Anhui's Most Underrated Ancient Capital Hides China's Best County-Level Museum
In the north-central part of Anhui, there lies a city:
Its ancient city walls stand tall and majestic, bearing witness to the vicissitudes of the last capital of the Chu State from the Spring and Autumn Period over 800 years ago. Within the grand ruins of the royal palace, the "Huainanzi," compiled by Liu An, the King of Huainan during the Western Han Dynasty, unfolds—it was the first to fully record the names and sequence of the "Twenty-Four Solar Terms." Here, the Eastern Jin scholar Xie An commanded the Battle of Fei River, where a smaller force triumphed over a larger one, giving rise to the well-known idioms "fearful of the wind and the cry of cranes" and "every bush and tree looks like an enemy." The construction of the Quebei Dam and the invention of tofu have profoundly influenced China's agrarian civilization and life wisdom for millennia.
The 2,000-year historical积淀 of Huainan
has deeply shaped China's agrarian civilization and life wisdom.
It is a "city of history" and also a "city of modernity," where the flame of life has never extinguished amid the echoes of millennia of history and civilization. Modern people marvel at the abundance of coal in this "Energy Capital of China" and the contributions of Anhui's electricity. Many also visit, drawn by the fame of its beef soup, renowned nationwide.
Huainan's more vibrant vitality lies in its尘封的历史.
Let us step into Huainan, tracing the aura of an ancient capital hidden within its weathered traces, and savor the Chu and Han cultural flavors in the Anhui Chu Culture Museum, one of China's strongest county-level museums...
This land along the Huai River now has a more complete historical脉络.
"Fearful of the wind and the cry of cranes," "every bush and tree looks like an enemy," "one leaf heralds the autumn"...
Over 600 idioms留下 their historical traces here.
In 383 AD, Fu Jian of the Former Qin led a supposedly million-strong army advancing southeast, launching a decisive battle that would alter countless destinies with the momentum of "throwing whips to block the river."
Their target was Shouchun (modern-day Shou County, Huainan), defended by only 80,000 troops—they sought to "replicate" the "conquest feat" of Qin Emperor Ying Zheng, who had annihilated Chu here.
Shou County, a strategic hub between north and south, has always been a contested military stronghold.
Yet this "Battle of Fei River" became a famous example in Chinese history of "the few defeating the many." Fu Jian left behind only two mocking idioms—"fearful of the wind and the cry of cranes" and "every bush and tree looks like an enemy"—before fleeing in defeat.
Huainan has witnessed such battles too many times—during the Eastern Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties alone, there were 12 major north-south conflicts fought within its borders.
In Shou County, Huainan (historically known as Shouchun or Shouyang), the Cai, Chu, and Huainan Kingdoms all established their capitals here. Even the infamous "Yuan Shu declaring himself emperor" occurred in this city. Four times a capital and ten times a prefecture, it has long been called the "throat of Central China and the屏障 of Jiangnan."
Huainan, bridging north and south, has been a fiercely contested battlefield throughout history.
Why was Huainan always a military focal point during north-south confrontations in ancient China?
From a水路 perspective, the Ying River, a vital交通线 between the Central Plains and the Jianghuai region, converges with the Huai River here. Shou County faces the confluence at the "Yingkou," making it a critical军事交通 hub. Agriculturally, Huainan is a transitional zone between the Jianghuai hills and the皖北 plains, blessed with warm气候, ample rainfall, abundant water resources, and水利工程 perfected over dynasties, resulting in highly developed agriculture and a solid material foundation.
The Huai River flows through Huainan, serving as a key皖中北 corridor.
As the ancients said, "Since ancient times, the land under heaven has been divided into north and south, and the gains and losses of both lie in Huainan." For both sides, whether from the perspective of military defense or economic development, Huainan is a place where "one cannot tolerate others snoring beside their bed."
This has also endowed Huainan with an innate historical mission. As the main battleground of ancient north-south conflicts, it served as a capital or prefecture multiple times, accumulating rich cultural deposits. Many well-known idioms and allusions are traces of this history.
The Huainan King's Palace (originally the site of Liu An's Temple) is located on Bagong Mountain.
On Bagong Mountain, the legend of "When a man attains the Dao, even his pets ascend to heaven" is passed down. This stems from Liu An, the Huainan King and grandson of Liu Bang, who practiced alchemy and pursued the Dao. However, Liu An's historical significance far surpasses this idiom. In Huainan, he compiled the monumental work *Huainanzi*, which encompasses heaven and earth and spans ancient and modern times. The names and sequence of China's "24 Solar Terms" were first fully recorded in this book. Additionally, ancient myths like "Nuwa Mends the Heavens," "Houyi Shoots the Sun," and "Chang'e Flies to the Moon" were primarily preserved through this text.
"One leaf reveals the autumn" also originates from *Huainanzi*. This idiom perfectly illustrates the stance of Xie An, the Eastern Jin commander during the "Battle of Feishui." His "return to power" set the stage for the victory. Meanwhile, his calmness during the war, as seen in "playing chess to bet on a villa," reflects the composure inherent in the spirit of Huainan.
*Huainanzi* is an extraordinary masterpiece.
It covers military strategy, philosophy, agriculture, mythology, and more.
Stories like "Shi Miao leaving his calf" from the Eastern Han Dynasty and "face-to-face confrontation" from the Ming Dynasty narrate the noble integrity of Huainan's officials.
According to local official media in Huainan, there are over 600 such idioms and allusions in the region.
Huainan has given birth to hundreds of idioms and allusions.
It is the "City of Chinese Idioms and Allusions."
As winters turn to springs and millennia pass, Huainan has endured wars and floods amid cultural fusion and progress. The ancient city walls of Shouxian were destroyed and rebuilt. It was not until the Song Dynasty's reconstruction that they were preserved to this day, with bricks inscribed "Built by Xu Dutong of Jiankang" still clearly visible.
A cup of Huainan tea carries the fresh warmth characteristic of Hui tea, embodying the enduring spirit of Huainan's people over millennia. Similarly, a pot of fermented bean wine can awaken the city's intense Chu-Han flavors.
The ancient city walls of Shouxian have four gates: Binyang, Tongfei, Dinghu, and Jinghuai.
Visit one of China's strongest county-level museums.
Retrace the final journey of the Chu Kingdom's ancient capital.
With the recent archaeological excavation of King Kaolie of Chu's tomb in Huainan, the nine-chambered Chu tomb is gradually unveiling its mysteries—its grandeur and chimes echoing across millennia, as Chu songs resound once more. In the厚重的 history of Chu, this highest-ranking, largest, and most structurally complex tomb of the Chu nobility offers new insights into the Jianghuai region.
When speaking of Chu culture, many think of Jingchu. However, Wan-Chu culture also holds significant importance. In Huainan, at the crossroads of north and south, the Anhui Chu Culture Museum (formerly Shouxian Museum), hailed as "one of China's strongest county-level museums," provides answers about Wan-Chu culture.
The Anhui Chu Culture Museum, originally the Shouxian Museum, was established in 1958.
It ranks among the top tier of county-level museums, housing over 230 national first-class relics. For comparison, some provincial museums have only around 100 such relics... On May 8, 2024, the Anhui Chu Culture Museum, which vividly showcases the splendor of Chu culture during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, was officially designated as a national first-class museum.
The museum boasts a rich collection, fully showcasing the essence of Chu and Han cultures.
This inevitably evokes the background of its predecessor, the Shou County Museum.
In the early 1930s, during the Huai River floods, starving victims dug for treasures in tombs across Shou County. On the 92nd day, a flood of bronze and jade artifacts emerged from the largest tomb—the Tomb of King You of Chu. Among them, the colossal "Zhu Ke Ding" astounded the world and became the treasure of the Anhui Museum today.
Representative collections of the Anhui Chu Culture Museum.
Photo/Liu Yedao Design/Dongzi
Since then, this "underground museum" of Chu culture in Huainan has continued to yield surprises.
In 1955, during soil excavation for the Huai River control project, the Tomb of Marquis Zhao of Cai was discovered, yielding nearly 600 precious artifacts and causing a sensation. In 1957, the "E Jun Qi Gold Tallies"—a tax-exempt passport issued by King Huai of Chu—were unexpectedly unearthed at a dike construction site. To protect the rich Chu culture here, the Shou County Museum was established in 1958.
Traces of Chu culture in Huainan have been continuously excavated and preserved. The "Sword of Yue King Zhu Goujian's Son, Yue Wang Zhe Jiyu Ci," symbolizes the alliance between the Zhou-era Cai State and the Yue State. The 195 Chu gold coins (Warring States gold plates) represent the largest collection in China, showcasing some of the earliest gold coins in Chinese history. The Warring States painted bird-pattern lacquer plate, adorned with floral and avian motifs, exemplifies the pinnacle of Chu aesthetic culture.
Representative collections of the Anhui Chu Culture Museum.
Photo/Ai Zhuanzhuan Design/Dongzi
The Anhui Chu Culture Museum documents the history of the Chu people's mass migration over 2,000 years ago. After the fall of the 800-year-old Chu State, the Western Han's Huainan Kingdom and the Eastern Han's Fuling Kingdom successively established their capitals in Shou County (Shouchun), leaving behind a wealth of Han cultural relics.
Warring States gold plates, Eastern Han gold belt buckles, Northern Song relic gold coffins, and various other gold artifacts can all be seen at the Anhui Chu Culture Museum—truly an "overload" of gold. The interpretation of its Chu-Han cultural charm is equally rich in substance.
Representative collections of the Anhui Chu Culture Museum.
Photo/Liu Yedao Design/Dongzi
The fall of Chu and the rise of Han marked an era of dramatic change. Even a county-level museum's collections unfold a historical narrative captivating enough to enchant the mind.
This is a "black-and-white intertwined" treasure trove.
Tracing back along historical relics, with the Grand Canal's construction after the Sui and Tang dynasties, changes in hydrological conditions, and the shift of China's political center, Huainan's strategic importance gradually declined. Yet after a millennium of obscurity, the discovery of a "treasure" ushered in a new era of prosperity.
The energy industry became a symbol of Huainan's resurgence after a thousand years.
Today, in Tianjia'an, Datong, and Jiulonggang—the first areas to flourish in Huainan—the marks of the energy industry's era remain visible. These stand in contrast to the historical relics of Shou County's ancient town just over 20 kilometers away, creating a unique tableau.
It was coal, this "treasure trove," that brought Huainan back into the world's spotlight. According to mid-20th-century surveys, Huainan's coal reserves accounted for 50% of East China's and 74% of Anhui's total. The urban area of Huainan, led by the coal transit hub Tianjia'an, rapidly developed, and energy and industry flourished alongside it.
The Huainan Coal Mine began large-scale mining in the early 20th century.
It is an important coal and energy base in China.
In the 1980s, Huainan had become Anhui's largest power base and was designated as a "Major City" by the State Council, alongside Chongqing, Dalian, Qingdao, and Wuxi. It also emerged as one of the birthplaces of higher education in Anhui, enjoying unparalleled prominence at the time.
During the coal industry era, the influx of northern immigrants transformed the local Jianghuai Mandarin into the more Zhongyuan-influenced "Huainan dialect." The migrants also reshaped the cuisine—"Huainan dishes" blend the freshness, crispness, and tenderness of southern cooking with the saltiness, richness, and bold colors of northern fare, forming a unique branch within Anhui's culinary system.
Huainan's ability to create countless delicacies passed down for millennia stems from its agricultural wisdom. The "First Pond Under Heaven," Shaobei (also called Anfeng Pond), China's earliest water storage and irrigation project, embodies ancient Huainan ingenuity. Under its irrigation, the region flourished with abundant produce and livestock since the Spring and Autumn period.
Shaobei (or Anfeng Pond) is China's earliest water storage and irrigation project.
It ensured the prosperity of ancient Huainan's resources.
Among these, the most famous are the "white tofu" contrasting with "black coal," and the "Huainan Beef Soup," which thrived amid the fusion of old and new migrants.
Huainan has cultivated premium soybeans since antiquity. According to local records, tofu was invented by Prince Liu An of Huainan nearly 2,000 years ago, earning the city its title as "China's Tofu Capital." Packed with plant protein, it became a nutritional staple for meat-scarce commoners, spreading across East Asia over centuries. Huainan's tofu is silky and tender, featuring in entire banquet spreads—even as dumpling wrappers for the famed "Clear Soup White Jade Dumplings," with their delicate texture and savory fillings.
Huainan is "China's Tofu Capital,"
paired with its vast coal reserves as the "Black and White Dual Marvels."
Relying on timelessly fresh beef and vegetables, Huainan Beef Soup is now one of the city's most iconic dishes. Made from Huang cattle of the Jianghuai region, the broth simmers slowly with bones, beef, and offal—resulting in a rich, clear, and aromatic flavor. Notes of cloves, fennel, and subtle hints of cardamom, yam, and galangal add depth without heaviness.
Served with vermicelli, tofu sheets, scallions, garlic, cilantro, and bean cakes, this soup is a lifelong comfort for locals and an obsession for outsiders.
Huainan Beef Soup is "famous nationwide"—truly delicious!
Steeped in Chu-Han heritage, Huainan embodies China's north-south unity through its enduring ancient walls, ceaseless waters by historic battlefields, and the idioms born from its legends. Here, every corner whispers new tales and resilience—history's wisdom remains the land's most treasured legacy.
Beneath timeworn city gates, vendors' carts seem to brush past echoes of ancient warfare. For over 2,000 years as the "Throat of Central China, Shield of Jiangnan," Huainan's next chapter awaits its storytellers...
Cover & header image | Liuyedao
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