Hefei

Geography and Climate

Hefei is the capital of Anhui Province and is the provincial political, economic and cultural center. It lies between Yangtze and Huihe Rivers and borders on Chaohu Lake. Located in the central region of China, Hefei is an important transportation hub connecting the north and the south.

Hefei has a typical sub-tropical monsoon climate which has distinct seasons and moderate temperature. The annual average temperature is around 15 centi-degrees while the mean precipitation is about 1000 mm and sunshine-time account for 2100 hours. The city has an obvious raining period from early May to the end of June.

History and Tourism

Hefei has its name because the location of the city is also the joining point of East Fei River and West Fei River. The name of “Hefei” was fist appeared in the Shi Ji (the famous historical record) written by Sima Qian, a famous writer and historiographer in ancient China. At the end of Qin Dynasty and the beginning of Han Dynasty, it was firstly made the governance site, known as Hefei County by the time. Since then, Hefei was constantly an important administration center and crucial military base in the region.

Having a history of more than 2000 years, Hefei possesses numerous historical sites. The Longquan Temple, Three Kingdom Historical Park and the former residence of Load Bao, the most reputed rectitude governor in the history, are all popular attractions among tourists. The city also has many natural scenic spots around the urban area. 

Economy

Since the opening-up and reform, Hefei has been enjoying a rapid economic development pace. In 2009, the city’s GDP increased by 17.3% compared to that in 2008, much higher than the national average speed of growth. The GDP reached RMB 210 billion and the yearly import and export volume totaled 6.4 billion dollars, increased by 28.2%. While enjoy a rapid growth in the macro economy, Hefei also launched several policies to improve the quality of residents’ life. For instance, the government has planned to improve and perfect the public transit system in the core area in the urban district and other procedures are practiced to advance the mechanism of social security fund. As a result, it will be more comfortable to live in Hefei in the future.