Nanning

River port and capital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China, on the Yong Jiang River; population (2000) 1,667,200. It is an important trading centre, particularly in spices. Industries include sugar-refining,

flour-milling, food-processing, and the manufacture of chemicals, machinery, leather goods, and cotton textiles. It was a supply town during the Vietnam War and the Sino-Vietnamese confrontation of 1979. Almost a third of the population is of Zhuang cultural background.

History
An administrative centre of strategic importance from the time of the Jin (or Chin) dynasty (1122–1234), it did not acquire the name Nanning until Kublai Khan gained control of the whole of China in the Yuan (or Mongol) dynasty (1279–1368). From 1912 to 1936 Nanning replaced Guilin as the capital of the province. The city was occupied by Japanese forces in 1940, and from 1944 to 1945. In 1949 it was restored as the provincial capital.