Huaibei occupies a corner of northern Anhui where the province meets Shandong, Jiangsu, and Henan — a crossroads that has given it a layered history out of proportion to its current profile. The city grew rapidly as a coal mining center in the mid-twentieth century, but as the mines have run down, Huaibei has made a genuine effort to reframe itself around its ancient heritage and its position on the old Sui-Tang Grand Canal.
The archaeological record here is exceptional. Han dynasty tombs with carved stone pictorial slabs are scattered through the surrounding countryside; the Huaibei City Museum presents a strong collection of these, along with artifacts from the Grand Canal era and Neolithic finds from the Shishanzi site. Linhuan, a district to the east, preserves ruins of an ancient city that was once a regional capital during the Sui and Tang dynasties. The walls and foundation platforms are still visible, and the scale of what's left suggests genuine importance.
For something more active, Longjishan mountain offers the Dragon's Backbone Sky Road — a 55-kilometer scenic route along a ridge, passable by car or bicycle, with sweeping views across the North China Plain. Xiangshan Park combines a historical Buddhist temple with more prosaic recreation facilities; the temple is the better reason to visit.
Huaibei has high-speed rail connections north to Nanjing and south toward Shanghai, though the station sits some distance from the city center. Local specialties worth trying include Kouzi baijiu, one of Anhui's notable liquors, and the sesame seed cakes that are sold at breakfast stalls throughout the region.