VIKTORYIA Shendzerava, from Belarus, has lived in Lu’an, east China’s Anhui Province, for more than three years after marrying a local who works in the financial sector in Shanghai.

“My husband travels home on weekends, and I visit Shanghai when I have time. It’s quite convenient,” Shendzerava told Shanghai Daily.

The high-speed train has reduced travel time between the two cities to two and a half hours.

“For me, Lu’an is like a second home. It’s beautiful, peaceful, and has everything I need, whereas Shanghai is highly cosmopolitan and hectic. I love both cities,” she said.

Shendzerava spends her leisure time exploring numerous destinations, including some hidden treasures in Lu’an. She has recorded dozens of vlogs on Douyin (Chinese version of TikTok) ranging from travel experiences to local Spring Festival celebrations, promoting the city. She has 15,000 followers.

“I love outdoor activities, and Lu’an with Dabie Mountains is exactly the place, as there are many fun places and they are easily accessible by car. I like local food such as various potted cuisines,” she said. “When my mother visited Lu’an, I served as the tour guide.”

Shendzerava’s story is a perfect example of a “tale of two cities.” Separated by hundreds of kilometers, Lu’an, a gem in the heart of Anhui steeped in natural beauty and traditional heritage, and Shanghai, a metropolis on the coast thriving on modernity and global vitality, are linked by culture, tourism and cooperation projects.

Tea culture

Situated on the western bank of the upper reaches of the Xianghongdian Reservoir, a tea-themed park in Mianchong Village seamlessly integrates tea production, cultural experiences, eco-tourism and leisure vacations.

Hailed as “China’s most beautiful tea valley,” the Lu’an West Tea Valley Theme Park features high-standard tea gardens and boutique homestays.

The Lu’an Guapian Intangible Cultural Heritage Inheritance and Experience Center is included in the tea valley as a collaborative project between Shanghai’s Qingpu District and Lu’an.

Lu’an Guapian, literally means “melon slice,” resides in the mist-shrouded Dabie Mountains. Renowned as one of China’s 10 most famous teas, it stands out for its distinctive flat, leaf-shaped appearance and a flavor profile that balances freshness and subtle sweetness.

With a history spanning over 300 years, the tea is not just a beverage but a cultural treasure, embodying the wisdom of traditional craftsmanship and the unique terroir of its mountainous origin.

The center includes an exhibition area dedicated to tea culture and processing and has received a total investment of approximately 15 million yuan (US$2.1 million).

Tea-themed study tours are becoming increasingly popular.

“These programs study tea picking, roasting, cultural inheritance and production. The park has drawn nearly 10,000 visitors, including student groups seeking immersive experiences,” said Deng Chunhui, Party secretary of Youfangdian Town, where the park is located.

The project enriches services such as catering, research and intangible cultural heritage inheritance experience in the tea valley. Through the in-depth integration of intangible cultural heritage and the tea industry, it has injected cultural momentum and industrial vitality into rural revitalization.

A tea cafe that opened in the theme park two months ago has already become a popular spot among tourists.

A cup of tea or coffee has created a new rural consumption scenario. During the National Day holiday in October, more than 1,000 tea and coffee drinks were sold daily, with many tourists willing to wait two hours just to take photos by the windows that overlook the tea mountains.

In September, the park opened a sightseeing pier covering 1 hectare, with a total investment of nearly 20 million yuan.

Shortly after its opening during the National Day holiday, it received over 1,500 visitors in a single day. Although most visitors to the park are from Shanghai, it has also welcomed foreign tourists, including those from Ethiopia.

“For travelers from Shanghai, the journey takes about three hours by high-speed rail to reach the Lu’an urban area, followed by an additional 40 minutes by car to Jinzhai County. They can easily leave in the afternoon and arrive in time for a local farm-style dinner,” explained Wang Hao, head of the project.

Among the investment, 7 million yuan came from Shanghai Huijingcai Management Consulting Co. The pier has a 505-square-meter tourist reception service center and ticket hall, nine cruise boats and 20 berths.

It is estimated to receive 150,000 tourists annually, generating an income of 10.5 million yuan and providing 20 employment posts.

“The idea of the investment originated following the significant changes and development of Lu’an and the opening of the high-speed railway. When we first came to Shanghai in 1997, it took more than 10 hours for a single trip by bus, which was overpacked with passengers,” Wang said.

“Investors from Shanghai truly see new opportunities in Lu’an’s cultural and tourism development, but more importantly, they have a sincere affection for this place,” Wang said, adding that the investment return cycle is estimated at 20 or even 30 years.

In the future, the terminal will successively launch projects such as sightseeing tours, water experiences, and private customization to meet tourists’ diversified needs.

“Next, we will develop the cruise routes into premium water tourism lines. For example, we will extend the routes to multiple islands, each with its own unique features,” Wang added.

Deng, the Youfangdian Town head, said the local rich heritage of tea culture, intertwined with natural resources, has established a fundamental basis for the growth of cultural and tourist industries.

On a nearby lake island, a high-end homestay complex is under construction and will open to the public in May, which will further boost local tourism reception capacity.

“Through the development model of integrating tea, culture and tourism, West Tea Valley receives over 450,000 tourists a year, driving the development of industries such as tea production and sales, homestays and catering, and promoting the increase of people’s income and prosperity,” Deng said.

In 2024, Lu’an received 68.7 million visitors and achieved a total tourism income of 52.2 billion yuan, representing a year-on-year growth of 21 percent and 29 percent, respectively.

From January to October this year, the cultural and tourism market remained booming, with 69.5 million visitors and total tourism revenue of 50.6 billion yuan, up 10.31 percent and 13.5 percent year on year.

Shanghai and Lu’an are actively exploring the tourism market and striving to build Lu’an into a high-quality leisure, vacation and health destination in the Yangtze River Delta region and Shanghai’s most beautiful “back garden.”

From 2023 to October 2025, Lu’an received a total of 7.56 million tourists from Shanghai.

Cultural and tourism departments in Lu’an have inked cooperation deals with their counterparts in Shanghai, establishing cooperative relations in cultural and tourism industry development, promotion and talent training.

More than 20 high-quality tourist routes connecting Shanghai and Lu’an have been established. Additionally, preferential policies have been introduced for employees from Shanghai and the Yangtze River Delta to participate in health tours in Lu’an.

Jinzhai County has collaborated with Shanghai-based online travel operator Lvmama Group to develop 55 types of cultural and creative products.

The Shanghai-Lu’an Cultural Relics Exhibition has rolled into Shanghai’s Songjiang, Jinshan and Qingpu districts this year in cooperation with the Site of the First National Congress of the Communist Party of China, drawing more than 34,000 visitors.

Lu’an has introduced 15 cultural and tourism projects from Shanghai, including homestays, health care, study tours and immersive performances, with an investment of 1.85 billion yuan.

High-end homestays like Trip.com Vacation Farm Jinzhai Dawang outlet, built with Shanghai-based online travel operator Trip.com, have generated nearly 3 million yuan in annual operating income and transformed and upgraded many nearby homestays.

Innovation leap

Shanghai’s advanced manufacturing industry has long supported Lu’an’s industrial upgrading and rural revitalization.

Intelligent equipment was operating at high speed in the workshop of Saphlux, a semiconductor technology company located inside the Lusong Modern Industrial Park in Lu’an, as workers busily fulfilled a batch of overseas orders.

The construction of the park emerged from the cooperation between Shanghai and Lu’an. In 2022, Songjiang District of Shanghai signed an agreement with Lu’an’s Jin’an District, establishing the park as an inter-provincial cooperation park and initiating its construction.

The park is located in the core area of the Jin’an Economic and Technological Development Zone, adjacent to Hefei City, with a planned area of approximately 15 square kilometers.

After three years of construction, the modern industrial park has gradually entered a stage of high-quality development.

Currently, the park has deployed production centers for multiple enterprises. From chip manufacturing to AI glasses, and from hydrogen energy production to battery research and development, green science and innovation industries are accelerating their development at the park.

Since 2022, the park has introduced 10 projects with an investment of more than 100 million yuan each, achieving fruitful results over the past three years, said Ding Jian from Songjiang, who serves as general manager of Liusong Modern Industrial Park Operation and Management Co.

“The park has a supreme geographic location, and Lu’an has offered its best plot for cooperation with Shanghai,” Ding said.

The majority of projects established in the park originate from Shanghai. Two additional projects from Shanghai are about to sign contracts, taking the total investment to 1.6 billion yuan.

In June, Saphlux’s Micro-LED display chip and module project, with a total investment of 300 million yuan, went into production. The company’s output value has exceeded 50 million yuan.

“Saphlux originally planned to place its R&D center in Songjiang, but during the negotiations, the company proposed the need for more production space. Coincidentally, Lu’an was very interested in this project. Finally, they decided to settle in Lu’an to build production lines for Micro-LED display chips and modules,” Ding said, adding that Lu’an has distinct advantages such as convenient transportation connecting Hefei and lower land costs.

At the park, Mingtian Hydrogen is a company dedicated to the development and application of clean energy, providing products and solutions for hydrogen energy transportation, energy storage stations and other fields in the hydrogen energy industry.

The company recently signed an order involving 500 hydrogen fuel cell heavy trucks. Currently, its systems power 113 public buses operating in Lu’an, Hefei and other cities, with a hydrogen consumption of less than 5 kilograms per 100 kilometers per vehicle, a leading indicator in the industry.

It has maintained close ties with Shanghai and cooperates with Tongji University, achieving important results in controlling fuel cell systems, building industrialization capacity and researching key technological projects.

The company plans to establish a global R&D center in Shanghai.

“We hope to achieve an in-depth business layout in Jiading Hydrogen Energy Port to better enter the global market,” said Zhang Jian, brand general manager of Mingtian Hydrogen.

The industrial park’s blueprint calls for an innovative industrial chain with technology incubation acceleration and innovation achievement transformation. A modern service industry system that relies on knowledge-based producer services will support the park’s innovation-driven development and future industry innovation hub.

The Shanghai-Lu’an cooperation is helping to grow two main industries, next-generation information technology and intelligent manufacturing, by bringing in electronic information, artificial intelligence and high-end equipment manufacturing.

New-energy vehicles and parts, intelligent vehicles and parts, and general aviation equipment manufacturing are attractive investment areas due to local industrial characteristics.