Anhui[a] is an inlandprovince located inEast China. Its provincial capital and largest city isHefei. The province is located across the basins of theYangtze andHuai rivers, borderingJiangsu andZhejiang to the east,Jiangxi to the south,Hubei andHenan to the west, andShandong to the north. With a population of 61 million, Anhui is the 9th most populous province in China. It is the 22nd largest Chinese province based on area, and the 12th most densely populated region of all 34 Chinese provincial regions. Anhui's population is mostly composed ofHan Chinese. Languages spoken within the province includeLower Yangtze Mandarin,Wu,Hui,Gan and small portion ofCentral Plains Mandarin.
The name "Anhui" derives from the names of two cities:Anqing andHuizhou (nowHuangshan City).[7] The abbreviation for Anhui isWǎn (皖), corresponding to the historicalWan state [zh], and is also used to refer to theWan River andMount Tianzhu. The provincial government of Anhui includes a Governor, Provincial Congress, the People's Political Consultative Conference, and the Provincial Higher People's Court. Aside from managing local government departments, the Anhui provincial government manages 16 cities, 62 counties, 43 county-level districts and 1,522 townships. Anhui's total GDP ranked 14th among China's 31 province-level regions as of 2022[update].
Anhui was established 1667, during the reign of theQing dynasty'sKangxi Emperor. The province's nickname, "Wan", is taken from the name of a small state that existed in the region during theSpring and Autumn period (722–481 BC). The name "Wan" also corresponds to the province'sMount Tianzhu andWan state [zh]. Evidence of human beings inhabiting what is now Anhui 20,000 years before present has been attested by archaeological findings inFanchang County, related to the cultural domains ofYangshao andLongshan, dated to theNeolithic period (8000–2000 BC). In relation to these cultures, archeologists have discovered through excavation a 4500-year-old city called the Nanchengzi Ruins inGuzhen County, after they discovered a Neolithic city wall and a moat that was part of a much larger and integrated city in the region during their 2013 disinterment.[8]
Anhui in 1936
There are many historical sites located in the province dating to the pre-imperial period. The culture of northern Anhui was associated with that of theNorth China Plain, together with what is now Henan, northern Jiangsu, and southern Shandong. Central Anhui was densely populated, and consisted of the fertileHuai River watershed. Contrastingly, southern Anhui was closer toJiangxi and southernJiangsu; the hills in the southeastern part of the province formed a unique cultural sphere. After theQin dynasty unified China in 221 BC, the territory of modern Anhui belonged to different prefectures, including Jiujiang, Zhang, Tang, and Sishui. The lands became part of theYang,Yu, and Xu prefectures during theHan dynasty (202 BC – 220 AD). During theThree Kingdoms era (222–280), Anhui was dominated at various times byEastern Wu andCao Wei. By theSong dynasty (960–1279), the economy and culture of area was flourishing. Anhui became part of the province ofHenan during theYuan dynasty (1271–1368); during theMing dynasty the area was directly administrated by the imperial capital inNanjing.
Anhui andJiangsu were merged into one province under theQing dynasty (1644–1912) until 1666, during the reign of theKangxi Emperor. It played an important role in theSelf-Strengthening Movement led by Li Hongzhang during the later Qing. During this time, western weapons, factories and administrative theories were being introduced into China. Over the next 50 years, Anhui became one of the country's most radically liberal areas, with important 20th-century figures moving to the province, like the poet and diplomatHu Shih, andChen Duxiu, the founder of theChinese Communist Party (CCP).
In 1938, large areas in north and central Anhui were severely damaged by the decision of PresidentChiang Kai-shek to demolish a critical dam on theYellow River, hoping that would physically impede the ongoing invasion by theImperial Japanese Army and prevent them from capturingZhengzhou. Within only ten days of the dam breaking, the water and sands drowned all of north and middle area of this province, resulting in the deaths of between 500,000 and 900,000 Chinese people, as well as an unknown number of Japanese soldiers. Following the end of theSecond Sino-Japanese War in 1945, the capital city of Anhui moved toHefei, then a small town. The provincial government made significant investments for its development. After 1949, the government launched projects to repair the damages suffered during World War II. The province underwent significant development via theThird Front campaign to build basic and national defense industries in protected locations, in case of invasion by the Soviet Union or United States. The centerpiece of the Shanghai Small Third Front was the "rear base" in Anhui which served as "a multi-function manufacturing base for anti-aircraft and anti-tank weaponry".[9] During the late 1990s Anhui became one of China's fastest-growing provinces. The province forms part of the China Yangtze River Delta Economic Area, which is the most developed area of China.
Anhui is topographically diverse. The north is part of theNorth China Plain while the north-central areas are part of theHuai River watershed. Both regions are flat, and densely populated. The land becomes more uneven further south, with theDabie Mountains occupying much of southwestern Anhui and a series of hills and ranges cutting through southeastern Anhui, between which is theYangtze River. The highest peak in Anhui is Lotus Peak, part ofHuangshan in southeastern Anhui. It has an altitude of 1,873 metres (6,145 feet).
Major rivers include theHuai River in the north and the Yangtze in the south. The largest lake isLake Chaohu situated in the center of the province, with an area of about 800 km2 (310 sq mi). The southeastern part of the province near the Yangtze River has many lakes as well.
As with topography, the province differs in climate from north to south. The north is more temperate with more distinct seasons. January temperatures average at around −1 to 2 °C north of the Huai River, and 0 to 3 °C south of the Huai River; in July temperatures average 27 °C or above.Plum rains occur in June and July and may cause flooding.
Anhui has 16 cities. In economic terms, the top three cities are:Hefei,Wuhu andAnqing.
The Anhui elm, UlmusgausseniiW. C. Cheng, is a medium sizedeciduous tree whose natural range is restricted to the valleys of theLangya limestone mountains ofChu Xian.[10] The tree was most commonly found on the flood plains, indicating a tolerance of periodic inundation.U. gaussenii is now the world's rarest and most endangered elm species, with only approximately 30 trees known to survive in the wild in 2009.[11]
^abcdChaohu PLC is currently no longer exist after census it was split among Hefei (Juchao &Lujiang), Wuhu (Wuwei), & Ma'anshan (Hexian &Hanshan); Juchao District is currently known as Chaohu CLC. Chaohu PLC city proper count is reflected among the three PLCs.
^abShouxian County was transferred from Lu'an PLC to Huainan PLC's jurisdiction after census; the City proper count is reflected onto Huainan PLC not Lu'an PLC.
^abNew district established after census:Yeji by splitting from parts ofHuoqiu County. The new district not included in the urban area & district area count of the pre-expanded city.
^abNew district established after census:Bowang by splitting from parts ofDangtu County. The new district not included in the urban area & district area count of the pre-expanded city.
^abZongyang County was transferred from Anqing PLC to Tongling PLC's jurisdiction after census; the City proper count is reflected onto Tongling PLC not Anqing PLC.
^Qianshan County is currently known as Qianshan CLC after census.
Most populous cities in Anhui
Source:China Urban Construction Statistical Yearbook 2018 Urban Population and Urban Temporary Population[20]
The Politics of Anhui Province is structured in a dual party-government system like all other governing institutions in mainland China. TheGovernor of Anhui is the highest-ranking official in the Anhui Provincial People's Government. However, in the province's dual party-government governing system, the Governor has less power than theAnhui Chinese Communist Party Provincial Committee Secretary.
Most provincial government departments and the Governor office are located 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, 1845 townships and different departments in Anhui. The Anhui Provincial People's Congress is just located near provincial government. The ProvincialChinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is located at No.317, Suzhou Road. The Provincial Higher People's Court is located at no. 472 Changjiang Rd.
Typically, annual provincial congress meeting is held in the first quarter of each year shortly before national congress meeting and the annual meeting of CPPCC is held in the first quarter or the fourth quarter of each year.
Agriculture in Anhui varies according to the climate zones. To the north of theHuai River,wheat andsweet potatoes are grown, while to the south it isrice and wheat instead. As of 2022[update], Anhui'snominal GDP wasUS$670 billion (CN¥ 4.51 trilion), about 3.72% of the country's GDP and ranked10th amongprovince-level administrative units; the province's primary, secondary and tertiary industries were worth CN¥351.37 billion (US$52.24 billion), CN¥1.8588 trillion (US$276.36 billion) and CN¥2.29433 trillion (US$341.1 billion) respectively. Its nominal GDP per capita was US$10,943 (CN¥73,603) and ranked the14th in the country.[3]
Natural resources of Anhui includeiron inMa'anshan,coal inHuainan, andcopper inTongling. There are industries related to these natural resources (e.g.steel industry at Ma'anshan). One of the famous Anhui-based corporations is the automobile companyChery, which is based inWuhu.
Farmlands of Anhui
Compared to its more prosperous neighbours to the east,Zhejiang andJiangsu, Anhui has lagged markedly behind in economic development, with aGDP per capita around half of those two provinces in 2017 rapidly improved from 1/3 of those two provinces in 2010. However, the provincial GDP per capita is based on the population registered in the province (that is, with localHukou), but not necessarily residing there. There is significant regional disparity, where much of the wealth is concentrated in industrial regions close to theYangtze River, such asHefei, Wuhu, and Ma'anshan. The province is home to a large cluster of white goods manufacture such asHaier, Hisense, Whirlpool, Gree, Royalstar, and Meling.
Major economic and technological development zones
Hefei Economic and Technological Development Zone is located in the southwest of Hefei and was established in 1993. It is located close to Hefei Luogang International Airport.[21]
Hefei Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone was founded in October 1990 and approved by theState Council as a state-level Development Zone in March 1991. In 1997, the Development Zone was ratified as an APEC Science and Technology Industrial Park, with special open policies to APEC and EU members. Hefei High Tech Park was also approved as a National High Tech Export Base in 2000 and obtained the award of an Advanced High Tech Zone under the Torch Program in 2003. So far, more than 100 hi-tech enterprises have entered the zone. Industries encouraged in the zone include chemical production and processing, electronics assembly & manufacturing, instruments & industrial equipment, medical Equipment and telecommunications.[22]
Established in 1993, Wuhu Economic and Technological Development Zone was the first state-level development zone approved by central government in Anhui, utilising the transportation advantage of the Yangtse Delta atWuhu.[23]
A high-speed train in Hefei railway stationHefei South Railway Stationa metro entrance in Hefei
Historically, Anhui's transport network was hampered by the lack of bridges across theYangtze River, which divides the province into northern and southern regions. The first bridge across the Yangtze in Anhui, theTongling Yangtze River Bridge, was completed in 1995. As of October 2014, Anhui hadfour bridges across the Yangtze, atMa'anshan,Wuhu, Tongling, andAnqing.
Anhui lacked a developed railway network until this century: most cities are now connected by a high-speed train system.Hefei South railway station is the high-speed train hub.
Hefei and Wuhu have subway systems. TheHefei Metro has 2 completed lines, 3 lines under construction and another 10 lines planned. TheWuhu Metro has 2 subway lines under construction and another 3 lines planned.
The province has 5 major commercial airports and another 4 are under construction. Hefei Xinqiao International Airport and Huangshan International Airport are the 2 international airports. The 5 airports in operation are:
Anhui has a highly unbalanced gender ratio. According to a 2009 study published in theBritish Medical Journal, in the 1–4 age group, there are 138 boys for every 100 girls, making it among the most unbalanced of provinces in China.[35]
Other religions or not religious people[note 1] (89.5%)
The predominant religions in Anhui areChinese folk religions,Taoist traditions andChinese Buddhism. According to surveys conducted in 2007 and 2009, 4.64% of the population believes and is involved inancestor veneration, while 5.30% of the population identifies as Christian.[36] According to a 2010 survey, Muslims constitute 0.58% of the population of Anhui.[37]
Anhui spans many geographical and cultural regions. The northern, flatter parts of the province, along theHuai River and further north, are most akin to neighboring provinces likeHenan,Shandong and northernJiangsu. In contrast, the southern, hilly parts of the province are more similar in culture and dialect to other southern, hilly provinces, likeZhejiang andJiangxi.
Mandarin dialects are spoken over the northern and central parts of the province, north of the Yangtze river. Dialects to the north (e.g.Bengbu dialect) are classified asZhongyuan Mandarin, together with dialects in provinces such as Henan and Shandong; dialects in the central parts (e.g.Hefei dialect) are classified asJianghuai Mandarin, together with dialects in the central parts of neighboringJiangsu province. Non-Mandarin dialects are spoken to the south of the Yangzi: dialects ofWu are spoken inXuanchengprefecture-level city, though these are rapidly being replaced by Jianghuai Mandarin; dialects ofGan are spoken in a few counties in the southwest bordering Jiangxi province;[38] and theHuizhou dialects are spoken in about ten counties in the far south, a small but highly diverse and unique group of Chinese dialects.
Huangmeixi, which originated in the environs ofAnqing in southwestern Anhui, is a form of traditionalChinese opera popular across China.Huiju, a form of traditional opera originating in theHuizhou-speaking areas of southern Anhui, is one of the major precursors ofBeijing Opera; in the 1950s, Huiju (which had disappeared) was revived.Luju is a type of traditional opera found across central Anhui, from east to west.
Anhui cuisine is one of the eight great traditions ofChinese cuisine. Combining elements of cooking from northern Anhui, south-central Anhui, and the Huizhou-speaking areas of southern Anhui, Anhui cuisine is known for its use of wild game and herbs, both land and sea, and comparatively simple methods of preparation.
Anhui has a high concentration of traditional products related to calligraphy: Xuanzhou (todayXuancheng) and Huizhou (todayHuangshan City) are revered for producingXuan Paper and HuiInk respectively, which are traditionally considered the best types of paper and ink forChinese calligraphy.She County is famous for theShe Inkstone, one of the most preferred types ofinkstones (a required tool in traditional calligraphy).[citation needed]
Anhui has some good universities. Most universities in Anhui are located in Hefei, Wuhu, Bengbu, Maanshan, some of them are pretty well known. Specifically,Hefei is one of the most important research central cities in China with leading basic scientific research capability.
And people not bounded to, nor practicing any, institutional or diffuse religion.
^The data was collected by the Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS) of 2009 and by the Chinese Spiritual Life Survey (CSLS) of 2007, reported and assembled by Xiuhua Wang (2015)[36] in order to confront the proportion of people identifying with two similar social structures: ① Christian churches, and ② the traditional Chinese religion of the lineage (i. e. people believing and worshipping ancestral deities often organized intolineage "churches" andancestral shrines). Data for other religions with a significant presence in China (deity cults, Buddhism, Taoism, folk religious sects, Islam, et al.) was not reported by Wang. The number of Muslims is taken from a survey reported in the year 2010.[37]
^Xu, Youwei; Wang, Y. Yvon (2022).Everyday Lives in China's Cold War Military Industrial Complex: Voices from the Shanghai Small Third Front, 1964-1988. Palgrave MacMillan. pp. xiii–xvi.ISBN978-3-030-99687-1.
^Census Office of the State Council of the People's Republic of China; Population and Employment Statistics Division of the National Bureau of Statistics of the People's Republic of China (2012).中国2010年人口普查分乡、镇、街道资料 (in Chinese (China)) (1 ed.). Beijing:China Statistics Print.ISBN978-7-5037-6660-2.
^abcCompiled by国务院人口普查办公室 [Department of Population Census of the State Council],国家统计局人口和社会科技统计司编 [Department of Population and Social Science and Statistics, National Bureau of Statistics] (2012).中国2010年人口普查分县资料. Beijing:China Statistics Print.ISBN978-7-5037-6659-6.
^abMin Junqing.The Present Situation and Characteristics of Contemporary Islam in China. JISMOR, 8.2010 Islam by province, page 29Archived 2017-04-27 at theWayback Machine. Data from: Yang Zongde,Study on Current Muslim Population in China, Jinan Muslim, 2, 2010.
^Damian Harper; Chung Wah Chow; David Eimer; Thomas Huhti; Carolyn B. Heller; Robert Kelly (2009).China (11, illustrated ed.). Lonely Planet. p. 437.ISBN978-1-74104-866-7.Archived from the original on 24 April 2016. Retrieved23 September 2011.
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