Nanning Things to Do

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On the top of the mountain stands Longxiang pagoda or Qingshan pagoda which is the symbol of the Qingxiu Mountain. It was first built in the Wanli period (1573-1620) of the Ming Dynasty, but was destroyed by war. It was rebuilt in the mid-1980s and become the highest and largest pagoda in Guangxi. The pagoda retains the architectural style of the Ming Dynasty; inlaid with green bricks and tiles and featuring a 9-tiered octagonal exterior.

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These are two man-made lakes within the park in front of a series of steps that lead up to the Longxiang Pagoda. There's a lovely building on the shore which serves as a tea house. The lakes are brimming with fish, as you can see in the photos.

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The Qingxiu Scenic Area is located about 7km (4 miles) south-east, from the city centre and is known for its beauty and clear waters which run through it. Mt. Qingxiu or Taiqing Peak, is made up of 18 peaks including Qingshan Peak and Phoenix Peak. The range covers a total area of 4.07 square kilometres (about 1.6 square miles). The main sights in the scenic area are the ancient Longxiang Pagoda, Cycads Garden, Tianchi and Yaochi Lakes, Guanyin Temple and Thailand Garden & Temple. The scenic area makes for a lovely stroll, which is what I did for a few hours. Little buses whisk you along to wherever you want to go for RMB5 per ride.

Admission: RMB15.

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The Yong River flows through Nanning and is the chief southern tributary of the Xi River. The river flows to Guangzhou which is navigable by shallow-draft junks. I sat beside the river in a riverside park beside the Yong Jiang Bridge and watched people of their houseboats.

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This is a typical house of the Zhuang minority people found in the north-west of Guangxi. Most of the Ganlan houses have two floors, each of which has three rooms. They also have an attic. The first floor is used as a pen for animals or as a place for storage of farm tools etc. The second floor is used as a living floor whilst the attic is used to store grain. The living floor has a main central room with a stove at the right side. There are two sleeping rooms that lead off the main central room for various members of the family but the elders sleep in the central room.

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Drum towers are the main public buildings in a Dong village. In general, there is one drum tower in each village but there may be three or four according to the number of people in a particular village. They are used for discussion, ceremony holding, gathering, recreation, rest and chat. This particular drum tower was built out of wood without the use of nails. Upon hearing the drum, each family in the village would send their representive to the tower to deal with the affair which would be presided over by the head of the village. Inside the tower are pictures of other types of drum tower found in different villages.

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This is the showpiece building in the Minority Cultural Relics Garden at the back of the museum. The Wind & Rain bridge was built by the Dong minority people to basically protect people from the wind and rain. It was built without the use of nails and is an amazing piece of architecture that I didn't think I would be able to see whilst in China. So I was very happy to see it here.

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As well as the superb bronze drums, the other major exhibition of the museum is its ethnological section which features various artefacts from the different minority groups within Guangxi. These include different textiles, wooden hand looms, drinking vessels, clothes, musical instruments, puppets and dolls, jewellery and masks. More photos can be found in my travelogues.