Nanning

Understand

Officially known as Nanning City (南宁市, Nánníng Shì), it is the capital of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in southern China. Nanning is often called the "Green City" because of its abundant tropical vegetation and many parks.

Nanning lies in a hilly basin in middle Guangxi and has a humid subtropical, monsoon-influenced climate. Since the establishment of the People's Republic of China, the city has evolved into an important political, economic, cultural, and transportation hub in the region, especially serving as a gateway for China–ASEAN cooperation.

Get around

Local buses serve the city, and are either ¥1 or ¥2 (with AC) per trip, you can use digital map of the city for the routes around the city.

Taxis are also convenient for getting around the city, and most rides within the city should cost under ¥20. Fares start at ¥9 for the first 2 km and are based on time and distance afterwards.

Share bikes, share e-bikes and share cars also operate in the city.

See

thumb|right|350px|Part of the pottery collection of Guangxi Autonomous Region Museum

Eat

Zhongshan Rd (中山路) is Nanning's food street, with a vast assortment of street stalls serving many kinds of Liang Guang (literally, the two Guang provinces, Guangxi and Guangdong) foods, as well as food from neighbouring provinces, such as Hunan and Yunnan. It is diagonally opposite the Incity, home of Wal-Mart. Throughout the city there are many good-value restaurants. Few have English menus. However, Zhongshan Rd has now been closed due to renovation.The newly developed eastern end of the city (around Langdong, and the APEC Exhibition Centre) has lots of up-market restaurants, cafes and coffee lounges.(Updated Jan 2024)

Drink

Many popular bars are to be found along Minzu Da Dao, the long avenue that runs from east to west through the city, bisecting South Lake. Many have a cover charge, and offer a variety of international as well as domestic beers, in addition to the standard supply of liquors. The '100' bar area (near the city library) has a cluster of up-market bars and coffee lounges, many featuring live music. A number of more intimate, low key bars and pubs can be found in the university district in the north west of the city, around University Road (Da Xue Lu) and Mingxiu Road.

Sleep

As for every major Chinese city, booking hotels online is more convenient than ever. Chinese website include Tuniu.com, Ctrip.com, and Fliggy.com. Western ones include Hotels.com (run by Expedia).

Stay safe

Chinese cities are generally speaking very safe in terms of violent crimes, and Nanning is no exception. But petty crimes like pickpocketing are quite common. On public transportation, be extra-careful about your mobile phones and wallets.

Pyramid/Ponzi schemes are endemic in Nanning, and similar to other pyramid schemes in China, criminals operating these schemes can resort to violence if their scam is about to be exposed. Simply avoid any dubious investment scheme is sufficient for normal visitors. You should also be careful if strangers are trying to talk to you and sell you something or leading you somewhere.