The introduction of Anji

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Anji literally means “peaceful and auspicious”in Chinese. As a Chinese bamboo land, it stands out in the world with its distinctive ecological surroundings.

Anji is located in the northwest of Zhejiang Province, adjacent to many big cities. The distance between Anji and Hangzhou is only 58 kilometers. It is only about 215 kilometers from Anji to Shanghai, and 235 kilometersapart from Nanjing and 200 kilometers away from Suzhou. Linked by many highways and expressways to these cities, it is very easy to get in and out, even though it is located in the mountain area. Because of its good tourist resources and convenient land traffic, Anji has been attracting so many tourists from the neighbouring cities. Therefore, the County enjoys the title of “Back Garden of Metropolis”.

The County was established in the 2nd year (185) of Zhongping in the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220), and has a long history of over 1,800 years. It is a place propitious for giving birth to a wealth of talented peoplethroughout its history. Wu Jun,a famous man of letters in Liang Period of the Southern Dynasties, was born in Guzhang(the ancient name of Anji).

Chen Zheng,a silviculturist, was also born here. In modern times, Wu Changshuo, the well-known geat master of traditional Chinese painting and calligraphy, was a native of Anji. Tourists can still find the former residence of Wu Changshuo and the cenotaph in the village where he once studied and worked for more than 10 years. To the memory of this great master, Wu Changshuo Museum and Wu Changshuo Grarden have been built up in Anji.

Therefore, Anji is praised as the “Hometown of Changshuo-culture”.Anji is well-known for its picturesque scenery, and its Great Sea of Bamboo. Green mountains, clear water and fresh air bring visitors a feeling of relaxation and happiness. The resources of tourism in Anji are very rich.

As an environment-friendly County, the long history and ecological environment have left Anji so many beautiful sceneries as well as richhistorical relics. Lingfeng Temple sits in Lingfeng Park at the foot of Lingfeng Mountain. The temple has a history of more than thousand years. Other historical and cultural relics, such as Dusong Pass (a wall-gate), Lingzhi Pagoda, Yunhong Pagoda, Fengxian Forbidden Steles, Relics of the Ancient Town, Ancient Wall of Ancheng, all have their own legends and stories. In White Tea Valley, Cottonrose Hibiscus Valley and Nine-dragon Gorge, tourists can appreciate the unique natural sceneries of Bamboo-sea and peculiar peaks. The most popular and the hottest tourist spots in Anji County are Dragon King Mountain and Dragon King Mountain Natural Reserves, Great Sea of Bamboo, Bamboo Expo Garden, Zhongnan Baicao Garden, Sights of Hidden Dragon Waterfall, Anji National Park of Bamboo Forest, and so on. Especially, the Tianhuangping Pumped Storage Power Station which sits at the elevation of nearly 1,000 meter on the mountain isthe highest power station in the world, the largest power station in Asia, and the second largest in the world. Visitors can get a bird’s-eye view of the beautiful scenery from there.

With the development of rustic and leisure tourism, the accommodations and facilities in holiday villages are greatly improved.

Tourists can taste the local delicacies or have a cup of fragrant white tea in the farmer’s cottage during their stays. Tourists can also roam about the free markets to get some local specialities for their relatives and friends as souvenirs and gifts. These specialities such as local chestnuts and hickory nuts, famous white tea, and handicraft articles made of bamboo have good markets. In recent years, the tourism industry in Anji has been developing rapidly. Each year more than 260,000 tourists from home and abroad made their trips to Anji. The net income of the tourism has successively run up for years. The local government is striving to build Anji into the best environment-friendly tourist county. In order to bring about a sustained, stable growth in the local tourism, many preferential policies and regulations are put into practice to push on the development of local tourism industry.