Nanning： A MetropolisEnjoying a Splendid History

As night falls， Nanning， a metropolis situated on the banks of the Yong River -- the chief southern tributary of the Xi River， begins to reveal her true colours. With lights brilliantly illuminated everywhere， the city looks magnificent， just like a carnival. Linked with Guangdong province， Hong Kong （China） and Macao （China） to the east， Nanning serves as an axis city on the vast land of southwest China， a gateway to Southeast Asia， and one of the new highlights of China’s economic development.

As the provincial capital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region， the city boasts its glittering skyscrapers and bustling commercial centres. However， there is another side to Nanning， which is less well known： this is a land with unique ethnic and historical factors. The flow of the Yong River is running as slow as many years ago， nurturing generations of local people and fostering a splendid culture； Zhuang girls are weaving brocades on the loom， passing down the marvelous craft of Zhuang to younger generations； local voices are still singing love songs that have contributed to many couples...

May peace prevail in the southern frontier

There is a bustling scene when your attention is shifted to today’s Nanning： vast cargo ships loaded with building materials constantly arrive in the city’s docks， feeding one of the booms in the world. Reputed as the “Little Nanjing”， Nanning has attracted newcomers from all corners of the country with its prosperity， fashion， dynamism and energy. In vivid contrast to its shining glory in modern days， Nanning also left us a long and profound history.

During the Yuan Dynasty （1206-1368）， Nanning gained its name in 1314， meaning “may peace prevail in the southern frontier” in Chinese.

Dating back to the Eastern Jin Dynasty （317-420）， Nanning became the capital of Jinxing Prefecture， which was under the jurisdiction of Yulin Prefecture -- an area that had long been the territory of Baiyue ethnic minority. Because of its location on the north bank of the Yong River， Nanning was named by the Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty （618-907） as Yongzhou from which the word “Yong”， shortened form for Nanning， was thus obtained. After centuries of development， there are seven districts and five counties under its jurisdiction， namely Qingxiu District， Xingning District， Jiangnan District， Liangqing District， Yongning District， Xixiangtang District， Wuming District， Shanglin County， Heng County， Long’an County， Mashan County and Binyang County.

An archaic world behind the bustling downtown

The neon lights of Nanning have faded away gradually as we approach an ancient town located in the downstream of the Zuojiang River -- Yangmei Ancient Town. If you want to discover the most traditional culture of Nanning， please go and learn the stories behind these aged architectures spreading here.

Yangmei Ancient Town was originally founded in the Song Dynasty （960-1279）， with well-preserved cultural heritages found throughout the whole town： ancient streets， ancient alleys， ancient temples， ancient houses， trees， ancient gates， wharfs， etc. Entering the town， old houses of the Ming （1368-1644） and Qing （1616-1912） Dynasties are presented one by one， as well as other historical relics like Qizhu house， Juren’s （the former second degree candidate in the provincial examination） house， Jinshi’s （the former third degree candidate in the national civil service examination） house， carved eaves and lichened basement， from which a sense of peace and mildness is pervading.

When Yangmei Ancient Town was in its prime time brought by waterway transportation， people from Shandong province and Guangdong province settled and ran business here. Nowadays， local residents have hardly altered their lifestyles： women are often doing embroidery by the gates of their houses， portraying a peaceful and undisturbed countenance； local people sitting in the yard are appreciating the Yue Opera， an art as old as the town itself， recalling the feelings of past times… Far away from the pressures of modern life， Yangmei Ancient Town is an ideal place to re-discover your inner peace and grasp the spirits of China’s long history.

A glimpse of rich cultural relics

Nanning is a vast metropolis that is home to millions of people. This busy modern city may seem like an unlikely place for traditional beliefs and customs. However， beneath her contemporary veneer， it’s possible to catch a glimpse of the ancient Nanning in the following places.

Situated in the downtown area of Nanning， the Museum of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region will immediately catch your eyes with its glorious modern style. As a landmark of this modern city as well as Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region， the Museum was originally built in Nanning in 1934. There are more than 50，000 cultural relics displaying for visitors， including 400 bronze drums. And thousands of ancient books collected here will show you the old time of Guangxi.

Behind the exhibition building， there is the Guangxi Ethnic Relics Center -- a platform for visitors to fully appreciate the enchanting and unique customs of the minorities in Guangxi. Typical buildings of several minorities can be seen here， such as dwelling houses of Zhuang people， bamboo buildings of Yao people， houses constructed on water by Miao people and the drum-towers of Dong people. On top of that， tourists visiting these buildings will be treated with their unique folk dishes. How time flies！ These vast precious cultural relics would serve as powerful proofs of Nanning’s history and the key to a new chapter of Nanning.

A dynamic city riding on the wind

In an age of rapid change and colliding cultures， Nanning has continually given full expression to its charms and created another myth on this land.

By virtue of abundant natural resources， such as water resources， mineral resources， agricultural and sideline product resources， animal and plant resources， Chinese herbal medicine resources and tourist resources， Nanning has made an unprecedented development with good benefits for years. Furthermore， CAEXPO held in Nanning once a year has made it one of the gateway cities for opening up in China.

As a city at the junction between the coastal areas and the hinterland areas， Nanning possesses a perfect traffic network that extends in all directions by water， land and air. In order to upgrade its overall competitive power and bring its city function into full play， Nanning has followed the idea of making proper use of urban space and further expanding urban frame structure and introduced new concept for city planning.

Nanning， like a huge steamboat equipped with a double-turbo engine， is sailing fast towards a brilliant future.

Nanning International Folk Song Arts Festival： Nanning is a place that folk songs dearly love. Nanning International Folk Song Arts Festival was founded in 1993. Since then， in every golden autumn， friends and guests from all over the world gather in this city to form an art communication feast.

San Yue San （Zhuang Folk Song）

Festival： It is the most ceremonious festival for Zhuang people. On the annual lunar March 3rd， Zhuang people hold various interesting singing games to celebrate this ancient festival. Other traditional customs and activities include bamboo pole dancing， steaming five-color glutinous rice， making colored eggs， and throwing embroidered balls.

Binyang Firecracker Dragon Festival： Praised as “the Rugby in the East”， this festival is held on the eleventh day of the first lunar month annually. Binyang Firecracker Dragon Festival includes the entertaining activity that local residents make a firecracker dragon of 40 meters long， and a dancer， with a red ribbon and bare back， leads the dragon by lighting firecrackers. Every family welcomes the dragon and lights firecrackers. What a sight to behold it is！

Heng County Jasmine Festival： Heng County has won the title of the “Home of Jasmine”. This festival is held in every August， featuring an opening ceremony， a fair and tea ceremony demonstrations.

Souvenirs

Zhuang Brocade： It is a very famous souvenir in Nanning， attracting many tourists from different countries. This kind of brocade has a long history that can be traced back to the Tang and Song Dynasties. Until the Ming and Qing Dynasties， Zhuang brocade became popular. Local people use them to decorate their rooms. And the traditional patterns of Zhuang brocade are ten thousand word lines， water and ripple lines， cloud thunder line， chrysanthemum line， etc.

Xiuqiu （Embroidered Ball）： It is a kind of ball made of strips of silk and used for token of love between young men and women in the region of Zhuang ethnic group. Xiuqiu is about 6 centimeters in diameter， with beans or sands inside it.