Guangxi

Gvangjsih Bouxcuengh Swcigih  (Zhuang) 广西壮族自治区  (Chinese)
Abbreviations: 桂 (Pinyin: Guì)
Origin of name	广 guǎng - region name 西 xī - west "western Guang"
Administration type	Autonomous region
Capital (and largest city)	Nanning
CPC Ctte Secretary	Liu Qibao
Chairman	Lu Bing
Area	236,700 km² (9th)
Population (2004)  - Density	48,890,000 (10th) 207/km² (20th)
GDP (2006)  - per capita	CNY 480.2 billion (16th) CNY 10,240 (27th)
HDI (2005)	0.731 (medium) (22nd)
Major nationalities	Han - 62% Zhuang - 32% Yao - 3% Miao - 1% Dong - 0.7% Gelao - 0.4%
Prefecture-level	14 divisions
County-level	109 divisions
Township-level†	1396 divisions
ISO 3166-2	CN-45
Official website http://www.gxzf.gov.cn (Simplified Chinese)
Source for population and GDP data: 《中国统计年鉴—2005》 China Statistical Yearbook 2005 ISBN 7503747382 Source for nationalities data: 《2000年人口普查中国民族人口资料》 Tabulation on nationalities of 2000 population census of China ISBN 7105054255 † As at December 31, 2004

Guangxi, full name Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, is a Zhuang autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, located on the southern coast of the country. It borders Yunnan to the west, Guizhou to the northwest, Hunan to the northeast, and Guangdong to the east. Hainan island also lies directly to its south in the South China Sea. The capital city of Guangxi is Nanning.

The province's name, "Guang" literally means "expanse", and has been associated with the region since the creation of Guang Prefecture in 226. "Guangxi" and neighbouring Guangdong literally mean "Guang West" and "Guang East", and together, Guangdong and Guangxi are called the "Two Guangs" (两广, Liǎng Guǎng). The abbreviation of the province is 桂 (Gui), which comes from Guilin, a major city in the autonomous region.

History

The region officially became part of China in 214 B.C.E., when the army of the Qin Dynasty claimed most of southern China. The name "Guangxi" can be traced to the Song Dynasty, which administered the area as a circuit called the Guangnanxi Circuit (literally meaning "Guang-South West Circuit"). During the late Mongol Yuan Dynasty, the name was revived again for a province that was created in the region, but it was shortened to "Guangxi", or "Guang-West". For the next six centuries after that, Guangxi remained a province of China until its conversion into an autonomous region by the People's Republic of China due to its large minority population.

During the late Qing Dynasty, Guangxi was the site of the Jintian Uprising (金田起义), which occurred in what is now Guiping county in eastern Guangxi on January 11, 1851. On March 23, 1885, Zhennan Pass (now Youyi Pass) on the border with Vietnam was also the site of the Battle of Zhennan Pass (镇南关战役) during the Franco-Chinese War. During this battle, a French incursion was routed by Chinese forces under Feng Zicai (冯子才), which became an event that has been exalted by subsequent Chinese nationalists ever since.

After the founding of the Republic of China, Guangxi served as the base for one of the most powerful warlord cliques of China: the Old Guangxi Clique. Led by Lu Jung-t'ing (陆荣廷) and others, the clique was able to take control of neighboring Hunan and Guangdong provinces as well. The Old Guangxi Clique crumbled in the early 1920s, to be replaced by the New Guangxi Clique, led by Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi. Guangxi is also noted for the Baise Uprising (百色起义), a communist uprising led by Deng Xiaoping in 1929. Communist bases were set up, but eventually destroyed by Kuomintang forces.

In 1944, near the end of World War II, Japan invaded Guangxi as part of Operation Ichigo (also known as the Henan-Hunan-Guangxi Campaign (豫湘桂战役), in an attempt to seize the Hunan-Guangxi railway line and open a land link to French Indochina. The operation succeeded and most major cities in Guangxi came under Japanese occupation.

Being in the far south, Guangxi was not freed by communist forces until after the People's Republic was formed; it joined in December 1949, two months after the Republic's foundation. In 1958, Guangxi was converted into an autonomous region for the Zhuang people, by recommendation of Premier Zhou Enlai. This decision was made because the Zhuang were one of the biggest minority groups in China, and were mostly concentrated in Guangxi; however, they form a minority of Guangdong's population.

For most of its history, Guangxi was landlocked. In 1952, a small section of Guangdong's coastline was given to Guangxi, giving it access to the sea. This was reversed in 1955, then restored in 1965.

While some development of heavy industry occurred in the province in the 1960s and 1970s, it remained largely a tourist destination and home of scenery which brought people from all over the world. Even the economic growth in China in the 1990s seemed to leave Guangxi behind. However in recent years there has been a growing amount of industrialization, and concentration on cash crops. Per capita GDP has begun rising more rapidly, as industries in Guangdong seek a way to locate production to lower wage areas.

Geography

Located in the southern part of the country, Guangxi is bordered by Yunnan to the west, Guizhou to the north, Hunan to the northeast, and Guangdong to the southeast. It is also bounded by Vietnam in the southwest and the Gulf of Tonkin in the south.

Guangxi is a mountainous region. The Nanling Mountains are found in the northeast border, with the Yuecheng Mountains (越城岭) and Haiyang Mountains (海洋山) being its shorter branching ridges. Nearer to the center of the region are the Dayao Mountains (大瑶山) and the Daming Mountains (大明山). To the north there are the Duyao Mountains (都阳山) and the Fenghuang Mountains (凤凰山), while on the southeast border there are the Yunkai Mountains (云开大山). The highest point is Mount Mao'er (猫儿山) located in the Yuecheng Mountains, at 2141 m.

Many rivers cut valleys through the mountains. Most of these rivers from the tributary basin of the West River:

Guangxi has a short coastline on the Gulf of Tonkin. Important seaports include Beihai, Qinzhou and Fangchenggang.

Guangxi has a subtropical climate. Summers are generally long and hot. Average annual temperature is 17 to 23°C, while average annual precipitation is 1250 to 1750 mm.

Major cities include: Nanning, Beihai, Guilin, Liuzhou.

Notable towns include: Longmen, Sanjiang, Yangshuo.

Administrative divisions

Guangxi is divided into fourteen prefecture-level divisions, all of which are prefecture-level cities. The fourteen prefecture-level cities are:

• Baise City (Baksaek, 百色市 Bǎisè Shì)
• Beihai City (北海市 Běihǎi Shì)
• Chongzuo City (Cungzcoj, 崇左市 Chóngzuǒ Shì)
• Fangchenggang City (Fangzcwngzgangj, 防城港市 Fángchénggǎng Shì)
• Guigang City (Gveigangj, 贵港市 Guìgǎng Shì)
• Guilin City (Gveilinz, 桂林市 Guìlín Shì)
• Hechi City (Hozciz, 河池市 Héchí Shì)
• Hezhou City (贺州市 Hèzhōu Shì)
• Laibin City (Leizbingz, 来宾市 Láibīn Shì)
• Liuzhou City (Liujcouh, 柳州市 Liǔzhōu Shì)
• Nanning City (Namzningz, 南宁市 Nánníng Shì)
• Qinzhou City (Ginhcouh, 钦州市 Qīnzhōu Shì)
• Wuzhou City (梧州市 Wúzhōu Shì)
• Yulin City (玉林市 Yùlín Shì)

The fourteen prefecture-level divisions of Guangxi are subdivided into 109 county-level divisions (34 districts, 7 county-level cities, 56 counties, and 12 ethnic autonomous counties). Those are in turn divided into 1232 township-level divisions (699 towns, 369 townships, 58 ethnic townships, and 106 subdistricts).

Economy

Important crops in Guangxi include rice, maize, sweet potatoes, and wheat. Cash crops include sugar cane, peanuts, tobacco, and kenaf.

Guangxi has more tin, manganese, and indium deposits than any other province of China.

In recent years Guangxi's economy has languished behind that of its wealthy neighbour and twin, the province of Guangdong.

Guangxi's 2006 nominal GDP was about 480.2 billion yuan (US$62.1 billion) and ranked sixteenth in China. Its per capita GDP was 10,240 yuan (US$1,330).

Demographics

The region has a high concentration of Zhuang, over 14 million, one of the major minority ethnicities of China. Over 90% of Zhuang in China live in Guangxi, especially in the central and western regions. There is also a significant number of both Dong and Miao minority peoples. Other ethnic groups include: Yao, Hui, Yi (Lolo), Shui, and Gin (Vietnamese).

Education

Colleges and Universities

• Guangxi University
• Guangxi Medical University
• Guangxi Normal University
• Guilin University of Electronic Technology

Culture

Guangxi is known for its linguistic diversity. In the capital of Nanning, for example, four dialect-languages are spoken locally: Southwestern Mandarin, Cantonese, Pinghua, and Zhuang.

Tourism

The major tourist attraction of Guangxi is Guilin, a town famed across China and the world for its spectacular setting by the Lijiang River (Li River) amongst severe karst peaks. It also used to be the capital of Guangxi, and Jingjiang Princes City, the old princes residence, is open to the public. South of Guilin down the river is the town of Yangshuo, which has become a favourite destination for foreign tourists, particularly backpackers.

Ethnic minorities native to Guangxi, such as the Zhuang and Dong, are also interesting for tourists. The northern part of the province, bordering with Guizhou, is home to the Longshen rice terraces, said to be some of the steepest in the world. Nearby Sanjiang Dong Autonomous County.

See also

• Prefecture Apostolic of Kwang-si (historic Catholic mission)
• HIV/AIDS in China
• HIV in Yunnan
• Gao Yaojie

External links

• Guangxi Government (in Chinese) Retrieved December 1, 2007.
• Large map of Guangxi Retrieved December 1, 2007.
• Overview of Guangxi Retrieved December 1, 2007.
• People's Daily Retrieved December 1, 2007.
• UNESCAP Retrieved December 1, 2007.
• Guangxi travel guide Retrieved December 1, 2007.
• The Australia-China CCI of New South Wales Retrieved December 1, 2007.

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