When it comes to “sprawling” provinces, do you only think of Jiangsu? Jiangsu is so sprawling that even its capital, Nanjing, is jokingly referred to as “Huijing”...

In recent years, Anhui seems to have been “infected” by its neighbor Jiangsu, with its urban development gradually heading down the path of “scattered growth.” Unlike Jiangsu, however, Anhui is primarily divided into two regions: Southern Anhui and Northern Anhui. While Southern Anhui is small in area, it is experiencing strong growth, whereas Northern Anhui is the opposite.

Why have these two regions of Anhui developed in opposite directions? Will Anhui follow in Jiangsu’s “old footsteps”? Today, armed with these questions, let’s explore Anhui’s past, present, and future…

Current Development: A Mixed Bag

First, let’s clarify the division between Southern and Northern Anhui: Southern Anhui includes Huangshan, Chizhou, and Xuancheng, as well as the portions of Tongling, Wuhu, and Ma’anshan located south of the Yangtze River. Northern Anhui comprises the remaining cities in the province, primarily referring to the six cities of Fuyang, Suzhou, Bengbu, Bozhou, Huainan, and Huaibei.

Looking at Anhui’s GDP data over the past two years, it is clear that while the total GDP of cities in Northern Anhui is substantial, their growth rates are relatively low—with Bengbu even recording a decline of 2.1%. These cities in Northern Anhui lack sufficient momentum for economic growth.

Based on the 2021 GDP figures for each city in Anhui, let’s first analyze the development landscape of Anhui’s key cities.

The Locomotive: Hefei

As the “locomotive” of Anhui’s economic development, Hefei accounts for more than a quarter of the province’s GDP, demonstrating its dominant position and confirming that Anhui’s strategy of strengthening its provincial capital was a wise move.

Hefei’s innovative “industry-investment” model has helped it form an industrial structure centered on “chips, displays, and equipment” and “integration, terminals, and intelligence.” Thanks to the robust development of its new energy vehicle industry cluster, Hefei has earned the title of “China’s Detroit of New Energy.” The “industry-investment” model has become all the rage, adopted by multiple cities, and Hefei has even been dubbed “the next Shenzhen.”

Hefei’s success inevitably brings to mind the former provincial capital—Anqing. Today, Hefei is developing rapidly, like a well-dressed “young man,” while Anqing, having lost the halo of being a provincial capital, is developing at a pace that lags even behind Bozhou, having lost its momentum.

Runner-up: Wuhu

In 2021, Wuhu suddenly became an “internet sensation.” Seizing this opportunity, Wuhu quickly made a name for itself, allowing people to get to know this rapidly developing city in a new light.

Last year, Wuhu ranked first among Yangtze River Delta cities in GDP growth rate; it led the province in the number of projects under construction and the number of new projects exceeding 1 billion yuan; and in terms of the proportion of public budget expenditure allocated to science and technology, it closely followed Shenzhen, Hefei, and Foshan, ranking fourth nationwide...

These figures attest to Wuhu’s efforts in attracting investment and fostering technological innovation, making its GDP crossing the 400-billion-yuan threshold an inevitable outcome. This demonstrates that Wuhu’s motto of “learning from Hefei and catching up with Hefei” is not merely a slogan, but a driving force behind both thought and action.

This year, the Wuhu cluster became one of the eight national computing hub nodes in the “East Data, West Computing” initiative. With the continuous improvement of its industrial structure, Wuhu’s future is immeasurable.

Ranked Third: Chuzhou

As Anhui’s “Eastern Gateway,” Chuzhou possesses the inherent advantage of being “in the right place at the right time” when integrating into the Yangtze River Delta’s development. Chuzhou has firmly seized the opportunities presented by Yangtze River Delta integration, breaking down administrative barriers with cities like Nanjing and Suzhou to jointly build industrial parks and attract the relocation of some industrial enterprises from Jiangsu Province.

"To repel external threats, one must first secure the interior." Chuzhou has not been idle in developing its distinctive industries. By leveraging its quartz sand mineral resources to attract upstream enterprises, and subsequently drawing in leading mid- and downstream companies, the city has fully utilized its geographical and resource advantages. It has introduced more than 10 leading enterprises, including Longi Green Energy Technology, JinkoSolar, and Sungrow Power Supply, to strategically position itself in the photovoltaic industry. Today, Chuzhou has become a 100-billion-yuan industrial cluster.

The Laggard: Bengbu

"Bengbu has reached its limit!" This viral phrase aptly captures Bengbu’s reality in 2021. During Anhui’s “Two Sessions,” the provincial Party secretary explicitly pointed out that Bengbu was facing “economic deceleration, a loss of competitive position, and structural imbalances,” noting that the city had reached a critical juncture where “there is no room to retreat—it is a do-or-die battle.”

Bengbu was once a major industrial city in China, but having missed the window for industrial transformation and upgrading, last year saw its secondary industry value-added decline by 13.5% year-on-year, while value-added from large-scale industrial enterprises fell by 25.1%. This clearly indicates that sluggish industrial development is the primary factor dragging down the city’s economy.

Where Does the North-South “Divide” Stem From?

The “divide” in Anhui’s development is evident from the cities mentioned above. In fact, the developmental disparity between the north and south of Anhui can be attributed to various factors, including history, geography, and industrial structure.

Historically, the cultures and customs of southern and northern Anhui have been vastly different.

The southern region of Anhui is bordered by the Jiuhua, Huangshan, and Baiji mountain ranges to the south and the Yangtze River to the north, making it easy to defend but difficult to attack. Consequently, it has long served as the political, economic, and cultural center of Anhui.

The renowned Huizhou merchants, Huizhou cuisine, and Huizhou culture all originated in Southern Anhui, and as Huizhou civilization developed, its influence spread throughout the country.

Northern Anhui has always been closer to Henan and Northern Jiangsu; Huai River culture is intertwined with Central Plains culture, characterized by its unrestrained and expansive nature.

This has also led to dialectal differences between the northern and southern regions: Northern Anhui speaks Central Plains Mandarin, while Southern Anhui leans more toward the soft Wu dialect. Thus, when a person from Huangshan converses with someone from North Huai, they may speak in a warm, friendly Mandarin.

One region flourishes in literary tradition, while the other abounds in martial spirit. The “sense of division” between north and south stems primarily from cultural habits, language, and customs.

Geographical location and characteristics are also among the factors contributing to the differences between the north and south.

Of the six cities in southern Anhui, four are situated along the banks of the Yangtze River, the “Golden Waterway.” Historically, this region enjoyed advantages in water transport, and today it benefits from convenient transportation. With the development of modern transportation, communication and interaction between southern Anhui and the Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Shanghai region have become even more convenient. The industrial influence radiating from these three provinces gives southern Anhui a distinct advantage.

Northern Anhui, situated in the north, has a weaker capacity to absorb such influence. Moreover, the geographical features of the Northern Anhui Plain make it suitable for agricultural cultivation, making the region a key national base for commercial grain production. Even if industrial development is pursued, this agricultural character will be preserved to ensure national food security.

Cultural and geographical factors have jointly shaped the current industrial structures and economic development of the northern and southern regions.

Due to the Yangtze River and its geographical advantages, Southern Anhui is well-positioned to absorb industrial relocation from the Yangtze River Delta region, so it primarily focuses on emerging and high-tech industries. At the same time, its unique natural landscape also provides momentum for the development of tourism and the service sector in Southern Anhui.

Northern Anhui is home to a greater number of resource-based cities, led by Huainan and Huaibei, which are rich in coal resources. However, due to their relatively monolithic industrial and economic structures and heavy reliance on resources such as coal, industrial transformation and upgrading have proven relatively difficult.

Resource extraction has caused significant damage to the local ecological environment. As resources are being depleted, Huaibei has been designated a resource-depleted city. Currently, Northern Anhui can only rely on continuous financial support from its “big brother,” Hefei, to provide industrial support services for the city.

Uneven Progress, Promising Future

The development model of Jiangsu’s “Thirteen Greats” is difficult to replicate, and it will be challenging for Anhui to achieve balanced progress across all its cities.

Anhui’s strategy of strengthening the provincial capital has undoubtedly helped Hefei get a head start, but it also presents challenges—the dominance of a single city as the provincial capital, coupled with the absence of sub-centers and secondary cities, leads to an excessive concentration of provincial resources.

Currently, the Hefei metropolitan area—centered on cities in northern Anhui—is accelerating its development. This involves not only enhancing industrial synergy and promoting the rapid transformation of scientific and technological achievements into real productive capacity through university-enterprise partnerships, but also accelerating the gradual transfer of industries to create a “one-hour commuting circle” that strengthens the connections between cities.

At the same time, integration into the Yangtze River Delta integration initiative is also a key driver of Anhui’s development.

Last December, the National Development and Reform Commission issued the “Implementation Plan for Pairing and Cooperation Between Cities in Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang to Assist Cities in Northern Anhui,” signifying that cities in Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang will engage in paired cooperation and assistance with eight cities in Anhui.

Through measures such as the mutual exchange of officials for temporary assignments, the joint construction of interprovincial industrial cooperation zones, and the strengthening of industrial chain coordination, this initiative aims to facilitate the integration of Anhui’s cities into the Yangtze River Delta integration process.

This year, Bengbu took the lead in benchmarking against Ningbo, Zhejiang. After two days of study, Bengbu’s officials recognized Ningbo’s advanced practices and successful experiences, and they believe that as the assistance efforts deepen, Bengbu’s economy will gradually improve.

Xuzhou and Huaibei are also a pair of “close partners.” Both coal-mining cities, Xuzhou has already undergone a remarkable transformation, while Huaibei is learning from and emulating Xuzhou’s experience, striving to achieve a beautiful metamorphosis…

Conclusion

At this stage, Anhui’s development exhibits a distinct “north-south” disparity, but a tiered development model is the province’s inevitable path. To overcome the “disconnect” in provincial development, proactive assistance is needed to narrow the gap between cities as quickly as possible. Though the road ahead is long and arduous, Anhui will prove itself over time.