Ma'anshan

Where Li Bai spent his final years: Caishiji, "first of the three great rocky headlands on the Yangtze", is joined by Li Bai's tomb park in Dangtu, the Overlord's Temple in He County and the Lingjiatan archaeological site, while the Putang bamboo forest makes a great weekend getaway.

Ma'anshan lies in eastern Anhui on the south bank of the lower Yangtze, right next to Nanjing, and is part of the Nanjing Metropolitan Area. Legend has it that the city is named after Xiang Yu's steed, Wuzhui, which refused to cross the river here before Xiang Yu took his own life at Wujiang. It is known as both the "City of Poetry" and the "City of Steel". Li Bai lived in Dangtu in his later years and died here, and Caishiji, Taibai Tower and the Li Bai Tomb Park in Dangtu form the core Li Bai cultural route; the China Li Bai Poetry Festival is held here every autumn. The city has Yushan Lake Park, the Zhu Ran Family Cemetery Museum and the Xuejiawa Riverside Ecological Park; the Putang bamboo forest on the eastern outskirts is a popular weekend guesthouse spot. North of the river, He County has the Overlord's Temple and Xiangquan Hot Springs, while Hanshan County has the Lingjiatan site, Mount Baochan and Taihu Mountain Forest Park. The four seasons are distinct; spring and autumn are best, summer is muggy and winter damp and cold. From Nanjing South, the high-speed train to Ma'anshan East takes about 20 minutes; buses and taxis make getting around the city easy, while He County and Hanshan north of the river require a car or hired driver. Suggested 2–3 days: one for Caishiji and the Li Bai Tomb Park, one for the city and Putang, and one for the Overlord's Temple and Lingjiatan north of the river. In autumn, try the hairy crabs from Dangtu and Shijiu Lake.

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Itineraries