淮南市

Why this place

Huainan claims to be where tofu was invented, two thousand years ago, by a Han prince who was experimenting with alchemy — it is a legitimate local claim and the city takes it seriously. It is also a coal city, set in the flat Huai River plain.

What to see

• The Huainan tofu workshops and the tofu culture festival, held in September
• The Bagongshan and Shungeng mountains, with Han-era tombs
• The Huai River and its wetland parks

What to eat

• Tofu in every form — Huainan tofu is famous nationally
• Beef soup (niurou tang) with the local flatbread, a Huainan breakfast

Best time

April–May and September–October; the tofu festival is in September