淮南市

Han-dynasty prince 刘安, king of 淮南 (179-122 BCE), is traditionally credited with inventing tofu while experimenting with soybean alchemy at his court on 八公山. His compiled text 《淮南子》 is one of the most important surviving Han philosophical anthologies, blending Daoist and Legalist thought. Modern Huainan markets itself as 豆腐发源地 ('birthplace of tofu').

The city sits on the 淮河 — the traditional line between north and south China in climate, cuisine, and (for much of history) political control. Today it's a major coal and electricity producer, supplying much of eastern China's grid.