14 Days in Bengbu

The museum's Huaihe galleries cover 7,000 years of river valley life; afternoon on Zhanggong Hill's Wanghuai Tower over the city the 1911 Tianjin-Pukou railway built.

1. bengbu museum
2. bengbu zhanggongshan park

A lakeside circuit on the eastern shore, then the spirit-way statues at the tomb of Tang He, the Ming founding general who died in 1395, at the foot of Caoshan.

1. bengbu longzi lake
2. bengbu tang he tomb

The national archaeological park holds the 7,300-year-old mound village whose potters carved 630-plus symbols, then boardwalks through the Sanchahe reed beds.

1. bengbu shuangdun site park
2. bengbu sanchahe wetland

A slow day on the riverside plaza and its pearl sculpture, a steamed-pancake lunch and a nap before the run of excursions.

1. bengbu huaishang cultural plaza

West of the Huaihe, the granite hill of the Yu-the-Great legends and the riverside dig at Yuhui village, a 4,100-year-old terrace linked to the "assembly of the lords" story.

1. bengbu tushan mountain
2. bengbu yuhui village site

North-west to Huaiyuan county for the cliff spring the Song poet Su Shi praised, a pomegranate-orchard drive in autumn, and the hill temple paths above the county town.

1. bengbu bairu spring

North to Guzhen county, the fenced fields and small displays of the Gaixia site, where Xiang Yu's cause ended in 202 BC — a factual visit, fields and stones.

1. bengbu gaixia site

An honest neighbour-city day — Bagong Mountain, where the 383 AD Fei River battle turned and tofu-making is traced some 2,100 years, and Shouxian's Song-rebuilt wall of about 7 km circuit.

1. huainan bagongshan
2. huainan shouxian city wall

North by HSR in about an hour — the Lion Mountain Chu-king tomb and the 1984-discovered terracotta pits in the Han culture park, then the lakeshore walks of Yunlong.

1. xuzhou han culture scenic
2. xuzhou yunlong lake

A wet-market morning, a long noodle lunch and a riverfront evening — the last excursion block starts tomorrow.

1. bengbu city markets

The morning drum-dance session in Fengzuizi, the village named for the Huagudeng flower-drum tradition, then a slow afternoon by the riverfront.

1. bengbu fengzuizi village
2. bengbu huaishang cultural plaza

The quieter west shore paths of Longzi Lake in the morning, the relocated-ancient-houses lake park in the afternoon light.

1. bengbu longzi lake
2. bengbu husheng mingyue park

A full day among the some 450 rescued timber houses — courtyards, carvings and the lake causeway at dusk.

1. bengbu husheng mingyue park

A last wet-market breakfast, a bag of pomegranates in season, then the HSR south from Bengbu South station.

1. bengbu city markets