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First founded 1,600 years ago in the Tang
Dynasty (618-907AD), Nanning has a tradition as a military base. During World War II,
Nanning was the venue for several severe battles against Japanese invaders. Also as
the closest major Chinese city to Vietnam, Nanning became the home front during the
Sino-Vietnamese War (1979). But with the resumption of cross-border traffic in the 1990s
the city looks set to capitalize on future trade agreements with its neighbour. Nanning was a medium-sized market town until European traders opened a river route from
Wuzhou in the early twentieth century, starting a period of rapid growth which saw the
city supplanting Guilin
as the provincial capital. Now as the Capital city of the Guangxi Zhuang
Autonomous Region, Nanning has grown rapidly into a regional economic centre and
tourist destination. It has an urban population of about 1.3 million. With the Yong River
flowing through and picturesque scenery, Nanning is known as a garden city. It has two
beautiful parks: The Bailong Park and
the Nanhu Park. Other interesting
sights in the vicinity of Nanning include the Detian Waterfall and Yiling Cave. Nanning is a multi-national city. The indigenous people of Nanning is the Zhuang
Nationality, the largest Chinese minority with a population over 15 million. At the Guangxi Provincial Museum in Nanning you
can get an impression of distinctive local ethnic cultures. Nanning is also famous for
fruit, including bananas, oranges, pineapples, lychees, mangos, and longans. |
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