Travel notebook Anhui

Flights

Air China has a daily Airbus A330 service between Sydney and Shanghai (four are nonstop) and four nonstop flights a week between Melbourne and Shanghai. For details contact your travel agent or Air China on (02) 9232 7277 or (03) 8602 5555. See www.airchina.com.au

Tours

The treasures of Anhui are included in several holidays offered by Helen Wong’s Tours including a 9-day Beijing/Huangshan/Shanghai package. For details/bookings contact Helen Wong’s Tours, e-mail hwtaus@helenwongstours.com or phone nationwide 1 300 788 328. See www.helenwongstours.com

Excursion

Huicheng Town in Shèxièn County, once a grand centre of Huīzhōu culture, is another village where wealthy merchants lived in tidy residences during the Ming and Qing dynasties. The Xuguo Archway, China’s only surviving four-sided decorative archway, is the lion-adorned gateway to this cultural and historical city. Beyond is Doushan Street’s compact collection of ancient dwelling houses and wells.

Information

The China National Tourist Office in Sydney can assist with information about China and Anhui, e-mail: sydney@cnta.gov.cn. See www.cnto.org.au and www. chinahuangshan.gov.cn.

Lonely Planet’s China, a useful guide available in Australia, has a chapter devoted to the many treasures of Anhui.