Nanning is the capital of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, with a population of 620,000.
First built in the Jin Dynasty ( 265-420 ), it went by the name of Yongzhou Prefecture in
the Tang(618-907) and was made the seat of Nanning Prefecture in the Ming and Qing dynasties
(1368-1911). Major scenic attractions include the People's Park and Yiling Rock. Hotels are
well equipped, including the Yongjiang Hotel, Mingyuan Hotel and Xiyuan Hotel. I stayed at the
Nanning International Hotel and it was quite nice. To the welcome of tourists are Zhuang
brocade, grass cloth, shell carving and bamboo curtain, in addition to such products as
pearl, squid, longan and shaddock.
More than 60% of the population in Nanning are Zhuang people, who are China's
largest minority and virtually indistinguishable from Han. The much different
people are Miao and Dong who usually sell silver bracelets and earrings on the
streets.
Guangxi is known as the "Sea of Songs", because the Zhuang people are famous for singing
their way through life.They sing of love,of longing, of play, of work, of sadness, of
happiness, of celebration and of mourning. They sing to urge guess to drink at parties
and to urge the gods to send rain for the crops. The Zhuangs also challenge each other's
wit with antiphonal songs. Every spring and autumn, young people dress up and gather
together to sing such songs at the "Singing Festival".
The city benefits economically from the thriving border trade with Vietnam,
connected with Guangxi via a railway built in 1952.
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