Huangshi

The "Ancient Bronze Capital and Cradle of Steel": the Huangshi National Mine Park, with Asia's largest open-pit mine, together with the Huaxin Cement Plant and Hanyeping sites, makes this a city of industrial heritage.

Huangshi lies in southeastern Hubei on the south bank of the middle Yangtze, about 100 km from Wuhan. It comprises Huangshigang, Xisaishan, Xialu and Tieshan districts, plus Daye City and Yangxin County. Copper was mined and smelted here more than 3,000 years ago, and in modern times the city gave rise to pioneering Chinese industries such as the Daye Ironworks of the Hanyeping Company and Huaxin Cement—earning it the title "Ancient Bronze Capital and Cradle of Steel." Industrial heritage is its most distinctive draw. There are three main areas. Downtown centers on Cihu Lake, with Tuanchengshan Park, the Huangshi Museum, the former Huaxin Cement Plant and the riverside by the Yangtze bridge all within a few kilometers—easy to explore on foot or by bike. In Tieshan District to the west, the Huangshi National Mine Park has an open pit 444 m deep, and the Tonglushan Ancient Copper Mine Site toward Daye can be visited the same day. Xisaishan District to the east has the Hanyeping sites and riverside Xisai Mountain. Xiandao Lake in Yangxin County, about 70 km from the city, deserves a separate day or an overnight stay. Huangshi has a subtropical monsoon climate; spring and autumn are best, with Cihu Lake in spring bloom in Mar–Apr and autumn scenery at Dongfang Mountain in Oct–Nov, while summers are hot and humid and winters damp and cold. Getting there: Huangshi North Station, served by the Wuhan–Huangshi intercity line and the Wuhan–Jiujiang high-speed railway, is about 40 minutes from Wuhan. The city has buses and shared bikes; for the Mine Park, Tonglushan and Xiandao Lake, take a taxi or drive. Plan on 2 days. Local snacks include Huangshigang cakes and Daye sweet-potato-noodle steamed pork.

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