Why go
Hefei's identity is the hometown of Lord Bao (Bao Zheng), the famously incorruptible Song-dynasty judge, and his memorial park with its Ming-era temple and cemetery is the city's most atmospheric sight. Anhui Museum covers the province's Huizhou merchants, opera masks and ink-stone crafts.
The best excursion is Sanhe Ancient Town, where three rivers meet under stone bridges and Ming-Qing shopfronts — a quieter, smaller alternative to the Jiangnan water towns.
- Lord Bao Memorial Park — shrine to the incorruptible Judge Bao
- Sanhe Ancient Town — water lanes 90 minutes south
- Anhui Museum — Huizhou architecture and the Four Treasures of the Study
- Direct HSR to Huangshan in 1h40
Where to go
Half a day downtown (Bao Park, Anhui Museum) plus half a day at Sanhe is the standard visit. Most visitors overnight only to catch early trains to Huangshan.
What to eat
Hefei sits between two food regions: try Luzhou roast duck (a dark, sauced cousin of Beijing's) and Wuwei salted duck, plus street stalls of braised snails and lotus-root dumplings.
Getting there
- Hefei is Anhui's HSR crossroads; Huangshan 1h40, Shanghai 2h
- Role
- Capital of Anhui province
- Science city
- Home of fusion research and quantum labs
- To Huangshan
- 1h40 by HSR
