Anhui Information
Overview
Anhui is located in southeast China. The capital, Hefei, is in the
center of the province where it lies roughly 250 miles (402 km)
from Shanghai and 275 miles (442 km) west of the Pacific Ocean.
It ranks as China’s 22nd largest province with an area of 55,000 sq
mi (142,450 sq km) yet it constitutes the 8th largest provincial
population boasting an impressive 64,610,000 people. The
population density is 429 p/sq km, roughly 3.2 times the national
average.
Anhui Geography
Anhui is covered in the north by the North China Planes. The
planes, coupled with the flatlands of the Huai He watershed in
central Anhui, provide the fertile land and development-friendly landscape that sustains the region’s dense
population (although mild flooding occurs somewhat commonly around the Huia He watershed during the
summer monsoon season). The southern region of Anhui is sparsely populated due to the Dabie mountain range
in the east and an opposing mountainous region to the west, where the famous Huangshan and Jiuhua mountains
reside. The Yangtze River enters the province from the southwest and winds between the two mountainous
regions on its way northeast, where it reaches Nanjing. Anhui borders six provinces: Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Jiangxi,
Hubei, Henan, and Shandong.
Anhui Demographics
Currently Anhui is comprised of 99% of Han Chinese and .6% Hui. A small amount of She are also present.
The homogenization occurred largely during the Qing Dynasty. Although traces of the earlier indigenous
cultures remain, like most areas of eastern China, Anhui has been largely linguistically and culturally integrated
with the rest of the country.
Anhui History
Anhui was the birthplace of many well-known Chinese figures, the most prominent being Laozi, the famous
Daoist philosopher. It officially became a province in the 17th century after the Manchu conquered China,
ending the Ming Dynasty (1368 AD-1644 AD). The subsequent Qing Dynasty ruled from 1644 to 1912.
Anhui’s culture prior to the Qing Dynasty divided into four distinct parts that each had its own culture. The
section of Anhui encompassing the North China Plane was integrated culturally and geographically with much
of what is now Henan province. In central Anhui, the Huai He watershed formed a densely populated region of
its own. Due to river traffic the area along the Yangtze was closely related to both Hubei and Jiangsu to the west
and east respectively. Finally, the isolating hills of the southeast spurred the growth of another distinct culture.
Anhui Industry
Anhui is part of the Shanghai Special Economic Zone and therefore it is home to four of China’s industrial
centers: Hefei, Bengbu, Huainan, and Ma’anshan. The vast diversity of landscape and natural resources allows
each of the four cities to specialize in the industry suited to the region or culture. Hefei is largely a
manufacturing center. Bengbu, now a city famous for its food, has roughly 45% of its production from foodrelated industry. Huainan focuses on the production and output of coal while Ma’anshan mostly relies on steel
production.