Get to know Ma'anshan
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- Administrative area
- Prefecture-level city · 地级市
- Part of
- Anhui
- Chinese name
- 马鞍山市
- Local areas
- 6 local areas
Area & population
- Area in the source
- 4,053.00 km²
- Population · 2020 census
- 2,159,930
- Administrative seat
- Yushan District
Source: cited geographic source, as of the dates shown.
Setting and landscape
The city is built against hills, around a lake and along the river, a layout summed up as 'nine hills around one lake, and Cuiluo Hill (翠螺山) rising from the Yangtze'. The prefecture is one of China's seven main iron-ore districts, and turquoise is among its characteristic minerals.
History
Hexian Man (和县猿人), who lived here nearly 400,000 years ago, is regarded as representative of southern Homo erectus. The Lingjiatan site (凌家滩遗址) in Hanshan County (含山县), 5,800 to 5,300 years old, is hailed as the 'dawn of Chinese civilisation' and is a national archaeological site park. Li Bai (李白) wrote more than 60 poems here, including 'Gazing at Tianmen Mountain' (望天门山). The city also claims as local works 'Inscription on a Humble Room' (陋室铭) by Liu Yuxi (刘禹锡), 'Record of a Trip to Baochan Mountain' (游褒禅山记) by Wang Anshi (王安石) and the song 'I live at the head of the Yangtze' by Li Zhiyi (李之仪). Dangtu folk songs (当涂民歌), sung on both banks of the Yangtze in eastern Anhui, entered the first national intangible heritage list in 2006.
What to see
Caishiji (采石矶), a cliff on the south bank of the Yangtze at the foot of Cuiluo Hill, 5 kilometres southwest of the city, is ranked with Yanziji (燕子矶) in Nanjing and Chenglingji (城陵矶) in Yueyang (岳阳) as one of the three great rocks of the Yangtze. Li Bai drank and wrote poems here and left the legend of reaching drunkenly for the moon and riding a whale to heaven; the Taibai Tower (太白楼) is a national key cultural relic. So is the Li Bai tomb park (李白墓园) in the Daqingshan (大青山) area, 2.5 kilometres southeast of the Dangtu (当涂) county town. Baochan Mountain (褒禅山), named after the Tang monk Huibao (慧褒), who lived and was buried there, became famous after Wang Anshi's visit in 1054 and is now a 4A scenic area.
Food and local products
Caishi tea-dried tofu (采石茶干), a Ma'anshan speciality eaten with wine or tea, was a tribute food at the Qing court from the Jiaqing reign and has been made for more than 200 years.
Sources for this guide
马鞍山简介_马鞍山市人民政府 · Ma'anshan Municipal People's Government
资源物产_马鞍山市人民政府 · Ma'anshan Municipal People's Government (text from the Ma'anshan Yearbook)
千古一秀——采石矶_安徽省人民政府 · Anhui Provincial People's Government
采石茶干_安徽省人民政府 · Anhui Provincial People's Government
当涂民歌 - 中国非物质文化遗产网·中国非物质文化遗产数字博物馆 · China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
褒禅山景区_马鞍山市人民政府 · Ma'anshan Municipal People's Government (text from the Hanshan County People's Government)
大青山李白文化旅游区_马鞍山市人民政府 · Ma'anshan Municipal People's Government
Original English written from the listed sources and checked sentence by sentence against quoted extracts by a separate reviewer. Updated 2026-09-30.
Explore Ma'anshan
Core places to explore, with English and Chinese names.
Places to explore around Ma'anshan
The Sanyuan Cave pavilion on the cliffs of Caishiji above the Yangtze River, Ma'anshan · 马鞍山采石矶三元洞，长江边悬崖楼阁 Source-recorded photograph date: Taken on 20 April 2007.Caishiji采石矶
Caishiji is a rocky promontory on the eastern bank of the Yangtze in western Ma’anshan. The narrowed river channel made the area important in river defence, including the Song-period Battle of Caishi.
Read the place guide →Ma'anshan Museum exterior · 马鞍山市博物馆外观 Photograph date recorded by the source: 1 May 2012, 11:57:33.Ma'anshan Museum马鞍山市博物馆
Ma’anshan Museum connects the city’s Yangtze-side position with a longer history of regional exchange. Its local-history exhibition moves from the meeting of Wu and Chu traditions through the Six Dynasties and the area’s poetic…
Read the place guide →
Lingjiatan Site (凌家滩遗址), Ma'anshan. Photograph: "玉人 1297".Lingjiatan Site凌家滩遗址
Lingjiatan was a substantial Neolithic settlement beside the Yuxi River, where excavations revealed burial grounds, ritual features and exceptional jade working. The site museum places these discoveries in context, including the…
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Entrance of the Lingjiatan Site Museum, Hanshan County, Ma'anshan · 马鞍山市含山县凌家滩遗址博物馆入口 Source-recorded photograph date: 2025-07-19.Lingjiatan Site Museum凌家滩遗址博物馆
Museum at the Lingjiatan site in Hanshan County, Anhui, showing about 1,100 finds including the prehistoric jade dragon, eagle and plaque.
Read the place guide →
Baochan Mountain Huayang Cave (褒禅山华阳洞), Hanshan County. Photograph: "巢湖市含山县华阳洞景区-褒禅山寺 - panoramio".Baochan Mountain Huayang Cave褒禅山华阳洞
Huayang Cave at Baochan Shan in Hanshan County combines underground water and stalactite formations with the landscape made famous by Wang Anshi’s Northern Song travel essay.
Read the place guide →
Li Bai Culture Garden · 李白文化园Li Bai Culture Garden李白文化园
Li Bai Culture Garden at the foot of Daqing Shan in Dangtu centers on the poet’s tomb, Taibai Shrine and a collection of poetry inscriptions.
Read the place guide →Local life & food
Ma'anshan local specialties
马鞍山市特色美食 · 7 specialties to discover
Dangtu Braised Pork Belly Noodles 当涂大肉面AI illustration · AI 示意图（仅供参考，非实拍）
Dangtu Braised Pork Belly Noodles (当涂大肉面) are a noodle soup from Dangtu (当涂) county in Ma'anshan (马鞍山), Anhui, topped with big pieces of braised pork belly.
Read the dish guide →
Caishiji Pressed Tofu 采石矶茶干AI illustration · AI 示意图（仅供参考，非实拍）
Caishiji Pressed Tofu (采石矶茶干) is a pressed bean curd with a soy-red colour, made in Ma'anshan (马鞍山), Anhui. It carries the name of Caishi Rock (采石矶), a large rock in the Yangtze at Ma'anshan.
Source ↗Read the dish guide →
Hanshan Salt-Cured Bream 含山封扁鱼AI illustration · AI 示意图（仅供参考，非实拍）
Hanshan Salt-Cured Bream (含山封扁鱼) is a whole bream (鳊鱼) from Hanshan County (含山县) in Ma'anshan (马鞍山), Anhui, cured in brine, stuffed with seasoned pork and left to dry naturally in the air.
Read the dish guide →
Wujiang Bawang Pastry 乌江霸王酥AI illustration · AI 示意图（仅供参考，非实拍）
Wujiang Bawang Pastry (乌江霸王酥) is a small, crisp pastry made in Wujiang town (乌江镇), He County (和县), Anhui.
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Ma'anshan Stuffed Pocket Duck 马鞍山口袋鸭AI illustration · AI 示意图（仅供参考，非实拍）
Ma'anshan Stuffed Pocket Duck (马鞍山口袋鸭) is listed among the local specialties of Ma'anshan, Anhui. The name includes 鸭 (duck).
Read the dish guide →
Dangtu Pork Intestine Rice Noodles 当涂肥肠米线Reference photo of a similar dish · 同类菜品参考照片
Dangtu Pork Intestine Rice Noodles (当涂肥肠米线) is listed among the local specialties of Ma'anshan, Anhui. The name includes 肥肠 (intestines). The term 米线 points to rice noodles.
Read the dish guide →
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Hexian Lamb Noodles 和县羊肉面
Hexian Lamb Noodles (和县羊肉面) are the lamb noodles of He County (和县), Ma'anshan, Anhui.
Read the dish guide →Photo adjustments
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More dishes from across Anhui are in the Anhui food guide.
Counties & districts in Ma'anshan
6 areas belong directly to Ma'anshan.
6 areas
Huashan District花山区
Huashan is a district of the city of Ma'anshan, Anhui Province, China. In September 2012, Jinjiazhuang District was dissolved and merged with Huashan District.
Explore the area →DistrictYushan District雨山区
Yushan is a district and the seat of the city of Ma'anshan, Anhui Province, China.
Explore the area →DistrictBowang District博望区
Bowang District is a district of the prefecture-level city of Ma'anshan in eastern Anhui province, China. It was created in September 2012 by splitting off the three towns of Bowang, Danyang, and Xinshi from…
Explore the area →CountyDangtu County当涂县
Dangtu County (simplified Chinese: 当涂县; traditional Chinese: 當涂縣; pinyin: Dāngtú Xiàn) is one of three counties under the jurisdiction of the prefecture-level city of Ma'anshan in the southeast of Anhui…
Explore the area →Show fewer areas
Hanshan County含山县
Hanshan County (simplified Chinese: 含山县; traditional Chinese: 含山縣; pinyin: Hánshān Xiàn) is a county in the east of Anhui Province, People's Republic of China under the jurisdiction of the prefecture-level…
Explore the area →CountyHe County和县
He County or Hexian (simplified Chinese: 和县; traditional Chinese: 和縣; pinyin: Hé Xiàn) is a county in the east of Anhui Province, China, under the jurisdiction of Ma'anshan.
Explore the area →No areas match this name.
Plan your visit
Getting there
Search for 马鞍山市 in a map app to find stations and your accommodation.
Where to stay →Build your route
Caishiji and Ma'anshan Museum are about 7 km apart in a straight line. The linked place guides have entrance and visit details.
Continue with Anhui →More in Anhui
Sources & geographic information
Administrative names and parent areas: Official geographic directory · Reference date 2026-09-06.
Photo: Caishiji · 陈宏宇 · CC BY 3.0. Full frame retained; proportionally resized and converted to WebP. No retouching or changes to the photographed subject. Card displays may crop the view.
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Photo: Ma'anshan Museum · 猫猫的日记本 · 猫猫的日记本 — Ma'anshan_Museum_2012-05.JPG — CC BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0. Full frame retained; proportionally resized and converted to WebP. No retouching or changes to the photographed subject. Card displays may crop the view.
Photo: Lingjiatan Site · Cangminzho · CC BY-SA 4.0. Full frame retained; EXIF orientation normalized, proportionally resized to at most 800 pixels and converted to WebP. No generated pixels or subject changes. Cards may crop the display.
Photo: Lingjiatan Site Museum · SteveLLL · CC0. Full frame retained; proportionally resized and converted to WebP. No retouching or changes to the photographed subject. Card displays may crop the view.
Photo: Baochan Mountain Huayang Cave · luchangjiang~鲁昌江 · CC BY-SA 3.0. Full frame retained; EXIF orientation normalized, proportionally resized to at most 800 pixels and converted to WebP. No generated pixels or subject changes. Cards may crop the display.
Photo: Li Bai Culture Garden · Source photographer · License not provided. EXIF orientation normalized; resized without changing aspect ratio; converted to WebP. No subject edits.
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