Hefei is thecapital ofAnhui, China. Aprefecture-level city, it is the political, economic, and cultural center of Anhui. Its population was 9,369,881 as of the 2020 census. Its built-up (ormetro) area is made up of four urban districts plus Feidong, Feixi and Changfeng counties being urbanized, was home to 7,754,481 inhabitants.[clarification needed] Located in the central portion of the province, it bordersHuainan to the north,Chuzhou to the northeast,Wuhu to the southeast,Tongling to the south,Anqing to the southwest andLu'an to the west. A natural hub of communications, Hefei is situated to the north ofChao Lake and stands on a low saddle crossing the northeastern extension of theDabie Mountains, which forms the divide between theHuai andYangtze rivers.[3]
From the 8th to the 6th centuries BC, Hefei was the site of many small states, later a part of theChu 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 theHan dynasty in the 2nd century BC.
In the 3rd century AD, theBattle of Xiaoyao Ford was fought atXiaoyao Ford (逍遙津) in Hefei.Zhang Liao, a general of theWei state, led 800 picked cavalry to defeat the 200,000-strong army from Wei's rival stateWu. Several decades of warring in Hefei between Wu and Wei followed this battle.
During the 4th to the 6th centuries AD, this crucial border region betweennorthern and southern states was much fought over; its name and administrative status were consequently often changed. During theSui (581–618) andTang (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 theSong dynasty (960–1126), the earlier Hefei having been some distance farther north. In the 10th year ofXining (熙宁, 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 independentWu kingdom (902–938) and was an important center of theSouthern Tang state (937–975).
After 1127 it became a center of the defenses of theSouthern Song dynasty (1126–1279) against theJin (Jurchen) invaders in theJin–Song wars, as well as a flourishing center of trade between the two states. When theChinese Republic was founded in 1911, the superior prefecture was abolished, and the city took the name of Hefei. The city was known asLuchow orLiu-tcheou[12] (庐州,pLuzhou) during theMing andQing 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 theSecond Sino-Japanese War in 1945, Hefei was made the capital of Anhui.
BeforeWorld 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, andhemp, as well as a center for handicraft industries manufacturing cloth, leather, bamboo goods, and ironware.
The construction in 1912 of theTianjin–Pukou railway, farther east, for a while made Hefei a provincial backwater, and much of its importance passed toBengbu. In 1932–36, however, a Chinese company built a railway linking Hefei withYuxikou (on theYangtze oppositeWuhu) to the southeast and with theHuai River atHuainan to the north. While this railway was built primarily to exploit the richcoalfield 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.
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 fromAnqing in 1945, but much of its new growth derived from its development as an industrial city.
Hefei was designated the provincial capital in 1952.[13]: 122
Acotton 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 producingindustrial chemicals and chemicalfertilizers. 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.
In 1978, theChinese Academy of Sciences opened a Hefei branch.[13]: 126 Several electronics institutes were moved from Beijing to Hefei in the early 1980s.[13]: 126 The establishment of these educational and research and development institutions in Hefei were a foundations for its subsequent growth in innovation.[13]: 126
In 1991, Hefei was one of the first Chinese cities to establish a High-Tech Industrial Zone.[13]: 129
A period of rapid growth began in 2005, when Hefei party secretarySun Jinlong initiated a strategy of industry-based city building.[13]: 127 Sun prioritized the automobile, electric appliance, and equipment manufacturing sectors of the city's economy.[13]: 127 The city government established a department for attracting investment and sent teams around the country to recruit businesses to Hefei.[13]: 127 Sun also launched a construction program of neighborhood redevelopment, road system improvement, rail system, and a new international airport.[13]: 127 Hefei's GDP grew at the highest rate of any Chinese provincial capital during Sun's tenure.[13]: 127–128
Since the 2010s, Hefei has developed high-tech industries and an innovation-driven economy,[13]: 129 including semi-conductors and alternative energy economic sectors.[14]: 185
This sectionneeds expansion. You can help byadding to it.(May 2013)
Hefei is located 130 kilometres (81 mi) west ofNanjing in south-central Anhui.Chao Lake, a lake 15 km (9 mi) southeast of the city, is one of the largestfresh water lakes in China. Though, the lake has unfortunately been polluted withnitrogen andphosphorus, in recent decades,[15] the situation is improving due to efforts by both the government and the people.
Hefei features ahumid subtropical climate (KöppenCfa) with four distinct seasons. Hefei's annual average temperature is 16.6 °C (61.9 °F). Its annualprecipitation 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. Occasional cold spells from Siberia that usually happen during winter months such as December, January, February. Sometimes November and March which can bring snow and heavier snowfall. (Springs are generally relatively pleasant if somewhat erratic. Summers are hot and humid, with a July average of 28.6 °C (83.5 °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.[16]
Climate data for Hefei, elevation 50 m (160 ft), (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1951–present)
Air quality typically diminishes in May and June when the city is blanketed by smog caused by the smoke generated as farmers outside the city burn their fields in preparation for planting the next crop.
The majority of the population in Hefei areHan Chinese. There are a comparatively small number ofHui Chinese living in the city, for whom a few mosques have been constructed. Of the more than five million people in the city, some are migrant workers from other parts of Anhui.
As of 2021, the GDP of Hefei is CN¥1,141.28 billion. The GDP per capita of the city is ¥121,187 (US$18,784), ranking within the top 20 of cities in China.[25]
As of 2023, the GDP of Hefei is CN¥1,267.38 billion.[26]
Hefei's city government is highly engaged in business, both throughstate-owned enterprises and investment.[13]: 128 This approach has helped drive economic growth and re-structure the cities economic base.[13]: 128
In 2008, the local government spent US$3.5 billion for a controlling ownership stake inBOE Technology (Jingdongfang).[14]: 185 BOE Technology subsequently grew to be one of the world's leading manufacturers of semiconductor products for telecommunications.[14]: 185 It is also the world's largest manufacturer of liquid crystal displays, organic light-emitting diodes, and flexible displays.[13]: 128 As of at least 2024, BOE has three production lines in Hefei, and its presence has helped Hefei attract further business in the electronics supply chain and contributed to Hefei's development as one of the main centers for the optoelectronic industry in China.[27]: 121
In 2008, Hefei invested heavily iniFlytek, a voice-recognition technology firm spun off fromUSTC.[13]: 128
The local government invested heavily inNIO in order to integrate it with Hefei Changan Automobile, a legacy enterprise from the Third Front construction.[14]: 185 NIO was on the brink of bankruptcy in 2020 when Hefei obtained a 25% stake in the company in exchange for RMB 7 billion.[28]: 101 NIO moved its headquarters to Hefei, where the government helped it obtain loans from local banks to expand its supply chains.[28]: 101 As of 2022, NIO is China's most successful electric vehicle manufacturer.[14]: 184
Hefei was identified byThe Economist in December 2012 as the world's No.1 fastest growing metropolitan economy.[30]
Hefei has supported the growth of the chip industry in the city and has become one of the biggest sites for the manufacture of memory chips (DRAM).[27]: 141–142
Hefei has been the provincial capital since 1945 (before it was Lihuang, which is today'sJinzhai) and is a natural center oftransportation, being situated to the north ofChao Lake and standing on a low saddle crossing the northeastern extension of theDabie Mountains, which form the divide between theHuai andYangtze rivers. From Hefei there is easywater transport via the lake to the Yangtze River oppositeWuhu.
There are two main train stations in Hefei. The newest one isHefei South railway station (Hefeinan station, 合肥火车南站) where most high-speed trains pass through. The alternative station isHefei railway station (合肥火车站) which is smaller and older.
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),Chaohu East railway station (Chaohudong 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 and connect commuters with the main city.
Entrance to Hefei South Railway South Square Station
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, MetroLine 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 Line 2 was opened on 26 December 2017.
In November 2015, MetroLine 3 construction began. Line 3 was opened on 26 December 2019. Line 3 connects the New Station Exploitative-experimental Zone and the Economic Technology Development District, from the vocational education town to the university town. In 2016, MetroLine 4 construction began. Line 4 was opened on 26 December 2021. Line 4 connects the New Station Exploitative-experimental Zone and the High Technology Development District. In 2017, MetroLine 5 construction began. The south part of Line 5 was opened on 26 December 2020. Line 5 connects Binhu New District and the Beicheng (North city) New District. The north part of Line 5 is expected to open at the end of 2022.
Alongside Line 1, Line 2, Line 3, Line 4 and Line 5, 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.[citation needed]
There is an extensivepublic bus system in the city, including eightbus rapid transit lines. There are several commuter lines which only run at designated time or having a large interval.[31]
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 theUniversity of Science and Technology of China. It also has theInstitute 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 theHefei Institutes of Physical Science which belongs to theChinese Academy of Sciences.
The No. 105 Hospital of the People's Liberation Army, located in Hefei, is reportedly the site of the first human trials usingCRISPRgenome editing, doing so in 2015.[32]
As of 2017, Hefei had 60 universities and more than 564 research institutes.[13]: 126
Hefei is a world leading city for scientific research, with its ranking placed at 13th globally, 8th in the Asia-Pacific and 6th in China (behindBeijing,Shanghai,Nanjing,Guangzhou andWuhan), as tracked by theNature Index in 2023.[5]
Hefei was one of the four national science centers identified in China's14th Five-Year Plan.[13]: 126
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 15 June 1984, the Prov. Justice Dept. decided to change the name of the Machine Parts Factory's Internal Dept. to the Prov. Independent LRC. On 17 March 1986, the city's Party Committee and government agreed to the change. On 26 April 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. In 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.[33]
Yang Chen-Ning, (b. 1922), 1957Nobel Physics Prize laureate, for their work on parity nonconservation of weak interaction. One of the two earliest Chinese to receive the prize.
^Inter alia: Mitchell Sr., S.A.A New Universal Atlas Containing Maps of the various Empires, Kingdoms, States and Republics Of The World. "China.Archived 2012-06-29 at theWayback Machine" Entered 1850, Published 1853.
^Rana, Preetika; Marcus, Amy Dockser; Fan, Wenxin (21 January 2018)."China, Unhampered by Rules, Races Ahead in Gene-Editing Trials".The Wall Street Journal.Archived from the original on 7 April 2018. Retrieved11 April 2018.Later in 2016, news reports said a Chinese hospital had begun the world's first Crispr trial. In fact, it wasn't first—No. 105 Hospital of the People's Liberation Army in Hefei began testing Crispr on patients in 2015, says Liu Bo, who leads that trial.
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg)
