Our First Day in Hefei and Hefei, A Brief Story

After taking a train to Hefei, we arrived in Hefei in the afternoon. Hefei is a much bigger city compared to Fuyang. During our travelling to Hefei we passed Huaihe River which was flooding. At present there is a severe flood in Fuyang. In Hefei we stay at Hilton Hefei Hotel. This a much better hotel than Buckingham Palace Hotel in Fuyang. It is equipped with a new gym which was just open today.

Hefei (Chinese: 合肥; Pinyin: Héféi; literally: "Junction of the Fei Rivers"; former names: Ho-fei, Luzhou, Luchow) is a prefecture-level city and the provincial capital of Anhui Province, China.

The prefecture city of Hefei administers 7 county-level divisions, including 4 districts and 3 counties.
- Yaohai District (瑶海区)
- Luyang District (庐阳区)
- Shushan Disctrict (蜀山区)
- Baohe District (包河区)
- Changfeng County (长丰县)
- Feidong County (肥东县)
- Feixi County (肥西县)

The name Hefei was first given to a county set up under the Han dynasty in the 2nd century BC. Because of its location on a mountain saddle between northern and southern states, Hefei was frequently fought over in the 4th to 11th centuries AD.

The city was known as Luzhou (庐州; pinyin Lúzhōu) during the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
The famous Three Kingdoms battle, Battle of Hefei, was fought at what is currently Leisure Ford (逍遥津) in Hefei. General Zhang Liao of the Kingdom of Wei commanding 7,000 picked cavalry defeated the 100,000-men army of the Kingdom of Wu. Several decades of warring in Hefei between Wu and Wei followed this battle. During the Southern Song Dynasty, Hefei was a frontier strategic town against the Jin Dynasty.

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.

Hefei was a quiet market center until 1949, serving as a collection center for grain, beans, cotton, and hemp. Since then has become an industrial center through the development of a cotton mill, a thermal generating plant, chemical plants, an iron and steel complex, and an aluminum industry.

Sightseeings surrounding Hefei:

• Li Hong Zhang's Former Residence. Li Hong Zhang was born in Hefei in 1823. As Governor General of Zhili (now Hebei Province), he was referred to as "the first man to advocate the open-door policy in China". His former residence is the largest existing and best preserved former residence of a VIP in Hefei. It is a key cultural relic site under the protection of the Anhui Provincial Government.
• The Cultural Tourism Zone of Bao Zheng. Known as Lord Bao, Bao Zheng was a famous corruption-free official in the Northen Song Dynasty. He was born in Hefei in 999AD and died in 1062AD. Hefei Bao Gong Park ranks at the top of "the 10 scenic sights in Hefei".
• Hui Garden. It is located in the Economic and Technological Development Zone in Hefei, covering an area of 20 hectares. It displays the historical & cultural attractions of the 17 cities of Anhui Province as well as their contemporary construction achievements by means of landscaping. The townscape shows the great achievements of the social & economic development in Anhui Province.
• Sanhe-an Ancient Town in a Region of Rivers & Lakes. Sanhe (Three Rivers) town is located on the Hefei-Huangshan-Jiuhuashan golden tourist route, 40km from the city of Hefei. The town has a history of more than 2,500 years. It is a typical ancient town full of rivers and lakes, together with small bridges, flowing water and local dwellings. There is an often-quoted saying about Sanhe which goes: "To make a tour, one should go to the Huangshan Mountain; to sample food, one should visit Sanhe".
• Mingjiao Temple. Located above the Jiaonu Rostrum, it is a key temple in the city. Founded during the Southern Dynasties (420 - 589AD).
• Xiaoyaojin Park. Located in the north-eastern part of the old town area. It used to be a battlefield during the period of the Three Kingdoms. In 215AD, the brave General Zhang Liao, who led a crack troop of 7,000 cavalry, defeated an army of 100,000 men from the Wu Kingdom.
• Daishan Lake. Located 57km from Hefei, it is located on the border between Feidong county and Quanjiao county. The Daishan Lake Scenic Area has a total area of 19km2, of which 6 km2 are covered by water. The Swan Island in the center of the lake occupies an area of 12 ha. The whole scenic area is divided into the following parts: holiday making and recreation center, water sports center, angling center, religious center, camping site, hunting ground, VIP's cultural zone and sightseeing agricultural park.
• Mt. Tianzhu. At a distance of 160km south of Hefei, Mt. Tianzhu is one of the first-listed key national scenic areas and a 4A grade scenic spot as well as national civilized forest park. Mt. Tianzhu is rich in cultural relics and is the very place where the twoo great love stories in ancient China took place - Peacock Flying Southeast and the Newly-married Younger Sister Qiao.
• Mt. Jiuhua. A holy land for Buddhists, Mt. Jiuhua, one of the four famous sacred mountains in China, is only 220km south of Hefei. As a key national scenic spot, it covers an area of 174 km2, with 99 mountain peaks, and the main peak being 1,342 m above sea level. At present, there are 90 Buddhist temples and over 600 monks and nuns residing in the mountain area. It is an ideal place for sightseeing and spiritual relaxation.
• Huangshan Mountain (Yellow Mountain). This mountain under the heaven, which is second to none, is 260km south of Hefei. In China, there is an old saying about Huangshan Mountain, which goes: "When someone returns from the Five Sacred Mountains, one does not want to see any other mountains; but if one returns from Huangshan Mountain, one does not even want to see the Five Sacred Mountains". In 1990, Huangshan Mountain was placed in the list of "the world natural and cultural heritage" by UNESCO.
• Mt. Tiantangzhai. At a distance of 220 km west of Hefei, Mt. Tiantangzhai is a key national scenic spot and national forest park. With its unique natural conditions and ecological landscape, the mountain enjoys the reputation as the realm of plants, paradise of animals, a cool and pleasant world, sea of clouds, domain of azalea, and native place of baby fish. It is a wild and miraculous eco-tourist attraction and valuable natural heritage site.

(Source: Wikipedia and Hilton Hotel Guide)

This week end, Kevin and I have not had a chance to visit the city or those sightseeing place since it was raining. As such, I cannot post any photo. However, I will post the photos later after I visit those places. However, it appears that I will not be able to visit all the places due to the lack of time in Hefei.

Note on the photos:

(1) SC Team, PwC Team and Students from Hefei University. Students from Hefei University are temporary working in Wangjiayu School for 10 days. They teach English, dancing class, and other activities to the Wangjiayu's students.

(2) Kevin, He Yao (SC Project Manager) and me in the train station before we departed to Hefei.

(3) Kevin, Xu Qifeng (SC Project Assistant) and me in the train station before we departed to Hefei.

(4) Kevin and me on the train.