Anhui Cultural Tourism Series Brands | Ten Premium Self-Driving Routes in Anhui Province: Wannan Sichuan-Tibet Highway
The renowned Wannan Sichuan-Tibet Highway, a timeless self-driving scenic road, is praised as the 'Jiangnan Sky Road, Wannan 318.'
It runs through Qinglong Township in Ningguo City and Jing County in Xuancheng City, passing by Qinglong Bay along the water, the colorful Fangtang Lake with its red sequoias, the natural ink-wash landscape of Tingxi, the pastoral charm of Chujiatan, the poetic Moon Bay, the largest reservoir in southeastern Anhui—Qinglong Bay, and the primitive forest of Banqiao Nature Reserve... It embodies the essence of Wannan's landscapes, with every scene matching its poetic name.
The most beautiful section of the Wannan Sichuan-Tibet Highway in Ningguo PHOTO BY Ningguo Culture and Tourism Bureau
When to go: Spring, Summer, Autumn
Best for: Photography, self-driving, hiking, cycling, family trips, summer retreat, food
Destination arrival points: Xuancheng Station, Jingxian Station, Ningguo Station
Nearby city arrival points: Wuhu Nanling Station, Jingde Station
Fairyland beauty PHOTO BY Ningguo Culture and Tourism Bureau
Qinglong Bay Eco-tourism Area is located in Ningguo City, just over 10 km from the city center. It integrates mountain, water, and cultural landscapes, with a forest coverage rate of 78%, known as 'first-class air, first-class water.' The lake stretches over 34 square kilometers with 38 islands, offering picturesque lake and mountain views, pleasant scenery, and evergreen surroundings.
'72 Bends' (Taoling Highway)
PHOTO BY Xuancheng Culture and Tourism Bureau
Taoling Highway is a winding mountain road from Suhong Township in Jing County, Anhui, through Taoling to Banqiao Township in Ningguo. It traverses several large mountains, all over 800 meters above sea level, with ascents and descents of over 10 km each, featuring treacherous terrain and captivating scenery. Viewed from afar, the twists and turns of Taoling Highway resemble the Nujiang 72 Bends, making the drive both thrilling and exciting.
Banqiao Primitive Forest
PHOTO BY Ningguo Culture and Tourism Bureau
It preserves over 50,000 mu of lush natural sweet chestnut forest, the only well-preserved and most intact primitive forest at the northeastern edge of the subtropical zone. It contains more than 10 nationally protected plant species and nearly 30 species under national first- and second-class protection, along with nearly a thousand provincially protected animals. Experts call it a 'kingdom of flora and fauna, a殿堂 of biodiversity and gene pool.'
PHOTO BY Jingxian Culture and Tourism Bureau
Shuimo Tingxi Scenic Area in Jingxian is located in the southeast of Tingxi Township, 35 km south of Xuancheng-Jingxian Highway. It includes Danankeng Scenic Area, Majialing Scenic Area, and Taoling Scenic Area. The area features rolling mountains and canyon-shaped terrain, making it a leisure and resort destination.
Beautiful Chujiatan PHOTO BY Shuai Wenjing
Chujiatan is located downstream of Qinglong Bay, 12 km from downtown Ningguo, Anhui Province. The lake's water surface is vast and clear. In misty rain or morning fog, thin mist drifts over the lake, occasionally with egrets gliding low or a fisherman's light boat passing by. The shimmering mountain lake and the surrounding peaks create a stunning scene where sky and water merge into one.
Magic Shanmen Cave PHOTO BY Hu Bo
Formerly known as Shimen, also called Lingyan. Shanmen Cave is a natural cavern about 17 meters wide and 10 meters high. Passing through, visitors suddenly feel a sense of openness and a different world. Nearby are Water Cave, Sky Cave, and Lotus Cave, serene and elegant, with stalactites and stalagmites of various forms. A poem praises: 'The world's wonders have mountains with gates, the wonder of mountain gates is unmatched in the world.'
The Swamp Cypress Wetland Park is located in the hinterland of Qinglong Bay Reservoir in Ningguo City. Along the shallow bay, thousands of acres of cypress trees grow densely and orderly in the water, contrasting with the broad emerald green water surface. Every autumn, the red forest, blue sky, and green water create stunning paintings.
Recommended itinerary: 3 days 2 nights
Day 1 Ningguo City
Morning: Arrive in Ningguo City (self-driving arrival: Xuancheng Station).
Afternoon: Visit Qinglong Bay and Chujiatan Resort.
Evening: Overnight in Ningguo.
Day 2 Ningguo City → Jingxian, crossing the Wannan Sichuan-Tibet Highway
Morning: Visit Fangtang Township's thousand-acre swamp cypress forest and 72 Bends.
Afternoon: Visit Banqiao Nature Reserve and Shuimo Tingxi.
Day 3 Ningguo City → Jingxian, crossing the Wannan Sichuan-Tibet Highway again
Morning: Visit Moon Bay Scenic Area and experience bamboo rafting.
Afternoon: Return to various destinations.
Xuancheng Shuiyang Three Treasures
Shuiyang Three Treasures come from Shuiyang in the Xuancheng area south of the Yangtze River in Anhui Province, at the junction of two provinces and four cities in Anhui and Jiangsu. They refer to Shuiyang dried tofu, duck feet wraps, and duck wings, combined into one dish. It is salty, fragrant, soft, and chewy, leaving a lingering flavor with every bite.
Jingxian Maolin Twelve Banquet Bowls
Heavy on color, flavor, and texture, these are representative premium banquet dishes meticulously crafted by generations in Jingxian. The twelve bowls emphasize tradition; the entire table is half meat and half vegetable, with balanced ingredients and soup. Each dish carries specific festive meanings, suitable for all ages, each with its own merits.
A specialty of Jingxian, Xuancheng City, with a long history, it has been favored since ancient times as a traditional condiment for gifts and banquets, especially known for coriander, ginger, garlic, and sesame radish strips. It can be described as 'sauce ginger and coriander beauty, today's teeth and cheeks still retain fragrance.'
Dragon Kiln Pot Old Duck Soup
A delicious dish with a historical story, simmered in a pot fired in a traditional dragon kiln with a thousand-year history. It uses selected farm-raised old ducks, mountain spring water as ingredients, and is simmered at a constant temperature over high-quality charcoal for over 6 hours. The soup is thick, mellow, and enticing, with a unique flavor.
Xuancheng Huizhou cakes, Jingxian fermented rice cakes, Jingxian clay pot, Qinglong Bay fish head, mixed fish pot, Ningguo pancakes, mugwort balls, dried bamboo shoot braised pork.
Xuan paper, a specialty of Jingxian, Xuancheng City, Anhui Province, is a product with national geographical indication. Xuan paper is a unique Chinese handicraft, known for its soft texture, smooth and jade-like appearance, resistance to insects and decay, and endless ink variations. It is honored as 'thousand-year longevity paper' and regarded as a 'national treasure.'
Ningguo pecans are a product with national geographical indication. The pecans are large with thin shells, uniform grains, and plump kernels. Processed with traditional techniques, the kernels are crisp and delicious and contain多种 vitamins.
Shuidong candied dates are a sugar-preserved dried product made from green dates in Shuidong Town. Shuidong candied dates are flat, crystal clear, with fine golden threads and an amber color, hence also called 'golden thread amber dates.' They are divided into five grades, with the special 'Tianxiang seedless candied date' being the most precious.
Yunling crispy rice is baked using high-quality rice and unique techniques, retaining the various nutrients of the rice while achieving a crispier taste. It contains no food additives or artificial colors, maintaining the original crispy texture and nutrition.
Jingting Green Snow Tea is a unique specialty of Jingting Mountain in Anhui, a flat-roasted green tea. It is one of China's historical teas, first created in the Ming Dynasty and listed as a tribute tea during the Ming and Qing periods. 'Shaped like a sparrow's tongue with white down, emerald green and evenly tender with high aroma; mellow and refreshing taste, snowflakes floating in a bright porcelain cup with boiling spring.'
