wuhu Road

Hefei has several big museums such as Anhui Provincial Museum and Science Museum.These are the places worthwhile for tourists' visit.

Anhui Provincial Museum

Founded on November 14, 1956, the Anhui Museum was one of the four model museums of China at that time. Since its founding,the Anhui Museum has ranked among the national first-class museums and was awarded as the national key conservation unit of ancient books. The old building has been placed as an important cultural relic under provincial protection by Anhui Provincial People’s Government.

The Anhui Museum has a collection of 220,000 cultural relics including many distinctive categories, such as bronze ware of the Shang and Zhou dynasties, coins of the Chu State, stone relief of the Han Dynasty, four treasures of the study, gold and silver ware of the Yuan Dynasty, calligraphy and paintings of the Xin’an School, carvings of Huizhou, ancient books, contract documents of Huizhou and Pan Yuliang’s works, etc.

Hefei Science and Technology Museum(HSTM)

This museum lies near Huangshan Street, the heart of the region in Hefei where many scientific and educational institutes can be found. The museum is a pretty fun place to go with kids.The eastern side of the museum is like an UFO, where the only domed theatre of the province is located.The UFO shape represents the profound mystery of science. The western side is the areas for academic exchange and science and technology training for kids, as well as administrative offices.

The museum contains many fun parts: flight simulation, energy machines, information technology, human life science, motion, machinery, mathematics, a children's zone, sound, light, electro-magnetics, Yang Chen Ning Exhibition Hall and a dome theatre and a spherical cinema.Many local kids are excited to be this place.

Anhui Paleontology Fossil Museum

Anhui Fossils Museum was an geological research institute in the 1980s. In the later 1990s, local government changed the institutes into a museum. This Fossils museum has many interesting fossils and strongs. If you are a stone lover, you probably can find any stone you could think about. The Museum has the Earth Hall, dinosaur hall, mineral rock hall, Resources and the Environment Agency of the six permanent exhibition halls, atrium lounge area attached, 4D science theater, multi-purpose lecture hall, and outdoor landscape area.It is also very fun for kids or students to learn more about earth science.

Library

Hefei has many libraries from provincial level to community level.The biggest two are Anhui Provincial Library and Hefei City Library.

Anhui Provincial Library

Main Building of Anhui Provincial Library

Anhui Provincial Library is a big public library established built in February 1913 and moved to current location since 1962. It is a non-profit cultural institution, a national first-class Library to provide people with social and cultural information service. It locates along the riverside of Lord Bao Park, and is an important cultural project in Anhui Province.There are altogether 2,970,000 volumes of books, of which 350,000 are ancient thread-stitched books, with 3121 kinds of rare books, 30,700 volumes. Of all these ancient books, the earliest one is from the Yuan Dynasty, and many of them are from the Ming Dynasty. Besides, works of scholars from Ancient Anhui Province are also collected systematically. After more than 100 years development, our library has collected books in complete kinds of disciplines. Anhui Provincial Library provides readers with services like book lending, information consulting, subject service, and education and training, lectures and exhibitions, etc.Now, Anhui Provincial Library offers internet service to readers as well.

Hefei City Library

File:HefeiLibrary.jpg

Hefei Library,2014

Hefei City Library's predecessor was HeFei Country ZhongHe Library established in 1923. In 1958, Hefei City Library was set up, which had only 250 M2 with 3 employees and collected 10,000 volumes.Later on, it was controlled by Hefei Culture Bureau in 1968. In 1973, the Library moved back to No.612 in MeiLing Road with a new area of 2,010 M2. Then, Hefei City Library was reconstructed of 15,000M2 and digitalized successfully with the investment of $12 million from Hefei city government in 1998. Now, readers could select 2,600 kinds of magazine globally and 500 kinds of newspaper freely. The Library also has 20 reading rooms with 600 seats, 10 Dissertation Discussion Rooms and Multifunction Meeting Rooms, and Academic Report Hall.

Hefei Wildlife Zoo

Hefei Wildlife Zoo is a pretty big zoo in China and is located in the stunning Dashu Mountain, some 10 km from the center of Hefei city, the wildlife zoo covers an area of 100 hectares, with rich lush woods, clean water and fresh air. The zoo has about 2,000 animals and birds, including rare animals/species under protection by China law, like giant pandas, Indian elephants, northeastern, tigers, leopards, elks and red-crowned cranes, and some animals from other countries, such as giraffes, hippopotamuses, chimpanzees, zebras, kangaroos and flamingoes.

The wildlife zoo has pretty big enclosures or gardens for each species, especially for giant pandas, red pandas peacocks, squirrels, monkeys, Japanese monkeys, chimpanzees, hippopotamies and a wide variety of birds (including a garden dedicated to flamingos). Meanwhile, it also includes the herbivore and predator habitats, where animals can roam freely within a certain open area.

Moreover, visitors also have a chance to enjoy the fascinating sea lion show, and visit the Bird Garden—the biggest of its kind in China. It is a nice place to visit at weekend.

Historic Sites

Little Island on the lake

Summer in Hefei Lord Bao Park

Qingfeng Pavilion in Hefei Lord Bao Park

Sanhe Town

Since Hefei has a very long history, there are some pleasant places to visit. In particular, Hefei has many parks, gardens and small lakes.

Sanhe Town, ancient town which has a history of more than 2,500 years.Within its borders lies the Sanhe Old Town (三河古镇), which has more than 41% of the town's population on 4.71 square kilometres (1.82 sq mi) of the area, and this reason makes this town as one of the nationally designated historical and cultural towns (中国历史文化名镇). The town is not like Zhou Zhuang,Suzhou, but with many local features.It is worthwhile for tourists to visit.

Xiaoyaojin Park, a public park sitting on the ancient site of the Battle of Xiaoyao Ford.

Temple of Lord Bao, built in 1066 near the tomb of Lord Bao.Bao Zheng (包拯; 11 April 999 – 20 May 1062), commonly known as Bao Gong (包公, "Lord Bao"), was a government officer during the reign of Emperor Renzong in China's Song Dynasty. During his twenty five years in civil service, Bao consistently demonstrated extreme honesty and uprightness, with actions such as sentencing his own uncle, impeaching an uncle of Emperor Renzong's favourite concubine and punishing powerful families. His appointment from 1057 to 1058 as the prefect of Song's capital Kaifeng, where he initiated a number of changes to better hear the grievances of the people, made him a legendary figure. During his years in office, he gained the honorific title Justice Bao (包青天) due to his ability to help peasants overcome corruption.

Li Hongzhang's Former Residence (李鸿章故居), built in the late 19th century and fully restored by the 1990s. Li Hongzhang was a Chinese politician, general and diplomat of the late Qing dynasty. He quelled several major rebellions and served in important positions in the Qing imperial court, including the Viceroy of Zhili, Huguang and Liangguang.Although he was best known in the West for his generally pro-modern stance and importance as a negotiator, Li antagonised the British with his support of Russia as a foil against Japanese expansionism in Manchuria and fell from favour with the Chinese after their defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War. His image in China remains controversial, with criticism on one hand for political and military mistakes and praise on the other for his success against the Taiping Rebellion, his diplomatic skills defending Chinese interests in the era of unequal treaties, and his role pioneering China's industrial and military modernisation. He was presented the Royal Victorian Order by Queen Victoria.

Three Kingdoms Ruins Park (三国新城遗址公园) Luyang district. North of the Botanical Gardens and a fair way out. Take bus 114 to Botanic Gardens then change to bus 300. ￥25 entry. There are some minor pavilions etc there, and the trees are very picturesque in spring.

Dashu mountain (大蜀山) 20 mins by taxi or catch any bus that goes to the end of Changjiang Road (长江路)or Huangshan Road (黄山路) This is a well-known sightseeing place in Hefei. Can get a view across Hefei on a clear day and there is a TV tower at the top. It can get crowded on days when the weather is nice. The walk up to the top of the mountain takes about 30 minutes.

Transportation

Hefei South Railway Station

Hefei has been the provincial capital since 1945 (before it was Lihuang, which is todays Jinzhai) and is a natural center of transportation, being situated to the north of Lake Chao and standing on a low saddle crossing the northeastern extension of the Dabie Mountains, which form the divide between the Huai and Yangtze rivers. From Hefei there is easy water transport via the lake to the Yangtze River opposite Wuhu.

Land

Important land routes run through Hefei, including:

1. G3 Beijing-Taipei Expressway (京台高速公路 From Beijing to Pingtan, and was designed to cross the Taiwan Strait to connect the highways in Taipei)

2. G40 Shanghai-Xi'an Expressway (沪陕高速公路 From Shanghai to Xi'an)

3. G42 Shanghai-Chengdu Expressway (沪蓉高速公路 From Shanghai to Chengdu)

4. G4212 Hefei-Anqing Expressway (合安高速公路 From Hefei to Anqing, a spur of G42)

5. G5011 Wuhu-Hefei Expressway (芜合高速公路 From Wuhu to Hefei, a spur of G50)

6. China National Highway 206 (烟汕线 From Yantai to Shantou)

7. China National Highway 312 (沪霍线 From Shanghai to Khorgas)

8. China National Highway 346 (沪康线 From Shanghai to Ankang)

9. S24 Changshu-Hefei Expressway (常合高速公路 From Changshu to Hefei)

10.S17 Bengbu-Hefei Expressway (蚌合高速公路 From Bengbu to Hefei)

11. G3W Dezhou-Shangrao Expressway (德上高速公路 From Dezhou to Shangrao)

There are two main train stations in Hefei. The newest one is Hefeinan Railway Station (Hefei South Railway Station 合肥火车南站) where most high-speed trains pass through. Many city buses serve this station, for instance the 108 from the East gate of the University of Science and Technology's East campus on Susong road. It has a very comprehensive taxi rank with multiple queues to avoid a long wait. There are many fast food restaurants in the departure hall with seating. There are not so many options for arrivals, a small cafe and a takeaway kfc booth. There is an ATM in the ticket sales area next to the security gates for the departure hall.

The alternative station is Hefei Railway Station (合肥火车站) which is smaller and older. This has only one taxi queue, directly opposite the main exit. There is fast food, a post office and a China mobile store in the same courtyard next to the arrival gates.

There are some small stations such as Feidong Station (肥东火车站), Feixi Station (肥西火车站), Shuijiahu Station (水家湖火车站), Chaohu Station (巢湖火车站), Chaohudong Station (Chaohu East Station 巢湖火车东站), Hefeibeicheng Station (Hefei Northtown Station 合肥北城火车站), Lujiang Station (庐江火车站) and so on. These stations are mostly located in small towns or played commuting roles.

Important railways that run through Hefei, including: 1. Shanghai-Wuhan-Chengdu High-Speed Railway (沪汉蓉高速铁路)

2. Hefei-Fuzhou High-Speed Railway (合福高速铁路 Play as part of Beijing-Taipei High-Speed Railway)

3. Hefei-Bengbu High-Speed Railway (合蚌高速铁路 A spur of Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway)

4. Shangqiu-Hefei-Hanzhou High-Speed Railway (商合杭高速铁路 The northern part, Shangqiu-Hefei High-Speed Railway will play as a part of Beijing-Hong Kong High-Speed Railway. Under Construction)

5. Hefei-Anqing-Jiujiang High-Speed Railway (合安九高速铁路 Play as a part of Beijing-Hong Kong High-Speed Railway. Under Construction)

6. Hefei-Qingdao High-Speed Railway (合青高速铁路 Proposed)

7. Nanjing-Xi'an High-Speed Railway (宁西高速铁路 Proposed)

8. Huainan Raiway (淮南铁路 From Huainan-Wuhu)

9. Hefei-Jiujiang Railway (合九铁路)

10. Nanjing-Xi'an Railway (宁西铁路)

11. Lujiang-Tongling Raiway (庐铜铁路 Under Construction)

In 2008 the thoroughfare Chang Jiang Road (Chinese: 长江路; pinyin: Chángjiāng lù) is undergoing a renovation project to widen the roads and to create a bus route in the center of the road, with bus stations at islands that are connected to the sidewalks by skyways. The First Ring Road is also undergoing construction, with traffic lights being replaced by overpasses and ramps built to connect the First Ring Road and all major intersecting roads. Both projects are intended to ease the traffic Hefei now experiences at rush hour.

• China National Highway 312

Air

Hefei Xinqiao International Airport replaced the old Hefei Luogang International Airport and started its operation on May 30, 2013 00:00. This new domestic aviation hub is located in Gaoliu Village situated in the northwestern part of Hefei City. The first arriving flight was China Eastern Airlines flight MU5172 from Beijing Capital International Airport. The first departing flight was China Eastern Airlines MU5468 to Shanghai Pudong International Airport. Hefei Xinqiao International Airport provides scheduled passenger service to major airports in China and other international cities. Destinations include Hong Kong, Macao, Singapore, Taipei (Taoyuan, Songshan), Kaohsiung, Taichung, Seoul, Cheongju, Yangyang, Jeju, Osaka, Nagoya, Shizuoka, Okayama, Boracay Island, Bali Island, Frankfurt, Siem Reap, Bangkok, Phuket Island and Krabi Island.

Subway

Main article: Hefei Metro

Hefei Metro is a rapid transit rail network under construction that will eventually serve both urban and rural areas of Hefei. As planned, Line 1 covers a total distance of 24 kilometres (15 miles) starting from Hefei Railway Station. It was inaugurated in December 2016.

In February 2013, Metro Line 2 also began its construction. It is being built alongside the Changjiang Dong Road, Changjiang Zhong Road and Changjiang Xi Road, which is a major passenger corridor in the east-west direction. It will pass through the city center area and connect to a transit point where passengers will be able to take the shuttle bus to Hefei Xinqiao International Airport. The project of Line 2 is planning to be finished in 2017.

In November 2015, Metro Line 3 construction began. Line 3 is expected to open in 2020. Line 3 will connect the New Station Exploitative-experimental Zone and the Economic Technology Development District, from the vocational education town to the university town.

Alongside Line 1, Line 2 and Line 3, Hefei is also planning to build other 12 metro lines, 4 lines of intra-metropolitan rail transit (to Lu'an, Huainan, Lujiang and Chaohu) and 3 lines of tram and hopefully accomplish the project by 2030.

Bus

There are 4 major lines of Bus Rapid Transit in Hefei, including:

Bus Rapid Transit Line 1 (B1): from the downtown to the Binhu New Area. (Chinese: 滨湖新区; pinyin: Bīnhú Xīn Qū)

Bus Rapid Transit Line 3 (K3): from downtown to the Beicheng New Area (Northtown New Area 北城新区)

Bus Rapid Transit Line 4 (BRT4 or 快4): from downtown to the Shuxi Newtown (West of Dashu Hill Newtown 蜀西新城)

Bus Rapid Transit Line 5 (BRT5 or 快5): from downtown to Longgang Development Zone (龙岗开发区)

And there are several commuter lines operating, which only run at designated time or having a large interval, including:

T1 from West Bus Terminus (汽车客运西站) to No.7 High School New Campus (七中新区), T2 from Liushutang (柳树塘) to No.7 High School New Campus, T3 from North Square of Hefei Railway Station (火车站北广场) to Hefei Economic and Trade Tourism School (合肥经贸旅游学校), T5 from North Square of Hefei Railway Station to Gongda Vocational and Technical College (共达学院), T6 from North Square of Hefei Raiway Station to Hefei Industrial School (合肥工业学校), T7 from Hefeinan Raiway Station (合肥南站) to University Park (大学城), T8 from Gedadian (葛大店) to E-Commerce Park of the Youth (青年电商园), T9 from Public Transportation Group (No.2 Hospital) (公交集团或市二院) to No.10 High School New Campus (合肥十中新区), T10 from Shifu Square (市府广场) to No.10 High School New Campus, T12 from Anjuyuan(安居苑) to Provincial Administration Center (省行政中心), T13 from CPPCC of Anhui Province (省政协) to Provincial Administration Center, T15 from Binhu Vanke City (滨湖万科城) to Provincial Administration Center, T16 from Wanghucheng (望湖城) to Provincial Administration Center, T18 as a loop line of the CBD of Binhu New Area (滨湖CBD/滨湖核心区), T19 as a loop line of the Promoting Zone of Binhu New Area (滨湖启动区), T21 from Cuozhen (撮镇) to Fuxing Community (复兴社区), T22 from Shuidong Rd. (水东路) to Sanlian University Branch Campus (三联学院分校), T24 from Cuozhen to Qiaotouji (桥头集), T26 from Feihe (淝河镇) to Hefei International Port (合肥国际港).

Research

Hefei plays an important role in scientific research in China. It has seven national laboratories, second only to Beijing: The National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory (Chinese: 国家同步辐射实验室; pinyin: Guójiā tóngbù fúshè shíyàn shì), the Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale (Chinese: 微尺度物质科学国家实验室; pinyin: Wēi chǐdù wùzhí kēxué guójiā shíyàn shì), both of which are under the University of Science and Technology of China. It also has the Institute of Solid State Physics, Institute of Plasma Physics, Institute of Intelligent Machines, High Magnetic Field Laboratory (founded in 2008), Anhui Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, all of which are under the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science which belongs to the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Hefei is the location of Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak, an experimental superconducting tokamak magnetic fusion energy reactor.

Universities

An overview of USTC, including the Teaching Building II and the library

• University of Science and Technology of China (USTC)
• Hefei University of Technology (HFUT)
• Anhui University (AHU)
• Anhui Agricultural University (AHAU)
• Anhui Medical University (AHMU)
• Anhui University of Chinese Medicine (AUCM)
• Anhui Jianzhu University (AHJU)
• Hefei Normal University (HNU)
• Hefei University (HU)
• Beihang University (BUAA) - Hefei Campus
• National University of Defense Technology (NUDT) - Hefei Campus
• Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU) - Hefei Campus
• Tianjin University (TJU) - Hefei Graduate School
• Peking University (PKU) - Hefei Graduate School
• Tsinghua University (THU) - Hefei Institute of Public Safety Research

Yicheng Prison

Yicheng Prison is located within the city. It was built during the 1983 "Strike Hard" campaign and was formerly Hefei Zhenxing Machine Parts Factory. On June 15, 1984 the Prov. Justice Dept. decided to change the name of the Machine Parts Factory's Internal Dept. to the Prov. Independent LRC. On March 17, 1986, the City's Party Committee and government agreed to the change. On April 26 more than 400 inmates were transferred to Hefei Shangzhangwei Farm and Baihu Farm. In February 1992 a secondary country level prison was created at the Shangzhangwei Farm. In August 1992 the Hefei City LRD level was upgraded by the government. June 1996 the prison was changed to its present name. It is currently controlled by Hefei city. It mainly houses prisoners with sentences of less than 5 years and houses up to 1000 prisoners a year. In the past 20 years, nearly 20,000 inmates have completed their sentences here. The prison mainly cultivates vegetables and rice but also cooperates with the Zhejiang Rongguang Group and produces soccer training shoes, soccer balls, tourism products, and other products.

Sport

Hefei has its own football team called Anhui Jiufang, who in the 2007–08 season were promoted from the Chinese Football Association Yi League to the Chinese Football Association Jia League which is the second highest tier of Chinese football.It was acquired by Tianjin Runyulong in 2011.

Sites of interest

Baohe Village (simplified Chinese: 包河浮庄; traditional Chinese: 包河浮莊; pinyin: Bāo hé fú zhuāng)

Fuzhuang in winter

• Sanhe Town, ancient town which has a history of more than 2,500 years.
• Xiaoyaojin Park, a public park sitting on the ancient site of the Battle of Xiaoyao Ford.
• Temple of Lord Bao, built in 1066 near the tomb of Lord Bao.
• Li Hongzhang's Former Residence (Chinese: 李鸿章故居; pinyin: Lǐhóngzhāng gùjū), built in the late 19th century and fully restored by the 1990s.
• Hui Garden (Chinese: 徽园; pinyin: Huī yuán) (Opened to the public in September 2001)
• Children's Welfare Institute (a.k.a. "Social Welfare Institute"), children's orphanage
• Anhui Laomingguang Stadium, the home ground of Anhui Jiufang, but also used for other public sporting events.

Notable people

• Bao Zheng (999–1062), Northern Song dynasty bureaucrat and judge whose name has become synonymous with judicial wisdom and uprightness.
• Chen Ning Yang, (b. 1922), 1957 Nobel Physics Prize laureate, for their work on parity nonconservation of weak interaction. One of the two earliest Chinese to receive the prize.
• Han Qizhi, (b. 1970), first person to climb up the tallest building in China.
• Li Hongzhang (1823–1901), prominent late Qing dynasty bureaucrat and diplomat.
• Duan Qirui (1865–1936), the Provisional Chief Executive of Republic of China (in Beijing) from November 24, 1924 to April 20, 1926.
• Yang Yuanqing (b. 1964), Chairman of Board of Lenovo.
• Liu Mingchuan (1836–1896). Statesman during the late Qing dynasty, first governor of Taiwan.
• Jin Jing (b. 1981), Paralympic fencer.
• Chen Xiao (b. 1987), Chinese actor.
• Yang Yang (b. 1991), Chinese actor.

See also

• List of twin towns and sister cities in China

External links

• Hefei travel guide from Wikivoyage
• Hefei Online Government