|
Located in southern China, Guangxi shares a 1,020-kilometre border with Vietnam
and has a 1,595-kilometre coastline along the Beibuwan Gulf. Most areas of Guangxi
province are still lagging behind the nation"s economic development. However, its intact
and aesthetic scenery offers you an unforgettable experience. Guilin, as well as its
nearby area of
Yangshuo is Guangxi"s
best tourist destination. Both places are characterized by the stunning scenery of bizarre
karst limestone formations beside the clear blue water of the Lijiang River, the rice
paddy fields and the old picturesque villages. But with the onslaught of tourism Guilin is
now facing problems of soaring prices irritating commercial hype and overcrowding. Beihai is another famous
destination for great beaches and
beautiful islands, but some of the
development has been poorly coordinated and efforts to clean up the beach have only just
begun. Guangxi has a population of 45 million, with only a quarter of them living in urban
areas. Throughout history, Guangxi often witnessed conflicts between different ethnic
tribes and was the scene of several rebellions. The Taiping Tianguo Uprising
(1850-1864) originated in Guangxi. Nanning, literally
"South Peace", did not see peace until the Sino-Vietnam War ceased in 1979. Now
the provincial capital has made considerable progress and is the right place to check how
rapidly China has developed. There are also several sights around Nanning recommended for
a visit. The Detian Waterfall is the
second largest cross-border waterfall in the world and the Yiling Cave offers the best image formed
by karst formations. As one of the three ethnic autonomous regions in China and the heartland to China"s
largest minority group, the Zhuang (13 million), although they are thoroughly
assimilated into Chinese life today, there"s enough archeological evidence to link them
with a Bronze-Age culture spread throughout Southeast Asia, including a fantastic series
of prehistoric rock friezes surviving along the Zuo River near the open border with
Vietnam. Guangxi offers you numerous chances for close contact with the 12 ethnic groups
living here. The northeastern hills around Sanjiang and the town of Longsheng, are home to the
Dong, whose more actively traditional way of life makes for a fascinating trip. In Guangxi
there are numerous annual festivals such as the reed flute festival of the Miao people and
the firecracker festival of the Dong people, the most famous are the Dragon Boat
Race and Song Festival of the Zhuang people. Products of Guangxi include: rice, wheat, corn, potatoes, millet, sorghum, rape,
cassava, peanuts, sugar cane, tea, soybeans, hemp, silk cocoons, tobacco, oranges,
lychees, longans, bananas, pineapples, rubber, coffee, pepper, sisal hemp, tea oil,
lemongrass, sea products, Manganese, bauxite, salt, coal, plaster stone, sulphur, tin,
phosphorus, antimony, wolfram, iron and gold. |
|