| Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region | |||||||||
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| Abbreviations: 桂 (pinyin: Guì, Zhuang: Gvei) | |||||||||
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| Origin of name | Abbreviated from "Guangnan Xi Lu" (A "lu" was equal to a province or a state in the Song Dynasty) 广 = wide 西 = west literally, "The Western Expanse" (Guangdong being East) | ||||||||
| Administration type | Autonomous region | ||||||||
| Capital (and largest city) | Nanning | ||||||||
| CPC Ctte Secretary | Guo Shengkun | ||||||||
| Chairman | Ma Biao (马飚) | ||||||||
| Area | 236,700 km2 (91,400 sq mi) (9th) | ||||||||
| - Latitude | 20° 54' to 26° 23' N [1] | ||||||||
| - Longitude | 104° 29' to 112° 03' E | ||||||||
| Population (2009) - Density | 48,670,000 (11th) 207 /km2 (540 /sq mi) (20th) | ||||||||
| GDP (2010) - per capita | CNY 950.2 billion (US$140.3 billion) (18th) CNY 15,821 (27th) | ||||||||
| HDI (2008) | 0.776 (medium) (20th) | ||||||||
| Ethnic composition | Guangxi people: Han - 62% | ||||||||
| 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 Source for nationalities data: ISBN 7503747382 《2000年人口普查中国民族人口资料》 Tabulation on nationalities of 2000 population census of China *As at December 31, 2004ISBN 7105054255 | |||||||||
| Template ■ Discussion ■ WikiProject China | |||||||||
| Guangxi | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese name | |||
| Simplified Chinese | 广西 | ||
| Traditional Chinese | 廣西 | ||
| |||
| Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region | |||
| Simplified Chinese | 广西壮族自治区 | ||
| Traditional Chinese | 廣西壯族自治區 | ||
| |||
| Zhuang name | |||
| Zhuang | Gvangjsih (old orthography: Gvaŋзsiƅ) | ||
| Zhuang name | |||
| Zhuang | Gvangjsih Bouxcuengh Swcigih (old orthography: Gvaŋзsiƅ Bouчcueŋƅ Sɯcigiƅ) | ||
Guangxi, formerly transliterated as Kwangsi, is an autonomous region (Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region) of the People's Republic of China, created specifically for the Zhuang people.
Its location in the far south of China, along the border with Vietnam, and its mountainous terrain has made it one of the border frontiers of Chinese civilisation. Even into the 20th century it was considered an open, wild territory. The current name "Guang" itself means "expanse", and has been associated with the region since the creation of Guang Prefecture in 226 CE. It was given provincial level status during the Yuan Dynasty and in 1949 was reformed as one of China's five minority autonomous regions.
The abbreviation of the province is "桂" (Zhuang: Gvei), which comes from the city of Guilin, the former capital, centre of much of Guangxi's culture, politics, and history, and currently a major city in the autonomous region.
Contents[hide] |
[edit] History
Part of the region officially became part of China in 214 BCE, 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 "Guang-South West Circuit"). During the late Mongol Yuan Dynasty the name was revived again to name a province in the region, but it was shortened to "Guangxi", or "Guang-West". For the next six centuries, Guangxi was a province of China, until its conversion into an autonomous region by the People's Republic of China because of 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 Bang Bo (镇南关战役) during the Sino-French War. During the battle, a French incursion was met by Chinese forces under Feng Zicai (冯子才) and driven back across the border. Chinese casualties were approximately 2500 and the French suffered casualties of less than 300. The battle is considered a pyrrhic Chinese victory though not a rout. The French retreated militarily intact but with their confidence shaken.
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 neighbouring 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 taken by communist forces until after the People's Republic was formed; it joined in December 1949, two months after the People's Republic's foundation. In 1958, Guangxi was converted into an autonomous region for the Zhuang, by recommendation of Premier Zhou Enlai. This decision was made because the Zhuang were the biggest minority group in China, and were mostly concentrated in Guangxi.
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. During Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution, Guangxi was the site of thousands of incidences of cannibalism. Chinese journalist Zheng Yi was allowed to review several documents during the 1980s that had been kept by the Communist Party and which recounted many acts of cannibalism.[2]
While some development of heavy industry occurred in the province in the 1960s and 1970s, it remained largely a scenic tourist destination which attracted 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.
Guangxi celebrated its 50th anniversary as an Autonomous Region on December 11, 2008.
[edit] 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 east and 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 2,141 metres (7,024 ft).
Many rivers cut valleys through the mountains. Most of these rivers form the tributary basin of the West River:
| Xijiang River system schematic (italics indicates rivers outside Guangxi) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 贺江 He River | 西江 Xi River | |||
| 漓江 Li River | 桂江 Gui River | |||
| 北盘江 Beipan River | 红水河 Hongshui River | 黔江 Qian River | 浔江 Xun River | |
| 南盘江 Nanpan River | ||||
| 融江 Rong River | 柳江 Liu River | |||
| 龙江 Long River | ||||
| 右江 You River | 邕江 Yong River | 郁江 Yu River | ||
| 左江 Zuo 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, Liuzhou, Guilin, Beihai.
Notable towns include: Longmen[disambiguation needed], Sanjiang, Yangshuo.
[edit] Image gallery
[edit] Administrative divisions
Guangxi is divided into fourteen prefecture-level cities, fifty-six counties, thirty-four districts, twelve ethnic autonomous counties and seven county-level cities. The fourteen prefecture-level cities are:
| Map | # | Name | Hanzi | Hanyu Pinyin | Zhuang | Administrative Seat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||||
| — Prefecture-level city — | ||||||
| 1 | Baise | 百色市 | Bǎisè Shì | Baksaek Si | Youjiang District | |
| 2 | Hechi | 河池市 | Héchí Shì | Hozciz Si | Jinchengjiang District | |
| 3 | Liuzhou | 柳州市 | Liǔzhōu Shì | Liujcouh Si | Chengzhong District | |
| 4 | Guilin | 桂林市 | Guìlín Shì | Gveilinz Si | Xiangshan District | |
| 5 | Hezhou | 贺州市 | Hézhōu Shì | Hohcouh Si | Babu District | |
| 6 | Chongzuo | 崇左市 | Chóngzuǒ Shì | Cungzcoj Si | Jiangzhou District | |
| 7 | Nanning | 南宁市 | Nánníng Shì | Namzningz Si | Qingxiu District | |
| 8 | Laibin | 来宾市 | Láibīn Shì | Leizbingz Si | Xingbin District | |
| 9 | Guigang | 贵港市 | Guìgǎng Shì | Gveigangj Si | Gangbei District | |
| 10 | Wuzhou | 梧州市 | Wúzhōu Shì | Ngouzcouh Si | Wanxiu District | |
| 11 | Fangchenggang | 防城港市 | Fángchénggǎng Shì | Fangzcwngzgangj Si | Gangkou District | |
| 12 | Qinzhou | 钦州市 | Qīnzhōu Shì | Ginhcouh Si | Qinnan District | |
| 13 | Beihai | 北海市 | Běihǎi Shì | Baekhaij Si | Haicheng District | |
| 14 | Yulin | 玉林市 | Yùlín Shì | Yoglinz Si | Yuzhou District | |
[edit] Politics
Secretaries of the CPC Guangxi Committee:
- Zhang Yunyi (张云逸): 1949-1953
- Chen Manyuan (陈漫远): 1953-1957
- Liu Jianxun (刘建勋): 1957-1961
- Wei Guoqing (韦国清): 1960-1966
- Qiao Xiaoguang (乔晓光): 1966-1967
- Wei Guoqing (韦国清): 1970-1975
- An Pingsheng (安平生): 1975-1977.
- Qiao Xiaoguang (乔晓光): 1977-1985
- Chen Huiguang (陈辉光): 1985-1990
- Zhao Fulin (赵富林): 1990-1997
- Cao Bochun (曹伯纯): 1997-2006
- Liu Qibao (刘奇葆): 2006-2007
- Guo Shengkun (郭声琨): 2007-incumbent
Chairmen of Government:
- Zhang Yunyi (张云逸): 1949-1953
- Chen Manyuan (陈漫远): 1953.08-1955
- Chen Manyuan (陈漫远): 1955-1958
- Wei Guoqing (韦国清): 1958-1975
- An Pingsheng (安平生): 1975-1977
- Qiao Xiaoguang (乔晓光): 1977-1979
- Tan Yingji (覃应机): 1979-1983
- Wei Chunshu (韦纯束): 1983-1990
- Cheng Kejie (成克杰): 1990-1998
- Li Zhaozhuo (李兆焯): 1998-2003
- Lu Bing (陆兵): 2003-December 2007
- Ma Biao (马飚): December 2007-incumbent
[edit] Economy
Important crops in Guangxi include rice, maize, sweet potatoes, and wheat. Cash crops include sugar cane, peanuts, tobacco, and kenaf.
85% of the world's star anise is grown in Guangxi. It is a major ingredient in the antiviral Tamiflu.[3]
Guangxi has more tin, manganese, and indium deposits than any other province of China.
Liuzhou is the main industrial center and is a major motor vehicle manufacturing center. General Motors have a manufacturing base here in a joint venture as SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile. The city also has a large steel factory and several related industries.
In recent years Guangxi's economy has languished behind that of its wealthy neighbour and twin, the province of Guangdong. Guangxi's 2009 nominal GDP was about 775.9 billion yuan (US$114 billion) and ranked 18th in China. Its per capita GDP was 15,800 yuan (US$2,300).
[edit] Economic and Technological Development Zones
- Beihai Silver Beach National Tourist Holiday Resort
- Beihai Export Processing Zone
Approved by the State Council, Beihai Export Processing Zone (BHEPZ) was established on March 2003. Total planned area is 1.454 square kilometers. The first phase of developed area is 1.135 square kilometers. It was verified and accepted by Customs General Administration and eight ministries of the state, on December 26, 2003. It is the Export Processing Zone nearest to ASEAN in China and also the only one bordering the sea in western China. It is situated next to Beihai Port.[4]
- Dongxing Border Economic Cooperation Area
- Guilin National New & Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone
Guilin Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone was established in May 1988. In 1991, it was approved as national-level industrial zone. It has an area of 12.07 Square Kilometers. Encouraged industries include electronic information, biomedical, new materials and environmental protection.[5]
- Nanning Economic & Technological Development Area
Established in 1992, Nanning Economic and Technological Development Zone was approved to be a national level zone in May 2001. Its total planned area of 10.796 square kilometers. It is located in the south of Nanning. It has become the new developing zone with fine chemical engineering, auto parts, aluminum processing, biological medicine and other industries.[6]
- Nanning National Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone
Nanning Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone was established in 1988 and was approved as a national-level industrial zone in 1992. The zone has a planned area of 43.7 Square Kilometers, and it encourages industries that does electronic information, bioengineering and pharmaceutical, mechanical and electrical integration and new materials industry.[7]
- Pingxiang Border Economic Cooperation Zone
In 1992, Pinxiang Border Economic Cooperation Zone was established. It has a total area of 7.2 Square Kilometers. It focuses on development of hardware mechanical and electrical products, daily-use chemical processing, the services, and international logistics-based storage and information industry.[8]
- Yongning Economic Development Zone
[edit] Investment
Seventy one Taiwanese ventures started up in Guangxi in 2007, with contracts bringing in up to US$149 million of investment, while gross exports surpassed US$1 billion. There are a total of 1182 Taiwan ventures in Guangxi, and by the end of 2006, they have brought a total of US$4.27 billion of investment into the autonomous region. During the first half of 2007, 43 projects worthy of RMB2.6 billion (US$342 million) have already been contracted between Guangxi and Taiwan investors. Cooperation between Guangxi and Taiwan companies mainly relates to manufacturing, high-tech electronic industries, agriculture, energy resources and tourism.
[edit] Power
Guangxi Power Grid has invested 180 million yuan in 2007 in projects to bring power to areas that still lacked access to electricity. The areas affected include Nanning, Hechi, Bose and Guigang. Around 125,000 people have gained access to electricity. The moneywill been used to build or alter 738 10-kilovolt distribution units with a total length of wire reaching 1,831.8 kilometers.
Due to lack of investment in construction in the power grid net in rural areas, more than 400 villages in Guangxi Province were not included in the projects. Around 500,000 cannot participate in the policy known as "The Same Grid, the Same Price." Guangxi Power Grid will invest 4.6 billion yuan in improving the power grid during the 11th Five Year Plan.
Guangxi Power Grid has invested 2.5 billion yuan in building electric power system in the first half of 2007. Of the total investment, 2.3 billion yuan has been put into the project of the main power grid. So far, four new transformer substations in Guangxi are in various stages of completion. Wenfu substation went into operation in the city of Hechi on January 2007, and since then it has become a major hub of the electrical power system of the surrounding three counties. When Cangwu substation was completed, it doubled the local transformer capacity. In June 2007, the new substation in Chongzuo passed its operation tests. And in the same month, Qiulong commenced production too. This shall support the power supply system of Qiulong City, as well as the northern part of Guangxi province, and facilitate the nationwide project to transmit power from west to east.
[edit] Beibu Gulf Economic Zone
In 2008, the central government has approved China's first international and regional economic cooperation zone in Guangxi in late February. The construction of the Beibu Gulf Economic Zone began in 2006. With the approval, the Beibu Gulf Economic Zone will be formally incorporated into national development strategies.
The Beibu Gulf Economic Zone covers six coastal cities along the Beibu Gulf. It integrates the cities of Nanning, the region's capital, Beihai, Qinzhou, Fangchenggang, Chongzuo and Yulin. The state will adopt policies and measures to support mechanism innovation, rational industry layout and infrastructure construction in the Beibu Gulf Economic Zone.
Guangxi municipality has pledged a 100 billion yuan (US$ 14 billion) investment over the next five years for building and repairing 2,500 km railways to form a network hub in the area. Beibu Gulf Zone will serve as the logistics base, business base, processing and manufacturing base and information exchange center for China-ASEAN cooperation. Beibu Gulf Zone promises broad prospects for further development and its growth potential is rapidly released. But the shortage of talent and professionals in petrochemicals, iron and steel, electricity, finance, tourism, port planning, logistics and marine industries are bottlenecks.
The regional government is also working on speeding up key cooperation projects including transportation, the marine industry, agriculture, forestry, fisheries, energy development, cross-border tourism, and environmental protection. Beibu Gulf has already attracted a number of major projects such as Qinzhou oil refinery projects and Stora Enso, a Fortune 500 forest products company based in Finland. In January 2008 trade import and export in the Beibu Gulf zone exceeded US$1.3 billion, a record high.
[edit] Bauxite reserves
In September 2007, China's Ministry of Commerce said that it has found 120 million tons of new bauxite reserves in Guangxi. The ministry said that the new reserves, which are located in Chongzhou in the southern region of Youjiang, has a very high-quality of bauxite, a raw material for making aluminum. Currently, the proven reserves of bauxite in Guangxi are about 1 billion tons, making the province one of the country's biggest bauxite sources.
[edit] Demographics
The Han Chinese are the largest ethnic group.
The region has over 14 million Zhuang, the largest minority ethnicity 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). There is a minor Christian population, which is subject to rigorous official regulations.[9]
[edit] Culture
"Guangxi" and neighbouring Guangdong literally mean "Guang West" and "Guang East". Together, Guangdong and Guangxi are called the "Two Guangs" (两广, Liǎngguǎng, 兩廣 loeng gwong). Its culture and language are reflected in this. Though now associated with the Zhuang ethnic minority, Guangxi's culture traditionally has had a close connection with the Cantonese. Cantonese culture and language followed the Xi River valley from Guangdong and is still predominate in the eastern half of Guangxi today. Outside of this area there is a huge variety of ethnicities and language groups represented.
Guangxi is known for its ethno-linguistic diversity. In the capital of Nanning, for example, four dialect-languages are spoken locally: Southwestern Mandarin, Cantonese, Pinghua, and Zhuang.
[edit] 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 Longsheng Rice Terraces, said to be some of the steepest in the world. Nearby is Sanjiang Dong Autonomous County.
[edit] Education
- Guangxi University
- Guangxi Medical University
- Guangxi Normal University
- Guilin University of Electronic Technology
- Guangxi Education and Research Network
- Nanning Science & Information Network
- GuangXi University for Nationalities
[edit] Sister regions(copy of wikipedia)
Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan (1982)
Carinthia, Austria (1987)
Rio Grande do Norte, Brasil (1995)
Voronezh Oblast, Russia (1997)
Montana, United States of America (1999)
Poitou-Charentes, France (2002)
Surat Thani Province, Thailand (2004)
Newport, Wales, United Kingdom (1996)
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