Tongling Travel Guide

Chinese Name: 铜陵市 (tóng líng shì)
Population: 1,708,000
Area: 3,008 square kilometers (1,161 square miles)
Location: in the south of Anhui, eastern China
Administrative Division: 3 districts (Tongguan District, Yi’an District, Suburban District); 1 county (Zongyang)
Area Code: 0562
Zip Code: 244000
GDP (2018): CNY 122.24 billion (USD 16.96 billion)
 

Tongling is situated in the south of Anhui Province, on the south bank of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. It is 80 kilometers (50 miles) west of Wuhu and neighbors Anqing, Chizhou and Chaohu with the capital of Anhui province, Hefei about 120 kilometers (75 miles) away. Tong, literally means copper. Tongling flourishes for the rich copper reserves and is known as the ancient copper capital of China and the contemporary copper base. Tongling is also one of the birthplaces of bronze culture in China. There are dozens of bronze mining and smelting sites and bronze cultural relics.

Tianjing Lake is located in down, on the north side of the Changjiang Xi Lu. Mounds naturally divide it into the east, west and north lake. There are in total seven hills encircling the lake and within the scenic area, new spots and historic relics compliment each other perfectly. 

River Dolphin Nature Reserve is a conservation center specifically for the Baiji Dolphin (Yangtze River Dolphin). Specimen halls and aquaria established in the center are for education research and sightseeing. Not only the river dolphins are on display, giant salamanders, Japanese brocade carp, Yangtze alligators and Chinese sturgeon are all on display.

Other Scenic Spots: Luosi Mountain, Jinniudong Historic Mine Site  1. Tongling Railway Station is located in Yi'an Bei Lu of Shizishan District, primarily operating trains to and from Shanghai, Nanjing and Hangzhou.
2. The Hefei-Tongling-Huangshan Expressway has now opened providing access from Hefei to Tongling in two hours with a little over an additional hour's drive to travel to Mt. Huangshan.

Note: The city has a busy road transport network with nine expressways passing through it. It is also known as the north gate to the famous Mt. Jiuhua and Mt. Huangshan.

With a subtropical monsoon climate, Tongling features temperate and humid weather, wet in spring and summer, a dry autumn and moderate winter. With the four seasons, being quite distinct, spring and autumn are relatively short. The annual average temperature falls around 16 degree centigrade (61 degree Fahrenheit), but is extremely cold usually in February. 

 When to Go: Autumn is the most comfortable season to visit it.       History: Prior to the Qin government putting it under the control of Zhang Shire, it ruled was successively by several kingdoms. It is a time-honored copper-rich land in China, with a history dating back three thousand years. It is renowned as one of the birthplaces of Chinese bronze age culture, and its copper smelting history can be traced back to the Shang Dynasty (16th -11th century BC) and attained its prosperity during the Tang Dynasty (618-907).          
 
 Physical Features: It lies in a region of plains and hills along the Yangtze River. The terrain is flat to the north with an alluvial plain. Low mountains lie to the south and southeast parts of the city, and a hilly region is primarily in the central.               

 Special Local Products: ginger in syrup, Yequeshe tea, Shun'an crunchy candy, archaized bronze vessel