Anhui was established 1667, during the reign of the
Qing dynasty's
Kangxi Emperor. The province's nickname, "Wan", is taken from the name of a small state that existed in the region during the
Spring and Autumn period (722–481 BC). The name "Wan" also corresponds to the province's
Mount Tianzhu and . Evidence of human beings inhabiting what is now Anhui 20,000 years before present has been attested by archaeological findings in
Fanchang County, related to the cultural domains of
Yangshao and
Longshan, dated to the
Neolithic period (8000–2000 BC). In relation to these cultures, archeologists have discovered through excavation a 4500-year-old city called the Nanchengzi Ruins in
Guzhen County, after they discovered a Neolithic city wall and a moat that was part of a much larger and integrated city in the region during their 2013 disinterment. There are many historical sites located in the province dating to the pre-imperial period. The culture of northern Anhui was associated with that of the
North China Plain, together with what is now Henan, northern Jiangsu, and southern Shandong. Central Anhui was densely populated, and consisted of the fertile
Huai River watershed. Contrastingly, southern Anhui was closer to
Jiangxi and southern
Jiangsu; the hills in the southeastern part of the province formed a unique cultural sphere. After the
Qin dynasty unified China in 221 BC, the territory of modern Anhui belonged to different prefectures, including Jiujiang, Zhang, Tang, and Sishui. The lands became part of the
Yang,
Yu, and Xu prefectures during the
Han dynasty (202 BC220 AD). During the
Three Kingdoms era (222–280), Anhui was dominated at various times by
Eastern Wu and
Cao Wei. By the
Song dynasty (960–1279), the economy and culture of area was flourishing. Anhui became part of the province of
Henan during the
Yuan dynasty (1271–1368); during the
Ming dynasty the area was directly administrated by the imperial capital in
Nanjing. Anhui and
Jiangsu were merged into one province under the
Qing dynasty (1644–1912) until 1666, during the reign of the
Kangxi Emperor. It played an important role in the
Self-Strengthening Movement led by Li Hongzhang during the later Qing. During this time, western weapons, factories and administrative theories were being introduced into China. Over the next 50 years, Anhui became one of the country's most radically liberal areas, with important 20th-century figures moving to the province, like the poet and diplomat
Hu Shih, and
Chen Duxiu, the founder of the
Chinese Communist Party (CCP). In 1938, large areas in north and central Anhui were severely damaged by the decision of President
Chiang Kai-shek to demolish a critical dam on the
Yellow River, hoping that this would physically impede the ongoing invasion by the
Imperial Japanese Army and prevent them from capturing
Zhengzhou. Within only ten days of the dam breaking, the water and sands drowned all of north and middle area of this province, resulting in the deaths of between 500,000 and 900,000 Chinese people, as well as an unknown number of Japanese soldiers. Following the end of the
Second Sino-Japanese War in 1945, the capital city of Anhui moved to
Hefei, then a small town. The provincial government made significant investments for its development. After 1949, the government launched projects to repair the damages suffered during World War II. Anhui was one of the worst affected provinces in
The Great Chinese Famine. The province underwent significant development via the
Third Front campaign to build basic and national defense industries in protected locations, in case of invasion by the Soviet Union or United States. The centerpiece of the Shanghai Small Third Front was the "rear base" in Anhui which served as "a multi-function manufacturing base for anti-aircraft and anti-tank weaponry". During the late 1990s Anhui became one of China's fastest-growing provinces. The province forms part of the China Yangtze River Delta Economic Area, which is the most developed area of China. ==Geography==