the encyclopedic entry of Chongzuo

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Geography and climate

Chongzuo is located in southwestern Guangxi province. It borders Nanning in the east, Baise in the north, Fangchenggang in the south and Vietnam in the west. The Zuo or Left River and the You or Right River have their confluence in Chongzuo after which the river becomes the Yong River. Chongzuo is mountainous and hilly with numerous karst formations similar to Guilin and northern Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay. Its area is 17,345 km², 7,190 km² of which is forested.

Chongzuo’s climate is tropical wet. January’s average temperature is 13.8^o C and July’s is 28.1^o C. Annual average is 20.8-22.4^o C. There are 330 frost free days. Annual precipitation is between 1088-1799mm.

History

Chongzuo is one of the earliest centers of Zhuang culture. Important sites dating back to the stone age have been found here. Along the Ming River at Huashan is one of the largest groups of pictographs in China and in the world. On several cliff faces are hundreds of large red pictographs depicting a large battle. The red pigment is still bright and vivid and individual figures, weapons, and animals are easy to distinguish. The cliffs, part of the sacred Frog Mountain, were important site to the early Zhuang.

In 214 BC, during the Qin dynasty, Chongzuo was part of the Xiang(象郡) commandry. Chinese general Feng Zicai beat back a French attack here at the Battle of Zhennan Pass in 1885. Sun Yatsen fired the first canon shot of the anti-Qing revolution in Chongzuo in 1907. In the 1930’s, after fomenting rebellion in other parts of Guangxi, Deng Xiaoping helped organize the peasants and workers here during the Longzhou rebellion and eventually formed the Red Army's 8th Army. Later, in 1979, the Chinese army invaded Vietnam from here.

Administration

Chongzuo has 1 city, 5 counties, 57 towns, 72 townships, 146 residential communities, and 1,724 villages.

City:

Pingxiang (凭祥市)

Counties:

Ningming (宁明县)
Longzhou (龙州县）
Fusui (扶绥县）
Daxin (大新县）
Tiandeng (天等县）

Demographics

Chongzuo's population is 2,260,000. 88% of the people belong to the Zhuang ethnic group. The rest include Han, Yao, and other ethnic groups.

Economy

Forestry and agriculture are two of Chongzuo’s biggest industries. Oranges, rice, beans, corn, cassava, cinnamon, bananas, vegetables, durian, pineapples, longan, and tea are all major crops, but sugarcane is the center of Chongzuo agriculture. Farm raised animals include beef and dairy cattle, sheep, ducks, chickens, geese, and bees. Aquaculture for fish is also big. Chinese medicinal herbs are picked from the wild and also grown. Important mineral resources include manganese, gold, ferberite, coal, barite, bentonite, uranium, and vanadium. It is China’s biggest manganese producer and the world's biggest producer of bentonite. Other industries include export infrastructure, paper, forest products such as timber and turpentine, building materials, pharmaceuticals, and electronics manufacturing.

Flora and fauna

Chongzuo has amazing biodiversity with more than 4000 species of plants and more than 450 kinds of animals. There are more than 30 rare and protected animals including white headed and Indo-Chinese black langurs, crested striped hornbills, pangolins, and clouded leopards. 1/4 of China’s wild animal species can be found in Chongzuo.

Tourism

Chongzuo is famous for its beautiful natural scenery. The most famous attraction is Detian Waterfall in Daxing County along the border with Vietnam. It is the second largest waterfall along a national border after Niagara Falls and was one of the crossing points for China’s army during the brief Sino-Vietnamese War. Nearby there is the Tongling Gorge accessible only through a cavern from an adjoining gorge. Rediscovered only recently, it has many species of endemic plants, found only in the gorge, and used to be used as a hideout by local bandits whose treasure is occasionally still found in the cliff-side caves. West of Chongzuo city, there are several forest and animal preserves, some with minor tourist facilities.