Sanhe Ancient Town [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Located on the border between the cities of Hefei and Lu'an and situated alongside the Chaohu Lake, Sanhe Ancient Town is part of the Jiuhua Mountain-Huangshan Mountain golden travel route. The town was named Sanhe simply because there are three rivers flowing past it, namely, Fengle River, Hangbu River and Xiaonan River. Sanhe town covers an area of 75 square kilometers, with a population of 80,000. Inside, an area of 4.71 square kilometers belongs to the ancient town, with a population of 30,000. 

With a history of more than 2,500 years, Sanhe Ancient Town is known as "an ancient town of thousand years, an eco-friendly region of rivers and lakes, the hometown of celebrities and a food paradise". The town has many featured cultural and scenic sites, including the former residence of the famous physicist Yang Zhenning, all of which have attracted various visitors. Sanhe dishes cooked with special sauces are favored by diners from north and south; the saying "playing in Huangshan Mountain and eating in Sanhe" has become a favorite of the majority of tourists. Sanhe is rich in folk culture and is the cradle of Lu Opera, a national intangible cultural heritage and a local Hefei art form.