Nanning (Chinese 南宁, pinyin: Nánníng; Zhuang Nanzningz) is an urban district in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of China, the economic, administrative and cultural center of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, located in the southwestern part of the region. National minorities make up 57.85％ of the total population, including Zhuang 57.14％.
In administrative-territorial terms, the city district is divided into 6 districts and 6 counties.

History
Jinxing County was first established on the site of present-day Nanning in 318. In terms of administrative division, a prefecture (郡) was created. Nanning was the territory of the Yue (bai) people and became the capital of Jinxing Prefecture, separating from Yuling Prefecture under the Jin Dynasty.
In 589, the prefecture was liquidated and the county was renamed Xuanhua.
During the Tang Dynasty (618-907), Yong Prefecture (“Yongzhou”) was founded on this site. A garrison was stationed here to control non-Chinese areas in Guangxi and on the border of the provinces of Yunnan and Guizhou. In the middle of the 9th century, Tang and the Yunnan state of Nanzhao fought for this territory, as a result, by 861 it was occupied by Nanzhao. For a long time, the prefecture remained a border prefecture – during the Song Dynasty (960-1279), and in 1052 it became the site of the beginning of the uprising led by Nong Zhigao and subsequently a garrison city.
Under the Yuan Dynasty in 1324, it was renamed Nanning Lu (administrative division) Yongzhou Lu, meaning “Let peace be maintained on the southern frontier”, hence the name “Nanning”. Nanning City has been known as a regional trading center since the Song Dynasty. The city housed branches of trading companies from other parts of China.
During the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, this was the prefecture of the highest level. Also under the Ming Dynasty, Nanning became the center for the redistribution of goods along the Zuojiang and Yujiang rivers and acquired the reputation of “little Nanjing”.
Nanning was opened for foreign trade in 1907, after which the rapid growth of the city begins. From 1912 to 1936 it was the center of Guangxi province, but then it was replaced by Guilin.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the appearance of the city also changed – the city spread beyond the old walls into the southern suburbs. In the 1930s, Nanning, under the rule of the militarist Li Zongren, became the center of “exemplary provincial government”. The city is expanding and modernizing. During the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-45), Nanning was temporarily occupied in 1940 by the Japanese.
Subsequently, Nanning became an important air base for the US, which supported the Chinese army units in Guangxi, but was again subjected to Japanese occupation during the period 1944-45. In 1949, Nanning again became a provincial center, first of the province of Guangxi, and then (in 1958) of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. From this period, it became a commercial center dependent on Guangzhou and the Xijiang river system.
In the late 1930s, the construction of a railway begins, it connects Henyang in the south of Hunan with Guilin, Liuzhou, Nanning, and goes to the border with Vietnam. The second railway line starts from Liuzhou to Guiyang in Guizhou. The construction of the branch to Nanning was suspended due to the invasion of Japanese troops in 1940 and was not completed until 1951, when Nanning was connected to Central China.
The completion of the road to the port of Zhangjiang (in the province of Guangdong) in 1957 made it possible to gain access to the sea. During the Indochina War (1946-54), Nanning became the main base in China to support the Vietnamese troops, and during the Vietnam War in the 1960s and early 1970s, it again became a key base for supplies from southern China to North Vietnam. In addition, the city served a similar function during the 1979 Sino-Vietnamese War.
If earlier Nanning was only a commercial and administrative center, then since 1949 the industrial development of the city begins. Since the city was surrounded by fertile agricultural areas, the basis of industry was the light and food industries. The city specializes in the production of tropical fruits and sugar cane, the flour milling industry, sugar refining, and leather production. Nanning is a paper manufacturing center and a supplier of heavy industry products. After the Zhuang were recognized as a national minority in China in 1958, Nanning became the main center for training specialists for this people. Guangxi University, medical and agricultural schools were established here in the 1920s. In the city of Yiling, which is 19 kilometers to the northwest, there is one of the attractions of Nanning is a cave with stalactites. In the 1970s, it was opened to the public and became a tourist destination. Nanning hosts the annual China – ASEAN EXPO fair (“CASEAN EXPO”), which began to be held in 2005, and also hosted the World Robotics Olympiad (“World Robotics Olympiad”) in 2006.

Traditional food
In Nanning, you can find not only its own cuisine, but also cuisines from other parts of China, as well as from abroad. The traditional culture of eating can be found on almost any street in the city. In part, the cuisine of Nanning is similar to Cantonese cuisine and Southeast Asian dishes. In Nanning, Chinese cuisine is represented by Cantonese, Sichuan, Hunanese and Jiangsu cuisines. In addition, there are Japanese, Thai and European cuisines.
Rice noodles are very popular among the local population. The most famous is Lao Yu noodles, although there are other varieties, such as Guilin rice noodles, as well as various home-made noodles.

Geography
Nanning is located in the southern part of the GCHAR, 160 kilometers from the border with Vietnam. The total area is 22.293 km². The city is located on the northern bank of the Yun River, the main tributary of the Xijiang River, and lies 30 kilometers from the confluence of the Yu and Zuo rivers. The Yun River (which then becomes the Yu River) is an excellent route to Guangzhou, navigable for junks and motorboats even when embanked. Nanning is located in a hilly area with elevation changes from 70 to 500 meters above sea level. Mount Qingxu rises above the southern part of the city. The climate is subtropical and monsoonal, often with warm winters. The average annual temperature is 21.7 °C. It often rains and is windy – the average annual rainfall exceeds the threshold of 1300 mm. There is no snowfall in the city, however frost is sometimes found (3 or 4 days a year).

Animals and flora
Since the climate in Nanning is tropical, biodiversity is a hallmark of the city. Many animal species and more than 3,000 plant species are represented. The symbol of the city (flower) is a Chinese rose, and (tree) is an almond. Both plants are widespread and used for landscaping the city.

Demography
By As of 2006, the total population of Nanning was 6.48 million, of which 2.45 million were recognized as urban residents after the settlement of the boundaries of administrative territories and entities within the city. Nanning is home to compact Zhuang ethnic groups and is the only city in all of China’s autonomous regions that has access to coastal areas. In Nanning, there are 35 of the 55 registered national minorities of the PRC, which are mostly compact. In addition to the Zhuang, the ethnic groups Yao, Hui, Miao, Dong and others are represented. There are practically no ethnic conflicts, since the majority of the urban population, representing national minorities, are practically indistinguishable from ethnic Chinese.

Culture
Nanning is the technological, educational, cultural and medical center of the GSAR. In total, there are 54 research institutes in the city, which belong to different counties. Byдготовку специалистов осуществляют 10 колледжей и 50 бизнес-школ. in the city there are 62 organizations involved in cultural events, 13 theater troupes, 8 cinemas, 285 interest clubs, more than 70 karaoke clubs and more than 1000 newsstands. Bookstores and fairs can be found everywhere.
In 2010, the half marathon world championship was held.

The main tourist attractions of Nanning:
– Qingxu Mountains (provincial level park)
– Guangxi Museum
– Guangxi Botanical Garden
– Nature protection object – forest area near the Liangfengjiang River
– Phoenix Lake Recreation Park
– Center for Relics of National Cultures
– Zoo on the western outskirts of the city
– Golden Fragrant Tea Park
– Ruins of Kunlunguang
– Yangmei Ancient City
– Lin Hot Spring
– Mingshu Park
– Mount Daming
– Beiqiu Ruins of Mount Dingshishan (one of the 10 Great Geographical Discoveries of China in 1997)