Anhui

A sea of clouds drifts over granite peaks, and pines cling to rocky pinnacles: Huangshan is the archetype of Chinese ink painting and the main reason to visit Anhui. At the foot of the mountains lie whitewashed villages, and in the flat north, the up-and-coming capital, Hefei.

Sights in Anhui

Huangshan, the Yellow Mountains, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most visited mountains in China. Cable cars run to the top, but if you climb the steep stone stairways on foot, you'll experience rock formations such as Lotus Peak and Celestial Capital Peak, along with sunrises above the clouds; many visitors spend the night in mountain hotels on the summit plateau. Southwest of here are the villages of Hongcun and Xidi, also World Heritage Sites, with ancestral halls, elaborately carved wooden doors, and ponds that reflect the horse-head walls. Jiuhua Shan is one of the four sacred mountains of Buddhism and a pilgrimage destination with dozens of monasteries. In the south, the old town of Shexian, with its memorial archways, is worth a visit.

Hefei, Wuhu, and History

Hefei has developed into a technology hub, but the Bao Park preserves the memory of the upright judge Bao Zheng of the Song dynasty. Wuhu, on the Yangtze, is a lively port and industrial city, with Jingtingshan Hill nearby, which the poet Li Bai celebrated in verse. The merchants of Huizhou, today's Huangshan area, dominated the salt and tea trade during the Ming and Qing dynasties and used their wealth to fund the magnificent villages of their homeland. Ink sticks, brushes, and Xuan paper, three of the four treasures of the scholar's studio, also come from Anhui.

Food, Getting There, and Best Time to Visit

Hui cuisine loves braised dishes with bamboo shoots and mushrooms, fermented tofu with a coat of mold, and "stinky mandarin fish," which is lightly fermented. Famous teas such as Huangshan Maofeng and Keemun come from the mountains. Hefei sits on several high-speed rail lines, a high-speed train has also reached Huangshan North for the past few years, and Tunxi Airport handles domestic flights. The best times to visit are spring and fall; in winter, Huangshan can be snow-covered and especially impressive.