Nanning

Nanning
南宁
Namzningz
—  Prefecture-level city  —
City of Nanning 南宁市
Nanning Skyline
Location of the Nanning Prefecture in Guangxi
Nanning is located in China
Nanning
Location within China
Coordinates:
Country China
Province Guangxi
County-level divisions
Township divisions
Area
 - Prefecture-level city 22,293 km2 (8,607.4 sq mi)
Population (2006)
 - Prefecture-level city 6,480,000
 - Density 290.7/km2 (752.8/sq mi)
 - Urban 2,450,000
Time zone China Standard Time (UTC+8)
Postal code 530000
Area code(s) 771
License plate prefixes 桂A
Website www.nanning.gov.cn (Chinese)
Nanning
Chinese name
Simplified Chinese 南宁
Traditional Chinese 南寧
Literal meaning south prosperity
Zhuang name
Zhuang Namzningz

Nanning (simplified Chinese: 南宁; traditional Chinese: 南寧; pinyin: Nánníng, Zhuang: Namzningz, meaning 'South Tranquility') is the capital of Guangxi autonomous region in southern China. It is known as the "Green City" because of its abundance of lush tropical foliage.

Contents

History

A county seat called Jinxing was first established at the site in AD 318. This became the administrative seat of a commandery. Nanning was once the territory of the Baiyue people and became the capital of Jinxing Prefecture separated from Yulin Prefecture of the Eastern Jin Dynasty.

In 589 the commandery was suppressed, and the county was renamed Xuanhua. Under the Tang dynasty (618–907) the prefecture of Yong (Yongzhou) was established there; it was garrisoned to control the non-Chinese districts in Guangxi and on the Yunnan–Guizhou provincial border. In the mid-9th century the Tang and the Yunnan state of Nanzhao fought over it, and after 861 it was briefly occupied by Nanzhao. It remained a frontier prefecture throughout the Song dynasty (960–1279), being the scene of a rebellion led by Nong Zhigao in 1052 and thereafter a garrison town.

In the Yuan Dynasty in 1324, it was renamed Nanning Lu (an administrative division) of Yongzhou Lu meaning "May peace maintain in the southern frontier", hence the name Nanning. Historically, Nanning was famous for trade, and had permanent business offices from other areas in China since the Song Dynasty.

Under the Ming (1368–1644) and Qing (1644–1911) dynasties, it was a superior prefecture. In the Ming Dynasty Nanning developed into the commodity distributing center of the Zuojiang River and the Youjiang River with the reputation of "Little Nanjing".

Opened to foreign trade by the Chinese in 1907, Nanning grew rapidly. From 1912 to 1936 it was the provincial capital of Guangxi, replacing Guilin.

Early in the 20th century the city spilled over from the old walled city into a southern suburban area. In the 1930s Nanning became the centre of a "model provincial government" under the warlord Li Zongren, and a spacious modern city was laid out. During the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–45), Nanning was temporarily occupied in 1940 by the Japanese. It subsequently became an important U.S. air base supporting the Chinese armies in Guangxi, but during 1944–45 it was again under Japanese occupation.

In 1949 Nanning again became the provincial capital, first of Guangxi province and then (1958) of the renamed Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Until then Nanning had essentially been a commercial center dependent on Guangzhou and on the Xi River system. In the late 1930s a railway was begun, joining Hengyang in southern Hunan province with Guilin, Liuzhou, Nanning, and the Vietnam border, while another was begun from Liuzhou to Guiyang in Guizhou. The construction of the Nanning section of this line was halted in 1940 by the Japanese advances, however, and was not completed until 1951, after which Nanning was directly linked with central China; completion of a branch line to the port of Zhanjiang (in Guangdong) in 1957 gave it a direct outlet to the sea. During the French war in Indochina (1946–54), Nanning was the chief support base in China for the Vietnamese forces, and during the Vietnam War in the 1960s and early 1970s it again became a staging post for the sending of supplies southward to North Vietnam. It was also an important military supply center during the Sino-Vietnam confrontation in 1979.

Formerly an essentially commercial and administrative center, Nanning from 1949 experienced industrial growth. The city is surrounded by a fertile agricultural region producing subtropical fruits and sugarcane; food processing, flour milling, sugar refining, meatpacking, and leather manufacture are important in the city. Nanning has been a center for printing and paper manufacture, and it is also important in heavy industry.

After the recognition of the Zhuang ethnic minority in 1958, Nanning became the chief center for the training of Zhuang leaders. Guangxi University, a large medical school, and a school of agriculture all date from the 1920s.

A cavern at Yiling, 19 km to the northwest, has a 1,100 m passage through picturesque stalactites. In the 1970s colored lights were installed and the cavern was developed as a tourist attraction.

Nanning serves as host for the annual China-ASEAN EXPO (CASEAN EXPO) which began in 2005 and was the venue for the 2006 "World Robotics Olympiad".

Geography

Nanning
Climate chart ()
J F M A M J J A S O N D
 
 
35
 
17
10
 
 
43
 
18
12
 
 
59
 
22
15
 
 
97
 
27
20
 
 
186
 
30
23
 
 
207
 
32
25
 
 
219
 
33
25
 
 
205
 
33
25
 
 
128
 
32
24
 
 
66
 
28
20
 
 
40
 
24
15
 
 
25
 
20
11
average max. and min. temperatures in °C
precipitation totals in mm
source: CMA

Nanning is located in the southern part of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, 160 km from the border with Vietnam. It has an area of 22,293 square kilometers.[1]

The city is located on the north bank of the Yong River, the chief southern tributary of the Xi River, and lies some 30 km below the confluence of the Yu and the Zuo rivers. The Yong River (which later becomes the Yu River) affords a good route to Guangzhou and is navigable by shallow-draft junks and motor launches, even though it is obstructed by rapids and sandbanks.

Nanning is situated in a hilly basin with elevations between 70 and 500 m above sea-level. Qingxiu Mountain dominates the southern part of town.

Climate

Nanning has a warm, monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa). Summers are hot and humid with average highs almost reaching 33°C in July and August. Winters are mild and somewhat damp with 10°C average lows in January. It is often windy or breezy and very rainy in the city, with about 1,310 millimetres (51.6 in) of rainfall annually. Nanning is also frost-free for all but 3 or 4 days a year and snowfall is virtually unheard of in the city.

Climate data for Nanning (1971-2000)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 16.9
(62.4)		 18.0
(64.4)		 21.5
(70.7)		 26.6
(79.9)		 30.4
(86.7)		 32.1
(89.8)		 32.9
(91.2)		 32.7
(90.9)		 31.6
(88.9)		 28.4
(83.1)		 24.1
(75.4)		 20.2
(68.4)		 26.3
(79.3)
Average low °C (°F) 10.0
(50)		 11.5
(52.7)		 15.0
(59)		 19.6
(67.3)		 22.8
(73)		 24.9
(76.8)		 25.4
(77.7)		 25.2
(77.4)		 23.6
(74.5)		 20.2
(68.4)		 15.3
(59.5)		 11.3
(52.3)		 18.7
(65.7)
Rainfall mm (inches) 35.3
(1.39)		 42.6
(1.677)		 59.4
(2.339)		 97.1
(3.823)		 185.6
(7.307)		 207.1
(8.154)		 218.8
(8.614)		 205.3
(8.083)		 128.3
(5.051)		 65.5
(2.579)		 40.3
(1.587)		 24.5
(0.965)		 1,309.8
(51.567)
% Humidity 78 81 82 81 80 82 82 82 78 75 74 74 79.1
Avg. rainy days (≥ 0.1 mm) 11.1 13.2 13.8 13.6 16.6 16.3 16.8 16.2 10.5 8.5 6.8 5.9 149.3
Sunshine hours 69.6 56.7 61.8 91.4 144.0 161.1 196.8 186.1 185.6 163.7 144.2 123.7 1,584.7
Source: 中国气象局 国家气象信息中心

Flora and fauna

Nanning's warm climate gives it an large amount of biodiversity. There are many species of animals and more than 3,000 species of plants. The city flower is the Jaba flower, an evergreen shrub, and the city tree is the almond tree which is regarded as the backbone tree used for greening and landscaping throughout the city.

Administrative divisions

Districts of Nanning

Nanning has jurisdiction over 6 districts, 6 counties, and 6 development zones.

Districts:

Counties:

Development Zones:

Cityscape

Nanning is home of the 21st tallest building[2] in the People's Republic of China, the Diwang International Commerce Center (276 meters), currently the tallest building in Guangxi and southwestern China (excluding Chongqing). The second tallest building in Nanning is the World Trade Commerce City at 218 meters. The city currently has seven buildings taller than 100 meters, built or under construction.

Nanning has many parks with tropical lush green landscape, it is one of the "greenest" cities in China, and it's known as "Green City"(绿城). Nanning's downtown skyline is rapidly changing and the city is becoming an important hub in China.

Economy

Nanning Street

Nanning's GDP in 2007 was 106.3 billion RMB, which was a 17.1% growth over the previous year. The GDP per capita was ¥15,685 (US$2,147), ranking no. 116 among 659 Chinese cities. Foreign exports in 2007 were 10 billion USD. Foreign fixed asset investment was 34.3 billion RMB. Nanning has six development zones and industrial parks, three of which accounted for 6 billion RMB of Nanning's GDP, more than 8% of Nanning's total.

Mineral resources include gold, iron, manganese, aluminum, quartz, silver, indium, coal, marble, and granite. One third of China's different types of mineral resources are found in Nanning.

Industrial zones

Transportation

Nanning train station

Air

Rail

In November 2008 construction of a high-speed rail line from Nanning to Guangzhou began, which will cut travel time between the two cities from 13 hrs to 3 hrs. The line is set to be 577 km long, of which 61% will be in Guangxi, and will allow trains to run up to 200 km/hr. It will be completed in four years and cost about 41 billion yuan(about 6 billion U.S. dollars), according to the Ministry of Railways. The goal is to better integrate Pan-Pearl River Delta and southeast China with members of the ASEAN>[3]

Highways

Demographics

In 2006 , the total population of Nanning was 6.48 million, among which 2.45 million were urban residents after the adjustment of administrative divisions. Nanning is a city in which Zhuang ethnic group live in compact communities, and also the only city in all the autonomous regions of China with open coastal areas. Thirty-five ethnic groups live in compact communities in Nanning, including people of Zhuang, Han, Yao, Hui, Miao, Dong, and Man minorities. There is little serious ethnic tension because most of these urbanised ethnic minorities are indistinguishable from China's majority Han ethnic group.

Culture

Nanning is the center of science and technology, education, culture and health in Guangxi Province. There are altogether 54 scientific research institutes subordinate to districts. 10 colleges and 50 trade schools are training specialised personnel of all kinds. Now there are 62 mass cultural organizations, 13 performing groups, 8 cinemas, 285 projecting units, over 70 karaoke halls and over 1000 newsstands. Bookshops and cultural markets can be found everywhere.

Food

Nanning has not only local cuisine but also food from other areas of China and abroad. Traditional food culture can be found around most streets of Nanning. Nanning food shares the style of Cantonese food and of Southeast Asia. Chinese cuisine including Guangdong, Szechuan, Hunan and Jiangsu as well as Japanese, Thai and Western cuisines can be found.

Rice noodles are very popular among the Nanning people. Laoyou rice noodles are the most famous, while other noodle dishes such as Guilin rice noodles and hand made noodles can be found.

Tourism

Nanning is close to scenic Guilin, with its world famous hillscape, northern and western Guangxi and its minority villages, and the border with Vietnam in the south.

In 1998 alone, the city received 26,260 overseas tourists, earning foreign exchange totaling US$7.0663 million, some 5.01 percent of the city's total income. An addition of 6.89 million domestic visitors brought RMB 3.23 billion yuan into the city, some 19.95 percent of the total.

The major tourist attractions in Nanning are as following:

Colleges and universities

Note: Institutions without full-time bachelor programs are not listed.

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Nanning is twinned with:

References

  1. ↑ "Profile of Nanning" (in Chinese). http://www.xzqh.org/QUHUA/45gx/01nanning.htm. Retrieved 2008-06-11. 
  2. ↑ According to the table on List of tallest buildings in the People's Republic of China
  3. ↑ "China starts construction of Nanning-Guangzhou high-speed rail line". Xinhua. 9 November 2008. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-11/09/content_10332002.htm. Retrieved 28 August 2010. 

External links

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