Brief Introduction

Hefei is located in the east of China, between the Yangtze River and the Huai River, nearby the Chaohu Lake.It is the capital city and the economic, political and cultural center of Anhui province. The urban area covers 11,400 sq.km. Its population is 7.52 million.

As one of the major cities in China, Hefei is one of the Top 100 Cities in terms of comprehensive strength, Top 50 Cities with Excellent Investment Environment and Top 30 Cities with Overall & Growth Competition Strength. Hefei has established sister city relationship with 12 cities in USA, Japan, South Korea, Denmark, Australia, UK, Germany, Chile etc. And it has built up trade ties with over 180 countries and regions.The city is not only a booming comprehensive industrial city, but also an important base for science and education in China.It is the first Science and Technology Innovation Pilot City in China.

Location &Transportation

Hefei functions as a national transportation hub in China，with well-developed expressway network leading to all directions. It takes only 3 hours to travel from Hefei to Shanghai and Beijing through high-speed railway.Hefei Xinqiao Airport owns over 30 domestic air routes and direct flights to Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Fukuoka, Seoul, Bangkok and Singapore.

Science and Education

As an important base for science and education, Hefei is one of the four national science and education bases and ranks No. 4 in scientific research power. It is the first national sci-tech innovation pilot city in China, and a member city of WTA (World Technopolis Association).

More than 820 kinds of science and research institutes including Hefei institutes of Physical Science, CAS, and more than 60 institutions of higher learning and technical colleges including USTC, Hefei University of Technology and Anhui University are located in Hefei. In those universities, there are 138 authorized PHD degree-granting units and 24 recognized state key science subjects. Hefei ranks forefront compared with other similar cities in middle China in terms of CAS and CAE academician numbers for it has 31 in total. It also dwarfs other cities in middle China in terms of the number of admitted members in the projects supported by "National Natural Science Fund" and in the CAS "100 People Program". There are 358 technical R&D establishments, It is also the home of 60 academicians and over 400,000 technical professionals as well.

Next to Beijing, Hefei owns the most national key science projects in China. It is the home of Hefei-based National Lab for Physical Science at the Microscale, State Key Labor of Fire Science, National Synchrotron Radiation Labor, High Performance Computing Center and other 33 provincial or ministerial key laboratories. The Hefei-based CAS institutes of Plasma Physics is a chief partner of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor Project.

Social Condition

Hefei is one of China’s most suitable cities to live in. It enjoys excellent public security and is recognized as 12th safety city in China. It has won various honors such as Advanced City for Afforestation, Garden City, Clean City, Excellent Tourist City, and Excellent City for Comprehensive Environment Management. As a most livable city in China, it was the winner of China Habitat Scroll of Honor Award.

In 2004, it was awarded "China Excellent Living Environment Prize". Since 2005, it has won "Chang'an Award" twice for its incomparable public security. In 2014, it was awarded as an excellent green ecological city.

Natural Condition

Hefei enjoys a subtropical humid monsoon climate featuring mild climate with distinct seasons and appropriate precipitation. The average temperature is 15.7℃, the mean precipitation is about 1000 millimeters and duration of sunshine is more than 2,100 hours.

In 1982, Hefei was named one of the three National Garden Cities. The city is embraced in green trees, fresh air and blooming flowers all the year around, and the landscape features both small hills and large pieces of waters. Here, the green area in the urban area takes up 44.4%, and per capita green area is 8.7 square meters. The layout of the city known as "Gardens in the City, and the City in Gardens" is unique in China. The 8.7 km-long Ring Park, with a water-and-land area of 137.6 hectares, is just like an emerald necklace around the old urban area linking the new urban districts.

History & Culture

Hefei, well known both at home and abroad as "a historic site famous dating back to the Three Kingdoms era and the hometown of Lord Bao", is a city with a history of more than 5,000 years. It has been constantly an important administration center and a crucial military stronghold in the region between the Yangtze River and the Huai River.

Hefei has nurtured many famous figures, including Lord Bao, Li Hongzhang, Duan Qirui, Liu Mingchuan, the first governor of Taiwan, Chen-Ning Yang,Li Keqiang, the present premier, etc.

Huangmei Opera

As one of the best received operas by the Chinese people, Huangmei Opera, with its beautiful vocal music, is very popular in Anhui Province and some nearby provinces. It has already been listed among the national intangible cultural heritages.

Hui Cuisine

China is a kingdom of cuisine. The Hui cuisine is one of the most famous cuisine in China,such as:Marinate Mandarin Fish、Fuliji Roast Chicken and Zhuhongwu Tofu.