Anhui Province in east China is situated in the middle and lower valleys of the Yangtze and Huaihe rivers. It was named after the first character of the names of its two cities, Anqing and Huizhou. It has an area of more than 130,000 square kilometers and a population of 48.92 million, of which 6.63 million live in the cities and the rest in the countryside.

The province of Anhui was formed in the seventeenth century. Before then, there was no coherent concept of "Anhui". Northern Anhui was firmly a part of the North China Plain in terms of culture, together with modern-day Henan province. Central Anhui constituted most of the fertile and densely-populated Huai He River watershed. Southern Anhui, along the Yangtze, was closer to Hubei and southern Jiangsu provinces in culture. Finally, the hills of southeastern Anhui formed a unique and distinct cultural sphere of its own. The creation of the province of Anhui has not eroded these distinctions.

Anhui has a rail mileage of 1,501 kilometers and the trunk lines of the Beijing-Shanghai, Huainan (from Bengfu to Yuxikou), Qinglongshan-Fu-yang, and Nanjing-Tongling railways. Its highways total 24,262 kilometers and its inland shipping waterways 10,200 kilometers, of which the section of the Yangtze River in Anhui is navigable by large ships in all four seasons and the Huaihe River by steamboats.

Anhui spans many geographical and cultural regions. The northern, flatter parts of the province, along the river Huai He and further north, are most akin to neighbouring provinces like Henan and Shandong. In contrast, the southern, hilly parts of the province are more similar in culture and dialect to other southern, hilly provinces, like Zhejiang and Jiangxi.

Huangmeixi, which originated in the environs of Anqing in southwestern Anhui, is a form of traditional Chinese opera popular across China. Huiju, a form of traditional opera originating in the Huizhou-speaking areas of southern Anhui, is one of the major precursors of Beijing Opera; in the 1950s Huiju (which had disappeared) was revived. Luju is a type of traditional opera found across central Anhui, from east to west.Anhui cuisine is one of the eight great traditions of Chinese cuisine. Combining elements of cooking from northern Anhui, south-central Anhui, and the Huizhou-speaking areas of southern Anhui, Anhui cuisine is known for its use of wild game and herbs, both land and sea, and comparatively unelaborate methods of preparation.

Mount Huangshan, towering between Taiping and Shexian counties in Anhui Province, is one of the most famous scenic spots in China, and perhaps the world.

The pines with their fascinating shape, the rocks with their strange contours, the sea of mist and clouds, and the hot springs -- these are the four wonders of Huangshan. Many of the pines on the mountain have their roots deep in rock crevices; the famous Welcoming Guests (Yingke) Pine is representative of these hardy trees. The temperature of the mountains hot spring-water is around 42 Dgrees Centigrade throughout the year. Clear and sweet, the water is ideal for drinking and bathing.

At the foot of the Mt. Huangshan, in the bend of Xinan River, lies the beautiful mountain town called "Tunxi", and "Tunxi Ancient Street" can be found in this old city. The street starts in the west at Zhenhai Bridge, a stone arch bridge built during the Ming Dynasty, and ends in the east at the "Memorial Archway."