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 Yangtze (Chang) rivers, it was the empire's major agricultural area for several centuries. Anhui was ruled by the Ming dynasty in the 14th17th 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.