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Nanning
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 Founded
during the Yuan dynasty, NANNING was only 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. Largely untouched
by the civil war and Japanese invasion, it became a
centre of supply and command during the Vietnam War
, when the Nanning-Hanoi rail line was used to transport
arms shipments via the border town of Pingxiang, 160km
away. Nanning saw particularly vicious street fighting
after these weapons were looted by rival Red Guard factions
during the Cultural Revolution. The military returned
for a decade when China and Vietnam came to blows in
1979, but following the resumption of cross-border traffic
in the 1990s the city is beginning to capitalize on
trade agreements with its neighbour.
Today, Nanning is a bright, easy-going place with a
mild boom town atmosphere and mix of leafy boulevards,
modern architecture and handful of narrow, colonial-era
streets. Amongst all this you'll find good shopping,
decent food, a museum strong on regional archeology,
and both international and domestic transport connections:
in particular, the nearby open border with Vietnam to
the west means that Nanning is the first - or final
- taste of China for an increasing number of independent
travellers.
To get the feel of Nanning's bustle, try wandering around
the crowded markets and lanes either west or southeast
of Chaoyang Lu among the remnants of the city's colonial
architecture. Along with chickens, ducks, turtles and
frogs, there's a mouthwatering variety of perfumed tropical
fruit , and the city has some of China's best longan (a
bit like a spherical lychee). Chaoyang Lu itself is mostly
modern, full of late-opening department stores overflowing
with shoes and clothing, all colourfully lit up with fairy
lights at night. Halfway along at the corner of Renmin
Dong Lu, Chaoyang Square is a nice area of tidy paving,
park benches and shady trees, popular with tai ji enthusiasts,
chess players, amateur musicians, groups dancing to country
and western tunes, and anyone after a breath of air in
the summer heat. West from here and parallel with Chaoyang
Lu, Xining Lu and its offshoots sport the city's most
attractive older facades, all lit with red lanterns around
the lunar New Year.
Better still are the waters and woodland of Renmin
Park (£¤2), a couple of square kilometres
of green about a twenty-minute walk east of the train
station on Renmin Dong Lu. Stone causeways zigzag across
the lake between islets inhabited by willows and chess
players, while on the eastern side, steps ascend to
Zhenning Fort , a defensive structure built in 1917
to house a 6" German naval cannon - a serious piece
of firepower in such a commanding position, with clear
views of the whole city. The tropical plants garden
(£¤2) below has a medicinal herb plot and
a carefully constructed undergrowth of philodendrons,
palms, heliconias and giant "elephant-ear"
taro, bird nest ferns and cycads - its private recesses
are very popular with young couples. A few kilometres
southwest at the #2 bus terminus, Nanhu Park (£¤2)
is worth a look during the annual fifth-month dragon-boat
festivals (usually early June), when a quarter of a
million people turn up to watch this colourful and thoroughly
joyful event. At other times the park is simply a peaceful
retreat, a huge, broad stretch of canal crossed by a
white humpbacked bridge.
Attractions
in Nanning
Neighboring
Areas: Yunnan, Guizhou, Hunan and Guangdong provinces
Population: 2.79 million
Area: 10,029 sq km
History: a history of over 1,600 years; used to be called Yongzhou (Tang dynasty),
Yongning prefecture (Song dynasty), Yongzhou headquarters
(Yuan dynasty), Nanning prefecture (Ming and Qing dynasties)
Climate situated
in sub-tropical monsoon area; enough sunlight and rainfall
Average Temperature: 21.7 C
Rivers: Yongjiang River
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Map
of China
