Fuyang

About Fuyang

On the plains of northwest Anhui, where the Ying River flows toward the Huai, Fuyang has been a regional centre since ancient times under the name Yingzhou. Two of China's greatest Song-dynasty writers, Ouyang Xiu and Su Shi, served as prefects here, and Ouyang Xiu loved the town's West Lake so much that he wrote a series of poems about it and chose to retire here.

Today Fuyang is a large, fast-growing city and a major rail junction, better known to Chinese travellers for its hearty food than for sightseeing. Yet it rewards a stop: the Fuyang Museum displays remarkable finds from the Han tombs at Shuanggudui, the restored Yingzhou West Lake recalls its literary past, and riverside parks give the centre room to breathe. Do not leave without a bowl of gelatiao, the thick local noodles.

The wider municipality includes Yingshang County, home of the Bali River Scenic Area, a popular weekend escape of lakes and gardens.