or An-hui conventional Anhwei
Province (pop., 2000 est.: 59,860,000), east-central China.
It is bounded by Jiangsu , Zhejiang , Jiangxi , Hubei , and Hunan provinces. With an area of 54,000 sq mi (139,900 sq km), it is one of China's smallest provinces; its capital is Hefei . Anhui was the first part of southern China to be settled by the Han dynasty , in the later part of the 1st millennium BC. Well-watered by the Huai and Ming dynasty in the 14th–17th centuries. It was occupied by the Japanese in World War II; after the war, the Nationalists held it briefly before the communists took over. It is a notable agricultural producer.