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. It is known as the "Green City" because of its abundance of lush tropical foliage. Nanning, the capital city of Guangxi, is not only the political, economic and cultural center of the province, but also plays an important role in the economic development of southwest China.

Nanning 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.

Tourism
As the linking point of the tour route from Guilin to Beihai, Nanning has a lot of attractions to offer: grand De Tian Waterfall, beautiful Mt. Qingxiu and Mt. Daming, quiet Yangmei Ancient Town, mysterious Huashan Mural as well as scattered parks and gardens. Visitors will be enchanted and may want to spend more time in the city. Delicious local foods such as various porridges and rice noodles as well as Suanye (fermented fruits and vegetables) cannot be enjoyed anywhere else in China.

Nanning is a modern city. Accommodation and shopping are diverse and well developed for visitors. Hotels and hostels of different standards can meet various needs. In the city's commercial center, supermarkets, department stores, specialty commodity streets, bookstores and other retail markets offer a variety of merchandise. When night falls, colorful street lamps lit the city. Under the lights, the locals become active, visiting nightclubs, gyms, bars, and coffee houses. People of all ages can be seen walking or relaxing in the city's many squares or along the river.

Language
Nanning's main language is a Cantonese dialect known by local as "Nanning Hua". Though older people speak this dialect, the younger generation mainly speak Mandarin (putonghua). Nanning is regarded as one of the most successful cities in China in terms of popularizing Mandarin or China's "common language". For this reason Nanning is a very good place for foreigners to learn standard putonghua. Many Nanning universities offer Chinese courses, including Guangxi University for Nationalities and Guangxi University.

Economy Development
Nanning has an open door policy that encourages foreign investment and joint ventures. With a subtropical climate, strong agricultural base, growing tourist industry, and emerging textile, chemical, machinery, electrical and Information Technology industries, the region in the last two decades has emerged as one of the most vigorous border areas of China. As a regional capital on a complex border, it has also had an exciting and at times controversial history.

Nanning borders Vietnam, is neighbor to Guangzhou, close to Hong Kong and Macau, and faces Southeast Asia. This advantageous location makes the city a commercial and communication center, opening China to Southeast Asia.

In history, Nanning, as a border city in south China, had close economic and cultural exchanges with Indo-China, and the countries and regions in southeast Asia. Backed onto the vast land of south-west China, facing southeast Asia and linking with Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, Nanning is now the political, economic and financial centre of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and an important place in the thoroughfare that links south with north, and east with west in south China. Therefore, the city has great potentialities and brilliant prospects in the fields of economic and technological cooperation, import and export trade, economic development and cultural exchanges.

Nanning served as host for annual China-ASEAN EXPO (CASEAN EXPO) in 2005 and as the venue for the 2006 "World Robotics Olympiad". More information about the CASEAN EXPO...

Nanning welcomes visitors from all over the world. Its beautiful subtropical scenery and exotic ethnic minority culture have been attracting millions of tourists for years.

China tours inclusive of visiting Nanning