Western Anhui

Western Anhui, made up of Lu'an and Anqing, is known for the Dabie and Tianzhu mountains and for Huangmei opera and Tongcheng culture.

Western Anhui covers Lu'an and Anqing. It is mainly the eastern Dabie Mountains and the hills and plains running down to the Yangtze, and under the "four regions of Anhui" scheme it sits alongside southern Anhui, central Anhui and the Yangtze riverside, and northern Anhui. Anqing is a historic city on the Yangtze: the Zhenfeng Pagoda of Yingjiang Temple towers over the river, and in town you can catch Huangmei opera and eat fresh river fish. Its county-level city Tongcheng is the home of the Tongcheng School of prose, and the story of courtesy behind Six-Foot Alley is widely told. Tianzhu Mountain in Qianshan is known for its granite peaks and strange rocks and is a national-level scenic area. On the Lu'an side, Huoshan has Baimajian, the main peak of the Dabie Mountains, Jinzhai is a famed "generals' county" and red-tourism site, and the Tiantangzhai area has many gorges and waterfalls. Shucheng's Wanfo Lake suits a relaxed getaway, and Lu'an Guapian and Huoshan Huangya are famous teas. The classic route is one day in Anqing and Tongcheng, 1–2 days at Tianzhu Mountain, then a 2–3 day drive into the Dabie Mountains of Yuexi, Huoshan and Jinzhai, for 5–6 days overall. For transport, Anqing Tianzhushan Airport has flights, the Hefei–Anqing, Nanjing–Anqing and Anqing–Jiujiang high-speed lines meet at Anqing, the Hefei–Wuhan railway passes through Lu'an and Jinzhai, and driving is best in the Dabie Mountains. Mountain roads wind a lot, so watch for falling rocks in the rain. The climb up Tianzhu Mountain is strenuous, so save your energy.

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