# Hefei

Hefei is the capital of Anhui, China. A prefecture-level city, it is the political, economic, and cultural center of Anhui. Its population was 9,369,881 as of the 2020 census. Its built-up (or metro) area is made up of four urban districts plus Feidong, Feixi and Changfeng counties being urbanized, was home to 7,754,481 inhabitants. Located in the central portion of the province, it borders Huainan to the north, Chuzhou to the northeast, Wuhu to the southeast, Tongling to the south, Anqing to the southwest and Lu'an to the west. A natural hub of communications, Hefei is situated to the north of Chao Lake and stands on a low saddle crossing the northeastern extension of the Dabie Mountains, which forms the divide between the Huai and Yangtze rivers.
The present-day city dates from the Song dynasty. Before World War II, Hefei remained essentially an administrative centre and the regional market for the fertile plain to the south. It has gone through a growth in infrastructure in recent years. Hefei is the location of Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak, an experimental superconducting tokamak magnetic fusion energy reactor.
Hefei is a world leading city for scientific research, with its ranking placed at 13th globally, 8th in the Asia-Pacific and 6th in China (behind Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Guangzhou and Wuhan), as tracked by the Nature Index in 2023. The city is represented by several major universities, including the University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei University of Technology, Anhui University, Anhui Agricultural University and Anhui Medical University. Notably, the University of Science and Technology of China is one of the top 100 comprehensive public research universities in the world.

## History

From the 8th to the 6th centuries BC, Hefei was the site of many small states, 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.
In the 3rd century AD, the Battle of Xiaoyao Ford was fought at Xiaoyao Ford (逍遙津) in Hefei. Zhang Liao, a general of the Wei state, led 800 picked cavalry to defeat the 200,000-strong army from Wei's rival state Wu. Several decades of warring in Hefei between Wu and Wei followed this battle.
During the 4th to the 6th centuries 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.
The present city dates from the Song dynasty (960–1126), the earlier Hefei having been some distance farther north. In the 10th year of Xining (熙宁, 1077 AD), the taxes collected from the Luchow Prefecture were 50315 Guan, approximately 25 million today's Chinese Yuan, with a ranking of the amount of taxes was the 11th(following Kaifeng, Hangzhou, Qinzhou, Chuzhou, Chengdu, Zizhou, Xingyuan, Mianzhou, Zhenzhou, Suzhou) among all the prefectures of Song Dynasty. During the 10th century, it was for a while the capital of the independent 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 in the Jin–Song wars, as well as a flourishing center of trade between the two states. When the Chinese Republic was founded in 1911, the superior prefecture was abolished, and the city took the name of Hefei. The city was known as Luchow or Liu-tcheou (庐州, p Luzhou) during the Ming and Qing dynasties (after the 14th century to the 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 essentially an administrative center 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 handicraft industries manufacturing cloth, leather, bamboo goods, and ironware.
The construction in 1912 of the Tianjin–Pukou railway, farther east, for a while made Hefei a provincial backwater, and much of its importance passed to Bengbu. In 1932–36, however, a Chinese company built a railway linking 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 provincial government from Anqing in 1945, but much of its new growth derived from its development as an industrial city.
Hefei was designated the provincial capital in 1952.$^{:122}$
A cotton mill was opened in 1958, and a thermal generating 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 machinery factories, the city has developed an aluminum industry and a variety of light industries.
Hefei's development was advanced by the Third Front construction.$^{:185}$ In 1970, the University of Science and Technology of China relocated to Hefei.$^{:125–126}$ It is one of the best technological universities in the country.$^{:185}$
In 1978, the Chinese Academy of Sciences opened a Hefei branch.$^{:126}$ Several electronics institutes were moved from Beijing to Hefei in the early 1980s.$^{:126}$ The establishment of these educational and research and development institutions in Hefei were a foundations for its subsequent growth in innovation.$^{:126}$
In 1991, Hefei was one of the first Chinese cities to establish a High-Tech Industrial Zone.$^{:129}$
A period of rapid growth began in 2005, when Hefei party secretary Sun Jinlong initiated a strategy of industry-based city building.$^{:127}$ Sun prioritized the automobile, electric appliance, and equipment manufacturing sectors of the city's economy.$^{:127}$ The city government established a department for attracting investment and sent teams around the country to recruit businesses to Hefei.$^{:127}$ Sun also launched a construction program of neighborhood redevelopment, road system improvement, rail system, and a new international airport.$^{:127}$ Hefei's GDP grew at the highest rate of any Chinese provincial capital during Sun's tenure.$^{:127–128}$
Since the 2010s, Hefei has developed high-tech industries and an innovation-driven economy,$^{:129}$ including semi-conductors and alternative energy economic sectors.$^{:185}$

## Geography

Hefei is located 130 kilometres (81 mi) west of Nanjing in south-central Anhui. Chao Lake, a lake 15 km (9 mi) southeast of the city, is one of the largest fresh water lakes in China. Though, the lake has unfortunately been polluted with nitrogen and phosphorus, in recent decades, the situation is improving due to efforts by both the government and the people.

## Climate

Hefei features a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) with four distinct seasons. Hefei's annual average temperature is 16.6 °C (61.9 °F). Its annual precipitation is just slightly over 1,000 millimetres (39 in), being heavier from May through August. Winters are damp and cold, with January lows dipping just below freezing and January averaging 2.8 °C (37.0 °F). The city sees irregular snowfalls that rarely turn significant. Occasional cold spells from Siberia that usually happen during winter months such as December, January, February. Sometimes November and March which can bring snow and heavier snowfall. (Springs are generally relatively pleasant if somewhat erratic. Summers are hot and humid, with a July average of 28.6 °C (83.5 °F). In the months of June, July, August, and often September, daily temperatures can reach or surpass 37 °C (99 °F) with high humidity levels being the norm. Autumn in Hefei sees a gradual cooling and drying. With monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 35 percent in March to 50 percent in August, the city receives 1,868 hours of bright sunshine annually. Extremes since 1951 have ranged from −20.6 °C (−5 °F) on 6 January 1955, to 41.1 °C (106 °F) on 27 July 2017.
Climate data for Hefei, elevation 50 m (160 ft), (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1951–present) :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 20.7 (69.3) | 27.5 (81.5) | 30.9 (87.6) | 34.7 (94.5) | 36.4 (97.5) | 37.8 (100.0) | 41.1 (106.0) | 41.0 (105.8) | 38.6 (101.5) | 39.9 (103.8) | 30.1 (86.2) | 24.0 (75.2) | 41.1 (106.0) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 7.2 (45.0) | 10.2 (50.4) | 15.5 (59.9) | 21.9 (71.4) | 27.1 (80.8) | 29.7 (85.5) | 32.6 (90.7) | 32.1 (89.8) | 28.2 (82.8) | 22.9 (73.2) | 16.4 (61.5) | 9.9 (49.8) | 21.1 (70.1) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 3.1 (37.6) | 5.7 (42.3) | 10.6 (51.1) | 16.8 (62.2) | 22.2 (72.0) | 25.6 (78.1) | 28.6 (83.5) | 27.9 (82.2) | 23.6 (74.5) | 17.9 (64.2) | 11.4 (52.5) | 5.3 (41.5) | 16.6 (61.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −0.1 (31.8) | 2.2 (36.0) | 6.6 (43.9) | 12.4 (54.3) | 17.8 (64.0) | 21.9 (71.4) | 25.4 (77.7) | 24.7 (76.5) | 20.1 (68.2) | 13.9 (57.0) | 7.4 (45.3) | 1.7 (35.1) | 12.8 (55.1) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −20.6 (−5.1) | −14.1 (6.6) | −7.3 (18.9) | −0.4 (31.3) | 6.2 (43.2) | 12.2 (54.0) | 17.9 (64.2) | 15.8 (60.4) | 10.8 (51.4) | 1.5 (34.7) | −5.1 (22.8) | −13.5 (7.7) | −20.6 (−5.1) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 47.4 (1.87) | 52.8 (2.08) | 76.3 (3.00) | 83.7 (3.30) | 90.1 (3.55) | 158.5 (6.24) | 185.1 (7.29) | 138.7 (5.46) | 70.3 (2.77) | 51.6 (2.03) | 54.6 (2.15) | 33.7 (1.33) | 1,042.8 (41.07) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) | 9.0 | 8.8 | 10.3 | 9.8 | 10.4 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 11.9 | 8.1 | 8.3 | 8.2 | 6.8 | 113.9 |
| Average snowy days | 4.3 | 2.6 | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 | 1.5 | 10 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 75 | 74 | 71 | 70 | 71 | 77 | 80 | 81 | 77 | 74 | 75 | 73 | 75 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 109.2 | 113.7 | 143.2 | 173.9 | 182.9 | 155.9 | 186.2 | 176.8 | 150.0 | 151.3 | 140.4 | 126.9 | 1,810.4 |
| Percentage possible sunshine | 34 | 36 | 38 | 45 | 43 | 37 | 43 | 43 | 41 | 43 | 45 | 41 | 41 |
| Source: China Meteorological Administration ||||||||||||||

### Air pollution

Air quality typically diminishes in May and June when the city is blanketed by smog caused by the smoke generated as farmers outside the city burn their fields in preparation for planting the next crop.

## Administrative divisions and demographics
### Demographics

The majority of the population in Hefei are Han Chinese. There are a comparatively small number of Hui Chinese living in the city, for whom a few mosques have been constructed. Of the more than five million people in the city, some are migrant workers from other parts of Anhui.

### Administration

The prefecture-level city of Hefei administers 9 county-level divisions, including 4 districts, 1 county-city and 4 counties.
Hefei subdivisions area (km$^2$), population (According to 2010 Census) and population density (per km$^2$).
Map :
| Chao Lake Yaohai Luyang Shushan Baohe Changfeng County Feidong County Feixi County Lujiang County Chaohu (city) |||||||||||||
| Division code | English | Chinese | Pinyin | Area in km2 | Seat | Postal code | Subdivisions | Subdivisions | Subdivisions | Subdivisions | Subdivisions | Subdivisions |
| Division code | English | Chinese | Pinyin | Area in km2 | Seat | Postal code | Subdistricts | Towns | Townships | Ethnic townships | Residential communities | Villages |
| 340100 | Hefei | 合肥市 | Héféi Shì | 11434.25 | Shushan District | 230000 | 45 | 65 | 19 | 1 | 736 | 1102 |
| 340102 | Yaohai District | 瑶海区 | Yáohǎi Qū | 142.90 | Mingguang Road Subdistrict (明光路街道) | 230000 | 13 | 2 | 1 | | 118 | 18 |
| 340103 | Luyang District | 庐阳区 | Lúyáng Qū | 139.32 | Bozhou Road Subdistrict (亳州路街道) | 230000 | 11 | 1 | | | 84 | 14 |
| 340104 | Shushan District | 蜀山区 | Shǔshān Qū | 261.36 | Sanli'an Subdistrict (三里庵街道) | 230000 | 8 | 2 | | | 92 | 17 |
| 340111 | Baohe District | 包河区 | Bāohé Qū | 294.94 | Luogang Subdistrict (骆岗街道) | 230000 | 7 | 2 | | | 77 | 38 |
| 340121 | Changfeng County | 长丰县 | Chángfēng Xiàn | 1928.45 | Shuihu (水湖镇) | 231100 | | 8 | 6 | | 80 | 193 |
| 340122 | Feidong County | 肥东县 | Féidōng Xiàn | 2205.92 | Dianbu (店埠镇) | 231600 | | 10 | 4 | | 95 | 249 |
| 340123 | Feixi County | 肥西县 | Féixī Xiàn | 2082.66 | Shangpai (上派镇) | 231200 | | 12 | 6 | 1 | 90 | 241 |
| 340124 | Lujiang County | 庐江县 | Lújiāng Xiàn | 2347.48 | Lucheng (庐城镇) | 231500 | | 17 | | | 38 | 194 |
| 340181 | Chaohu | 巢湖市 | Cháohú Shì | 2031.22 | Woniushan Subdistrict (卧牛山街道) | 238000 | 6 | 11 | 1 | | 62 | 138 |

## Economy

As of 2021, the GDP of Hefei is CN¥1,141.28 billion. The GDP per capita of the city is ¥121,187 (US$18,784), ranking within the top 20 of cities in China.
As of 2023, the GDP of Hefei is CN¥1,267.38 billion.

## Green Development

In recent years, Hefei’s economic growth has provided the foundation for green development, scientific and technological innovation has driven the advancement of green technology, and sustained investments in people’s livelihoods and environmental protection have improved both the quality of life and the city’s eco-friendliness.