Guangxi China Information

Guangxi China is officially known as Guangxi Zhungzu Autonomous Region. Home to 48,890,000 people, it is the10th most populous province. More than a third of the population is composed of Chinese minority groups. The population density ranks 20th among Chinese provinces at 207 p/km sq. The capital, Nanning, is located in the southwest roughly 75 mi (47 km) from Vietnam. Today, the province is one of the most ethnically diverse in the nation as well as one of the most alluring to Chinese and foreign tourists alike.

Guangxi China Geography

Guangxi China has a rather diverse landscape. The north is high in elevation due to the Duyao and Fenghuang mountains. The northeast is home to the Nanling mountains as well as the Yuechang and Haiyang ridges. The Yunkai Mountains are located on the southeastern border. Hills and planes cover central and southern Guangxi. With a 930-mile (1500 km) coast on the Gulf of Tonkin, Guangxi has room to border Yunnan province to the east, Guizhuo province to the northwest, Hunan province to the northeast, and Guangdong province to the east. Also, Guangxi borders Vietnam in the southwest. Karst topography covers much of the region making Guangxi known for it’s picturesque hills, exotic caves, and many beautiful and awe inspiring rock formations. The scenery of Guilin in the northwest is commonly referred to as having “the finest scenery under heaven”. Yangshuo, just to the south of Guilin, has become a popular tourist city for those who wish to bask in the area’s natural elegance, many taking the famed boat ride from Guilin down the Li Jiang that inspired many traditional Chinese poets.

Guangxi China Industry

Guangxi earns 10% to 15% of its total revenue from farming. It has a few resource deposits in large amounts with manganese ore, coal, iron, and tin being the most important. Also, crude oil has been discovered in the Gulf of Tonkin. Forestry is centered in Liuzhuo. Fishing, which mostly takes place in the Gulf of Tonkin, is also important to the province. Guangxi China’s economy is consistently and dramatically outdone by its neighbor and twin Guangdong, which dominates industry and sea-based trade in the region. However, tourism is an increasing part of the province’s economy.

Guangxi China History

Guangxi became an official part of China in 214 BC with the first unification of China under the Qin Dynasty (221 BC – 206 BC). Guangxi China’s traditional culture, primarily that of the Zhuang minority, was much closer to that of Vietnam, which fueled a bitter resistance to Chinese integration that lasted for many centuries. In Guangxi’s original integration its borders extended to encompass much of the neighboring provinces as well, notably including Guangdong. However, it wasn’t officially known as Guangxi until the Mongol Yuan Dynasty (1279 AD – 1368 AD). It held this title until 1958 when it became Guangxi Zhuangzu Autonomous Region by the recommendation of the premier Zhou Enlai. The decision was in recognition of the Zhuang’s long standing resistance to integration.

Guangxi China Demographics

Guangxi China has one of the largest absolute populations of ethnic minority groups in China. The largest being the Zhuang who compose 32% of the population. Han make up 62% while Yao totals 3%. The Miao reach about 1% while the Dong have .7% and the Gelao constitute .4%. Also present are the Tong, Mulam, Maonan, Hui, Jing, Yi, and Shui ethnic groups.