Hefei.

An inland capital shaped by Bao Zheng’s memory, the Chaohu watershed and local theatre.

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Bao Park: a shrine, a tomb and lotus scent by the river

Bao Park gathers four memorial sites in Hefei’s old quarter, alongside willows, lotus and a local story about lotus roots.

Visitors pass through the old-style gate of Xiaoyaojin Park in Hefei, the modern landscape that preserves the name of the Three Kingdoms battlefield.

Xiaoyaojin: a battle remembered inside a city park

The memory of the 215 battle now shares Xiaoyaojin with paths, play areas and ordinary urban recreation.

The evening sun turns the water gold beyond Chaohu’s shore, where a dark sculpture stands at the edge of the lake.

Lake Chaohu: a watershed in the city’s daily work

Chaohu is connected to Hefei by inflowing rivers, wastewater systems and wetlands; the lake’s condition is shaped across the watershed.

Stone paving runs between the close-set old houses of Sanhe Ancient Town; the quiet lane is empty.

Sanhe: a town named by three rivers

At Sanhe, the waterways are not a decorative moat; the town’s name, bridges and market history follow the rivers that pass through it.

Luju performers on the Quzhuang stage in Hefei, with the pavilion roof and seated audience visible.

Lu Opera: the sound of several Anhui regions meeting

Lu Opera’s percussion-led theatre carries mountain songs, Hefei melodies, Chaohu folk music and Huai River dance into a shared stage language.

Photo credits and rights

A lotus-covered pond fills the foreground at Hefei’s Baogong Park, with a pavilion and tree-lined banks set against the city skyline.钉钉 · Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International Photo source ↗ Rights information ↗ Photograph by 钉钉, dated 10 June 2019, from Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 4.0. Saved source is the standard 1280px thumbnail; upstream 4608×2592 original not downloaded. No enlargement, crop or retouching. Credit: 钉钉 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Visitors pass through the old-style gate of Xiaoyaojin Park in Hefei, the modern landscape that preserves the name of the Three Kingdoms battlefield.AddisWang · Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported Photo source ↗ Rights information ↗ Photograph by AddisWang, taken 26 August 2010. Wikimedia Commons file page records CC BY-SA 3.0. The saved image is the standard 1280px thumbnail, not the 3648×2736 upstream original; no enlargement, crop or retouching.
A view from the shore of Chao Lake, photographed by JtWang on 5 January 2008. The image records one lakeside scene; it does not depict a particular river, treatment project, or present-day water condition.JtWang · Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported Photo source ↗ Rights information ↗ The saved file is the standard 1280px Wikimedia thumbnail (1280×875), not the 2101×1436 upstream original. The Commons page credits JtWang, gives 5 January 2008, and states CC BY-SA 3.0. No added watermark is visible.
A stone-paved lane in Sanhe Ancient Town, photographed by NTooru in 2022. The image shows the old street fabric, not a river crossing.NTooru · Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International Photo source ↗ Rights information ↗ Photograph by NTooru (10 August 2022); licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. The saved file is the standard 960px Wikimedia thumbnail (960×1280), not the upstream original (2,448 × 3,264, 3.41 MB); no enlargement, crop, or retouching.