Nanning
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South China (华南) » Guangxi (广西) » Nanning (南宁)
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[edit] Overview
Nanning (南宁) is the capital of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. It is the political, economic, cultural, science and technology, education, financial center of the region.
Nanning is located in the southwest side of Guangxi. It borders Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macau to the east. It's an important hub and the only coastal city in the western region of China.
Nanning has a humid subtropical climate. It is known as the "Green City" because of its lush foliage due to ample sunshine and abundant rainfall.
| Nanning |
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| Nanning has a humid subtropical climate. It is known as the |
[edit] History
Nanning belonged to the Baiyue people (百越) in ancient times. About 1680 years ago (318 AD), Nanning was called Jinxing (晋兴县城) when it was first established as a county seat.
In 634 AD of the Tang Dynasty, Nanning was renamed to Yongzhou (邕州), and then in 1314 AD of Yuan Dynasty, the name was changed to Nanning (or South Peace) to reflect the central government's effort to maintain peace in the southern border. Nanning was chosen as the capital of the autonomous region, when the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region was established in 1958.
[edit] Snapshot
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| Location | Latitude: 107°45′─108°51′ East, Longitude: 22°13′─23°32′ North. Mid-south of Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. Borders Vietnam to the southwest, Yunnan to the west, Guangdong to the east. | ||
| Geography | elevations between 70 and 500 m above sea-level. | |||
| Nearby Areas | Yulin, Guangxi, Liuzhou, Guicheng, Beihai | |||
| Area - Total - Urban area | 22,293 km² (8,607.4 sq mi) 6,476 km² (2,500 sq mi) | Population - Total - Urban area | 6.48 million 2.49 million | |
| Weather - Avg. Temp - Rainfall | 21.7°C/71.1°F 1300 mm /51.18 inch | People & Culture | 35 ethnic groups (including Zhuang, Han, Yao, Hui, Miao, Dong, and Man minorities) with the Zhuang people as majority (56.3% of the total population). | |
| Mountains | Qingxiu Mountain | Rivers |
Yong Jiang (邕江), You Jiang River (右江), Zhuo Jiang River (左江), Red Water River (红水河) | |
| Economy | Manufacture, Real Estate, Servicing | Phone Area Code, Postal Code | 0771, 530000 | |
[edit] Map
Click here to open Nanning map.
[edit] Weather
Current Conditions (2010-09-03 20:00:00, local time)
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Nanning |
Temp: 84°F (29°C) |
Nanning Weather Forecast
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| Weather averages for Shenzhen | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
| Avg high °C (°F) | 11 (51) | 12 (53) | 15 (59) | 19 (67) | 23 (73) | 25 (77) | 26 (78) | 26 (78) | 23 (74) | 20 (68) | 16 (60) | 12 (53) | |
| Avg low °C (°F) | 11 (51) | 12 (53) | 15 (59) | 19 (67) | 23 (73) | 25 (77) | 26 (78) | 26 (78) | 23 (74) | 20 (68) | 16 (60) | 12 (53) | |
| Rain mm (inches) | 29.7 (1.17) | 29.7 (1.17) | 52.1 (2.05) | 58.2 (2.29) | 133.6 (5.26) | 164.8 (6.49) | 176.5 (6.95) | 127 (5.00) | 79.8 (3.14) | 39.1 (1.54) | 28.7 (1.13) | 17.3 (0.68) | |
| Source: per MSN 2008 | |||||||||||||
[edit] Getting in & Getting out
[edit] By Air
Nanning Wuwei Airport (南宁吴圩机场) is about 32 kilometers from the city center. It has direct flights to many major cities in mainland China, and also Hong Kong, Hanoi, Bangkok, and some other foreign cities.
Airport traffic:
1. There are daily airport shuttles running between the airports and the urban areas. Shuttles start to run from the airport from 5:30 am until the last flight. The fare is 15 yuan. Passengers can get off at stops in between, but can not get on from these stops.
The city terminal is located at the Civil Aviation Ticket Office near the railway station. The shuttles leave there from 5:30am until 7:00pm.
2. Public bus line 301 also runs between the airport and the urban areas. The fare is 2 yuan.
3. The cost for a taxi ride between the airport and the urban areas is negotiable, generally in the 40-50 RMB range. The trip takes about 40 minutes.
4. A number of hotels provide vehicles to pick up and take customer to and from the airport and the urban areas.
[edit] By Train
Nanning is connected to other backbone railways to the north, Guangzhou and Zhanjiang to the east, Qinzhou, Fangcheng, and Beihai (all inside Guangxi) to the south, and Hanoi, Vietnam to the southwest.
Nanning Railway Station is located in the middle section of the Zhonghua Road. Trains go to Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Changsha and other cities daily. Nanning also serves as the major transit station for passengers going to other smaller cities in Guangxi, such as Qinzhou, Beihai, Guilin, Baise.
Nanning Railway Station is served by bus lines #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #202, #203, #212, #213, #301. From here, buses go to many popular places in the city, including the National Square (民族广场), Weiwu Airport and several other long-distance bus terminals in the city.
[edit] By Bus
Nanning is only 204 km from Beihai, 104 km from Qinzhou, 172 km from Fangchenggang City, and 180 km from the Vietnam border.
Nanning is served by 7 national highways, including National Highway 209, 210, 322, 324, 325, Yu-Zhan Highway (Chongqing - Guiyang - Nanning - Zhanjiang) and Heng-Kun Highway (Hengyang - Nanning - Kunming). You can reach all major cities in China and other smaller cities in Guangxi through highways from Nanning.
[edit] Getting Around
[edit] By Public Bus
The fare for regular buses is 1 RMB, and for air-conditioned bus lines, the fare 2 RMB.
Bus lines 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 202, 203, 212, 213, 301 go to the major spots in the city, such as the National Square, Weiwu Airport, and several long-distance bus terminals.
Buses operate generally from 6:00 AM - 11:00 PM. The routes and fare are clearly marked at the bus stops.
[edit] By Tour Bus
[edit] By Taxi & Rental Car
Most of taxis in Nanning are painted in red. The starting fare for regular taxis is 6 RMB plus 1.2 RMB per kilometer. The starting fare for high-end taxis, such as Santana, is 7 RMB plus 1.6 RMB per kilometer.
There are taxi stops on the main streets. Taxis stop within 5 meters from these stops. Most taxis have the complaint hotline number printed on them.
[edit] Attractions
Compared with its scenic neighbor of Guilin, Nanning does not have many attractions. But it often serves as a transit point for Guilin.
[edit] Hotels
[edit] Budget
[edit] Mid Range
[edit] Luxury
- Jindu Hotel
- Jinhua Hotel
- Best Western Premier Nanning Red Forest Hotel
- Guangxi Wharton Internatiaonal Hotel
- Mingyuan Xindu Hotel
- Nanning Hotel
- Yong Jiang Hotel
[edit] Restaurants
Zhong Shan Lu (中山路)is Nanning's 'food street', with a vast assortment of street stalls serving many kinds of 'Liang Guang' (literally, the 'two Guang' provinces - Guang Xi (West), and Guang Dong (East)) foods, as well as food from neighbouring provinces, such as Hunan and Yunnan. It is diagonally opposite the Wan Da Plaza, home of Wal-Mart, and is rumoured to be up for re-development in 2010. Throughout the city there are many good-value restaurants. Few have English menus. There are a number of McDonald's to be found in and around the city centre, and KFC is widely spread throughout the whole city area. The newly developed eastern end of the city (around Langdong, and the APEC Exhibition Centre)has lots of up-market restaurants, cafes and coffee lounges
[edit] Budget
The dumpling stalls and small eating houses all over the city. Fresh, tasty and very cheap. Zhong Shan Road food stalls. Try the local rice noodle soup called Lao You Fen (老友粉), literally translated meaning "old friend rice noodle". It is traditionally made with pork based broth, pickled bamboo shoots, fermented soy beans, and other typical Chinese spices. It is an acquired tasted due to the pickled bamboo shoots. [[1]]
[edit] Mid-range
Just about 90% of the restaurants in Nanning would fall into this category. Some of the better ones include the Little (Fat) Sheep (xiao fei yang) chain (traditional hotpot, with lamb the meat of choice, Donge ge Lu, in the south, and Hen yang Lu in the northwest), Old Chengdu (Si Chuan hot, spicy food, You ai Lu, just off Dong ge Lu in the south, and Hen yang Lu, at the You ai Lu intersection, in the north west)and Mao Jia (Mao's Home) national chain (Hunan spicy food, You ai Lu , at the Hen yang Lu intersection, in the north west).
[edit] Splurge
Anything in/around Langdong or the Five Elephant Plaza (financial district); the YongJiang Hotel, by the river, has an excellent buffet, with fresh seafood, and good quality meat BBQs.
--from wikitravel.org
[edit] Shopping
Nanning offers many souvenirs, and a full range of other products.
The most famous local handicraft is Zhuang Silk Embroidery. Other local products include longan, litchi, pineapple, mango, grapefruit. In addition, Nanning is also a good place to shop for gold and silver jewelry and leather products.
The main shopping areas are concentrated on Chaoyang Road (朝阳路), Xingning Street (兴宁街), and Xinmin Road (新民路), Seven Star Road (七星路). These areas are dotted with many brand-name stores and boutique stores. Xiguan Road (西关路) night market is Nanning's most popular open-air night market. It opens every day from 6:00 pm, selling a variety of small commodities. Xingning Street is the first choice to buy gold jewelry.
[edit] Night Life & Entertainment
Many popular bars are to be found along Minzu Da Dao, the long avenue that runs from east to west through the city, bisecting South Lake. Many have a cover charge, and offer a variety of international as well as domestic beers, in addition to the standard supply of liquors. The '100' bar area (near the city library) has a cluster of up-market bars and coffee lounges, many featuring live music. A number of more intimate, low key bars and pubs can be found in the university district in the north west of the city, around University Road (Da Xue Lu) and Mingxiu Road.
--from wikitravel.org
[edit] Sports & Recreation
Nanning Bird and Flower Market in Yuan hu Lu, at the Zhong hua Lu intersection, and right behind the People's Park (Ren Min Gong Yuan) is an eclectic mix of flowers, shrubs, pot plants and all thing floral, as well as a vast array of birds, fish, and other pets. Thrown into the mix is an assortment of household goodies to brighten up an otherwise dull abode: furniture fashioned from tree stumps, traditional Chinese tea sets, carvings, wall hangings, etc... This is an amzingly interesting place to while away an afternoon, and get some truly good-value items.
WARNING: this place is packed out on weekends, and is a notorious place for pick-pockets, who cleverly razor-slash pockets and bags to retrieve any valuable carelessly stowed. Keep money, mobile phones and any valuables securely in zippered compartments inside bags. NEVER keep anything valuable in a back pack, which should be carried in front!
--from wikitravel.org
[edit] Excursions & Day Trips
- Northern Vietnam is within striking distance.
- There is a train to Kunming, reportedly a sensational ride through isolated mountainous country.
- The famously scenic tourist area around Guilin and Yangshuo is only a short distance from Nanning (about 5 hrs by direct bus, train: 5 hrs to Guilin, then 1 hr by bus to Yangshou)
- Visit the Detian Waterfall, with a 75 meter drop, on the Chinese-Vietnamese border, It's about 4 hours from Nanning.
--from wikitravel.org
