Nanning 南宁 Namzningz
—  Prefecture-level city  —
南宁市 · Namzningz Si
Nanning Skyline
Location of the Nanning Prefecture in Guangxi
Nanning Location within China
Coordinates: 22°49′N 108°19′E / 22.817°N 108.317°E / 22.817; 108.317Coordinates: 22°49′N 108°19′E / 22.817°N 108.317°E / 22.817; 108.317
Country	People's Republic of China
Region	Guangxi
County-level divisions
Township divisions
Area
• Prefecture-level city	22,189 km2 (8,567 sq mi)
• Urban	6,559 km2 (2,532 sq mi)
• Metro	5,264 km2 (2,032 sq mi)
Population (2010 census)
• Prefecture-level city	6,661,600
• Density	300/km2 (780/sq mi)
• Urban	2,875,220
• Urban density	440/km2 (1,100/sq mi)
• Metro	2,480,340
• Metro density	470/km2 (1,200/sq mi)
Time zone	China Standard Time (UTC+8)
Postal code	530000
Area code(s)	771
License plate prefixes	桂A
Website	Nanning.gov.cn

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

History[link]

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 which was separated from Yulin Prefecture of the Eastern Jin Dynasty.

In 589 the Jinxing commandery was dissolved, and the county was renamed Xuanhua. Under the Tang dynasty (618–907) the prefecture of Yong (邕州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[link]

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[link]

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.

Flora and fauna[link]

Nanning's warm climate gives it a 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[link]

Districts of Nanning

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

Districts:

• Xingning District (兴宁区)
• Qingxiu District (青秀区)
• Jiangnan District (江南区)
• Xixiangtang District (西乡塘区)
• Liangqing District (良庆区)
• Yongning District (邕宁区)

Counties:

• Wuming County (武鸣)
• Long'an County (隆安)
• Mashan County (马山)
• Shanglin County (上林)
• Binyang County (宾阳)
• Heng County (横县)

Development Zones:

• Nanning High-Tech Business DZ (南宁高新技术产业开发区)
• Nanning Economic and technology DZ (南宁经济技术开发区)
• Nanning Overseas Chinese Investment Zone (南宁华侨投资区)
• Nanning Qingxiu Mountain Resort/ Tourism Area (南宁青秀山风景名胜旅游区)
• Nanning Xiangsi Lake New Area (南宁相思湖新区)
• Nanning Liujing Industrial Park (南宁六景工业园区)

Cityscape[link]

Nanning is home of the 21st tallest building^[2] in the People's Republic of China, the Diwang International Commerce Center (276 m), 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[link]

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[link]

• Guilin High-tech Industrial Development Zone
• Nanning Economic & Technological Development Area

Transportation[link]

Nanning train station

Air[link]

• Nanning Wuxu International Airport

Rail[link]

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/h. 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]

There are also plans to build a high-speed railway to Pingxiang on the Vietnamese border.^[4]

Highways[link]

• China National Highway 210

Demographics[link]

At 2010 census, the total population of Nanning was 6,611,600, among which 2,875,220 million were urban residents (after the adjustment of administrative divisions) and 2,480,340 million in the built up area made of 5 out of 6 urban districts. 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.

Culture[link]

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[link]

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[link]

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:

• Qingxiu Mountains Landscape (a park at provincial level)
• Guangxi Museum
• Guangxi Medicinal Botanical Garden
• Liangfengjiang River Scenic Spot (a state forest reserve)
• Phoenix Lake Holiday Site
• Minorities Cultural Relics Center
• Western Suburbs Zoo (including the country's largest Crocodile, Elephant,and Hippopotamus Enclosure)
• Golden Scented-Tea Park (the country's largest base for golden scented tea seeds)
• The Ruins of the Battlefield of Kunlunguan
• Yangmei Ancient Town
• Lingshui Hot Spring (a large constant hot spring)
• Mingxiu Park
• Daming Muntain
• The Beiqiu ruins of Dingshishan Mountain (one of 1997's 10 Greatest Archaeological Discoveries in China.)

Hotels[link]

• Nanning Marriott

Colleges and universities[link]

• Guangxi University (广西大学) (founded 1928) features Xingjian College (added in 2005)
• Guangxi University for Nationalities (广西民族大学)
• Guangxi Medical University (广西医科大学)
• Guangxi Traditional Chinese Medical University (广西中医学院)
• Guangxi Teachers College (广西师范学院) (founded 1953)
• Guangxi Arts College (广西艺术学院)
• Guangxi University of Finance and Economics (广西财经学院)
• Guangxi Educational College (广西教育学院)

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

International relations[link]

Twin towns — sister cities[link]

Nanning is twinned with:

• Grudziądz, Poland (2011)
• Bundaberg, Queensland, Australia (1998)
• Provo, Utah, United States (2000)
• Klagenfurt am Wörthersee, Austria (2001)
• Amphoe Mueang Khon Kaen, Khon Kaen Province, Thailand (2001)
• Davao City, Philippines (2006)
• Ipoh, Malaysia (2001)
• Yangon, Myanmar (2009)^[5]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Nanning

• Nanning Government website (Chinese)
• Nanning Government website (English)
• Nanning Here: citizen life introduction (English)
• Nanning Tourism Information Network
• Agricultural Information Network in Nanning City
• Nanning City Library
• Nanning Local TV Station

v t e Provincial capitals of the People's Republic of China Changchun, Jilin Changsha, Hunan Chengdu, Sichuan Fuzhou, Fujian Guangzhou, Guangdong Guiyang, Guizhou Haikou, Hainan Hangzhou, Zhejiang Harbin, Heilongjiang Hefei, Anhui Hohhot, Inner Mongolia Jinan, Shandong Kunming, Yunnan Lanzhou, Gansu Lhasa, Tibet Nanchang, Jiangxi Nanjing, Jiangsu Nanning, Guangxi Shenyang, Liaoning Shijiazhuang, Hebei Taiyuan, Shanxi Ürümqi, Xinjiang Wuhan, Hubei Xi'an, Shaanxi Xining, Qinghai Yinchuan, Ningxia Zhengzhou, Henan

Mackinac

Native name: Michilimackinac
Topographic map of Mackinac island
Mackinac Island Mackinac Island (Michigan)
Geography
Location	Lake Huron
Coordinates	45°51′40″N 84°37′50″W / 45.86111°N 84.63056°W / 45.86111; -84.63056Coordinates: 45°51′40″N 84°37′50″W / 45.86111°N 84.63056°W / 45.86111; -84.63056
Total islands	Three
Major islands	Mackinac, Bois Blanc, Round
Area	3.776 sq mi (9.78 km2)
Coastline	8 mi (13 km)
Highest elevation	890 ft (271 m)
Highest point	Fort Holmes
Country
United States
State	Michigan
Largest city	Mackinac Island (pop. 492)
County	Mackinac County
Demographics
Population	492 residents and as many as 15,000 tourists per day during peak season (as of 2010)
Density	50.31 /km2 (130.3 /sq mi)
Ethnic groups
Mackinac Island
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark District
Michigan State Historic Site
Cyclists on M-185 (Main Street) at mile marker 0 in downtown Mackinac Island
Location:	Mackinac Island, Michigan
Governing body:	State
NRHP Reference#:	66000397[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP:	October 15, 1966
Designated NHLD:	October 9, 1960[3]
Designated MSHS:	July 19, 1956[2]

Mackinac Island ( /ˈmækɨnɔː/ MAK-in-aw) is an island and resort area covering 3.8 square miles (9.8 km²) in land area, part of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located in Lake Huron, at the eastern end of the Straits of Mackinac, between the state's Upper and Lower Peninsulas.^[4] The island was home to a Native American settlement before European exploration began in the 17th century. It served a strategic position amidst the commerce of the Great Lakes fur trade. This led to the establishment of Fort Mackinac on the island by the British during the American Revolutionary War. It was the scene of two battles during the War of 1812.^[5]

In the late 19th century, Mackinac Island became a popular tourist attraction and summer colony. Much of the island has undergone extensive historical preservation and restoration; as a result, the entire island is listed as a National Historic Landmark. It is well known for its numerous cultural events; its wide variety of architectural styles, including the famous Victorian Grand Hotel; its fudge; and its ban on almost all motor vehicles. More than 80 percent of the island is preserved as Mackinac Island State Park.^[6]

Description[link]

An Arnold Line high-speed catamaran used to transport people to and from the island

Mackinac Island is about 8 miles (13 km) in circumference and 3.8 square miles (9.8 km²) in total area.^[4] The highest point of the island is the historic Fort Holmes (originally called Fort George by the British before 1815), which is 320 feet (98 m) above lake level and 890 feet (271 m) above sea level.^[7] According to the 2010 census, the island has a year-round population of 492.^[8] The population grows considerably during the summer as hotels, restaurants, bars and retail shops, open only during the summer season, hire short-term employees to accommodate as many as 15,000 visitors per day.^[9][10]

Two of the modes of transport on Mackinac Island, horse-drawn carriages and bicycles

The island can be reached by private boat, by ferry, by small aircraft, and in the winter, by snowmobile over an ice road. The airport has a 3,500-foot (1,070 m) paved runway, and charter air service from the mainland is available.^[11] In the summer tourist season, ferry service is available from Arnold Transit Company, Shepler's Ferry, and Star Line Ferry to shuttle visitors to the island from St. Ignace and Mackinaw City.^[12]

Motorized vehicles have been prohibited on the island since 1898, with the exception of snowmobiles during winter, emergency vehicles, and service vehicles. Travel on the island is either by foot, bicycle, or horse-drawn carriage. Roller skates and roller blades are also allowed, except in the downtown area. Bicycles, roller skates/roller blades, carriages, and saddle horses are available for rent. An 8-mile (13 km) road follows the island's perimeter, and numerous roads, trails and paths cover the interior.^[13] The road encircling the island and closely hugging the shoreline is M-185, the United States' only state highway without motorized vehicles.^[14]

The island is the location of Mackinac Island State Park, which covers approximately 80 percent of the island and includes Fort Mackinac as well as portions of the island's historic downtown and harbor. No camping is allowed on the island, but numerous hotels and bed and breakfasts are available.^[12][15]

The downtown streets are lined with many retail stores, candy shops, and restaurants. A popular item at the candy shops is the locally produced and nationally known "Mackinac Island Fudge", leading to tourists sometimes being referred to as "fudgies". Many shops sell a variety of fudge, and some of the confectioners have been operating for more than a century. The popularity of the fudge has led to the sales and marketing of Mackinac Island fudge not only throughout Michigan, but outside the state as well.^[16][17][18]

History[link]

Historical Marker at British Landing

Archaeologists have excavated prehistoric fishing camps on Mackinac Island and in the surrounding areas. Fishhooks, pottery, and other artifacts establish a Native American presence at least 700 years before European exploration, around AD 900. The island is a sacred place in the tradition of some of its earliest known inhabitants, the Anishinaabe (Ojibwa) tribes, who consider it to be home to the Gitche Manitou, or the "Great Spirit". According to legend, Mackinac Island was created by the Great Hare, Michabou and was the first land to appear after the recession of the Great Flood.^[19] The island was a gathering place for the local tribes where their offerings were made to Gitche Manitou and was where tribal chiefs were buried.^[20]

The first European likely to have seen Mackinac Island is Jean Nicolet, a French-Canadian coureur de bois, during his 1634 explorations. The Jesuit priest Claude Dablon founded a mission for the Native Americans on Mackinac Island in 1670, and stayed over the winter of 1670–71. Dablon's fall 1671 successor, the missionary and explorer Jacques Marquette, moved the mission to St. Ignace soon after his arrival.^[21][22] With the mission as a focus, the Straits of Mackinac quickly became an important French fur trading location. The British took control of the Straits of Mackinac after the French and Indian War and Major Patrick Sinclair chose the bluffs of the island for Fort Mackinac in 1780.^[5][20]

Although the British built Fort Mackinac to protect their settlement from attack by French-Canadians and native tribes, the fort was never attacked during the American Revolutionary War, and the entire Straits area was officially acquired by the United States through the Treaty of Paris in 1783. However, much of the British forces did not leave the Great Lakes area until after Jay's Treaty established U.S. sovereignty over the Northwest Territory in 1794.^[23] During the War of 1812, the British captured the fort in the first battle of the conflict because the Americans had not yet heard that war had been declared. The victorious British attempted to protect their prize by building Fort George on the high ground behind Fort Mackinac. In 1814, the Americans and British fought a second battle on the north side of the island. The American second-in-command, Major Andrew Hunter Holmes, was killed and the Americans failed to recapture the island.

The statue of Père Jacques Marquette—Jesuit Priest and Great Lakes explorer in front of Fort Mackinac

Despite this outcome, the Treaty of Ghent forced the British to return the island and surrounding mainland to the U.S. in 1815. The United States reoccupied Fort Mackinac, and renamed Fort George Fort Holmes, after Major Holmes.^[5][7] Fort Mackinac remained under the control of the United States government until 1895 and provided volunteers to defend the Union during the American Civil War. The fort even served as a prison for three Confederate sympathizers.^[20]

John Jacob Astor's American Fur Company was centered on Mackinac Island after the War of 1812 and exported beaver pelts for thirty years. By the middle of the 19th century, commercial fishing for whitefish and lake trout began to replace the fur trade as the island's primary industry. As sport fishing became more popular in the 1880s, hotels and restaurants accommodated tourists coming by train or lake boat from Detroit and similar cities.^[5]

Following the Civil War, the island became a popular tourist destination for residents of cities on the Great Lakes. Much of the federal land on Mackinac Island was designated as the second national park, Mackinac National Park, in 1875, just three years after Yellowstone was designated as the first national park. To accommodate an influx of tourists in the 1880s, the boat and railroad companies built hotels, including the Grand Hotel. Souvenir shops began to spring up as a way for island residents to profit from the tourists. Many wealthy industrialists built summer cottages along the island's bluffs for extended stays. When the federal government left the island in 1895, all of the federal land, including Fort Mackinac, was given to the state of Michigan and became Michigan's first state park. The Mackinac Island State Park Commission appointed to oversee the island has limited private development in the park and requires leaseholders to maintain the island's distinctive Victorian architecture.^[6][24]

Motor vehicles were restricted at the end of the 19th century because of concerns for the health and safety of the island's residents and horses after local carriage drivers complained that automobiles startled their horses. This ban continues to the present with exceptions only for emergency and construction vehicles.^[20][25]