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Capital · Border city · Cultural centre · Guangxi

Nanning

南宁 (Nánníng)

Green City on the Yong River, gateway to South-East Asia

Nanning is the capital of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, on the Yong River in the south of the region. A subtropical city of parks and broad avenues, it is the permanent venue of the China–ASEAN Expo, the Chinese terminus of trains to Hanoi and a centre of Zhuang culture.

ProvinceGuangxi

Key facts

Region
Guangxi (capital)
Administrative level
Prefecture-level city
Area
about 22,100 km²[1]
Resident population
8.74 million(as of 2020 census)[2]
Named Nanning
1324

Overview

Nanning grew as a river port and garrison town where the Zuo and You rivers join to form the Yong. It was a regional centre rather than a great city until the twentieth century, when it became the capital of Guangxi and, after 1958, of the autonomous region.

The modern city is a hub of government, trade and logistics oriented towards South-East Asia. Cantonese (Baihua), Zhuang and Mandarin are all spoken, and street names are written in both Chinese and Zhuang.

Names and nicknames

  • 绿城 (Lǜchéng)

    “Green City”

    For its tree-lined streets, parks and year-round greenery.

  • 邕 (Yōng)

    The city's short name, from Yongzhou, its Tang to Yuan name, and from the Yong River.

History

The Eastern Jin set up a commandery here in 318. As Yongzhou it was taken by Nong Zhigao in 1052. The Yuan renamed it Nanning — “pacified south” — in 1324. The city was opened to foreign trade in 1907, became the provincial capital in 1912, lost the title to Guilin in 1936 and regained it in 1950.

  1. 318

    Jinxing commandery

    The first administrative seat on the site of the city, under the Eastern Jin.

  2. 1052

    Taken by Nong Zhigao

    The Zhuang leader seized Yongzhou during his rising against the Song.

  3. 1324

    Renamed Nanning

    The Yuan gave the city the name it still bears.

  4. 1950

    Capital of Guangxi

    Nanning became the provincial capital again, and in 1958 the capital of the autonomous region.

  5. 2004

    China–ASEAN Expo

    The first expo was held in Nanning, which became its permanent venue.

Landmarks

  1. Museum

    Guangxi Museum of Nationalities

    广西民族博物馆 (Guǎngxī Mínzú Bówùguǎn)

    Museum of the region's peoples, with a large collection of bronze drums and reconstructed village houses in its grounds.

  2. Museum

    Guangxi Museum

    广西壮族自治区博物馆 (Guǎngxī Zhuàngzú Zìzhìqū Bówùguǎn)

    The regional museum of history, with Han-dynasty finds from the Hepu tombs.

  3. Park or garden

    Qingxiu Mountain

    青秀山 (Qīngxiù Shān)

    Hill park above a bend of the Yong River with a pagoda, cycad gardens and a Thai-style garden.

  4. Park or garden

    Nanhu Park

    南湖公园 (Nánhú Gōngyuán)

    Lake park in the city centre.

Neighbourhoods

  • Three Streets and Two Lanes

    三街两巷 (Sān Jiē Liǎng Xiàng)

    The restored old commercial quarter near the river, with arcaded shophouses.

  • Zhongshan Road

    中山路 (Zhōngshān Lù)

    Night-market street of snack stalls.

Food

  • Laoyou noodles

    老友粉 (lǎoyǒu fěn)

    Rice noodles fried with pickled bamboo shoots, chilli, garlic and fermented black beans, then simmered in broth.

  • Rolled rice noodles

    卷筒粉 (juǎntǒng fěn)

    Rice sheets rolled around minced pork and mushrooms.

  • Lemon duck

    柠檬鸭 (níngméng yā)

    Duck stir-fried with pickled lemon, sour plums and ginger.

Culture

As the capital of the autonomous region, Nanning hosts the main celebrations of Sanyuesan, the Zhuang song festival, and the Nanning International Folk Song Arts Festival. Its food culture — sour, fresh and built around rice noodles — owes much to both Cantonese and Zhuang traditions.

Getting around

  • The Nanning Metro covers the city centre and connects with Nanning East, the main high-speed station.
  • Nanning Wuxu International Airport has routes to South-East Asia.
  • Trains to Hanoi leave from Nanning, crossing the border at Pingxiang and Dong Dang.

Day trips

  • Yangmei

    扬美古镇 (Yángměi Gǔzhèn)

    Old riverside town of Ming and Qing houses upstream on the Zuo River.

  • Huashan rock art

    花山岩画 (Huāshān yánhuà)

    The World Heritage cliff paintings on the Zuo River in Ningming, Chongzuo.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

  1. Nanning Municipal People's Government — Nanning Municipal People's Government (retrieved 27 September 2026)
  2. Seventh National Population Census communiqués — National Bureau of Statistics of China (retrieved 27 September 2026)
  3. Nanning — Encyclopaedia Britannica (retrieved 27 September 2026)

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