essentially an administrative center provincial government from Anqing tures can reach highs of 37 °C (99 °F) May and
99 °F) May and June see the air quality level
and the regional market for the fertile
plain to the south. It was a collecting
center for grain, beans, cotton, and
hemp, as well as a center for handi-
craft industries manufacturing cloth,
leather, bamboo goods, and ironware.
The construction in 1912 of the Tian-
jin–Pukou railway, farther east, for a
while made Hefei a provincial backwa-
ter, and much of its importance passed
to Bengbu. In 1932–36, however, a
Chinese company built a railway link-
ing Hefei with Yuxikou (on the Yangtze
opposite Wuhu) to the southeast and
with the Huai River at Huainan to the
north. While this railway was built
primarily to exploit the rich coalfield
in northern Anhui, it also did much to
revive the economy of the Hefei area
by taking much of its produce to Wuhu
and Nanjing.
Although Hefei was a quiet market
town of only about 30,000 in the
mid-1930s, its population grew more
than tenfold in the following 20 years.
The city's administrative role was
strengthened by the transfer of the
in 1949, but much of its new growth
derived from its development as an
industrial city. A cotton mill was
opened in 1958, and a thermal gener-
ating plant, using coal from Huainan,
was established in the early 1950s. It
also became the seat of an industry
producing industrial chemicals and
chemical fertilizers. In the late 1950s
an iron and steel complex was built. In
addition to a machine-tool works and
engineering and agricultural machin-
ery factories, the city has developed
an aluminum industry and a variety
of light industries. There are several
universities based in the city.
Climate and Geography
Hefei is located 130 km (81 mi) west of
Nanjing.
Hefei's annual average temperature is
about 15.7 °C (60 °F). Its annual pre-
cipitation is about 1,000 mm (39 in). It
snows irregularly in the winter.
In the months of June, July, August,
and often September, daily tempera-
with high humidity levels being the
norm.
May and June see the air quality level
in Hefei diminish. The city is blan-
keted by a sweet-smelling smog caused
by the smoke generated as farmers
outside the city burn their fields in
preparation for planting the next crop.
Chaohu Lake, a lake 15 km (9 mi)
southeast of the city, is one of the larg-
est fresh water lakes in China. How-
ever, the lake has unfortunately been
polluted with nitrogen and phosphorus
in recent decades.
Hefei is located 130 km (81 mi) west of
Nanjing.
Hefei's annual average temperature is
about 15.7 °C (60 °F). Its annual pre-
cipitation is about 1,000 mm (39 in). It
snows irregularly in the winter.
In the months of June, July, August,
and often September, daily tempera-
tures can reach highs of 37 °C (99 °F)
with high humidity levels being the
norm.
in Hefei diminish. The city is blanket-
ed by a sweet-smelling smog caused
by the smoke generated as farmers
outside the city burn their fields in
preparation for planting the next crop.
Chaohu Lake, a lake 15 km (9 mi)
southeast of the city, is one of the larg-
est fresh water lakes in China. How-
ever, the lake has unfortunately been
polluted with nitrogen and phosphorus
in recent decades.
Research
Hefei plays an important role in sci-
entific research in China. It has three
national laboratories, second only to
Beijing: the National Synchrotron Ra-
diation Laboratory, the Hefei National
Laboratory for Physical Sciences at
the Microscale, both of which are
under the University of Science and
Technology of China, and the National
Laboratory for Nuclear Fusion (Toko-
mak) Research , under the Hefei Insti-
tute of Physical Sciences, Institute of
Plasma Physics, which itself is under
the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The present city dates from the Song
dynasty (960–1126), the earlier Hefei
having been some distance farther
north. During the 10th century, it was
for a while the capital of the indepen-
dent Wu kingdom (902–938) and was
an important center of the Southern
Tang state (937–975).
After 1127 it became a center of the
defenses of the Southern Song dynasty
(1126–1279) against the Jin (Jurchen)
invaders, as well as a flourishing
center of trade between the two states.
When the Chinese Republic was
founded in 1911, the superior prefec-
ture was abolished, and the city took
the name of Hefei.
The city was known as Luzhou (pinyin
Lúzhōu) during the Ming and Qing
Dynasties (after 14th century to 19th
century). 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.
Before World War II, Hefei remained
Sites of interest
Welcome to Hefei
• Leisure Ford, a public park sitting
on the ancient site of the Battle of
Hefei.
• Temple of Lord Bao, built in 1066
near the tomb of Lord Bao.
• Hui Garden (Opened to the public
in September 2001)
• Children’s Welfare Institute (a.k.a.
“Social Welfare Institute”), chil-
dren’s orphanage
• Anhui Laomingguang Stadium, the
home ground of Anhui Jiufang, but
also used for other public sporting
events.
Demographics
The majority of the population in
Hefei is Han Chinese. There are a
small number of Hui Chinese living in
the city, which is why there are a few
mosques in the city. There are over
four million people in the city.
www.hefei.gov.cn
Hefei (pinyin: Héféi; Wade-Giles: Ho-
fei; literally: “Junction of the (South)
Fei Rivers”; former names: Ho-fei,
Luzhou, Luchow) is a prefecture-level
city and the capital of Anhui province,
China. Located in central Anhui, it
borders Huainan to the north, Chu-
zhou to the northeast, Chaohu to the
southeast and Lu’an to the west.
History
From the 8th to the 6th century BC,
Hefei was the site of the small state of
Shu, later a part of the Chu kingdom.
Many archaeological finds dating from
this period have been made. The name
Hefei was first given to the county set
up in the area under the Han dynasty
in the 2nd century BC. During the
4th to the 6th century AD, this crucial
border region between northern and
southern states was much fought over;
its name and administrative status
were consequently often changed.
During the Sui (581–618) and Tang
(618–907) periods, it became the seat
of Lu prefecture — a title it kept until
the 15th century, when it became a
superior prefecture named Luzhou.
In 3rd century AD, the famous Three
Kingdoms battle, Battle of Hefei, was
fought at what is currently Leisure
Ford in Hefei. General Zhang Liao of
the Kingdom of Wei commanding 800
picked cavalry defeated the 200,000-
man army of the Kingdom of Wu.
Several decades of warring in Hefei
between Wu and Wei followed this
battle.