Jiuzhou Ancient Town 旧州古镇

About Jiuzhou Ancient Town

Baise records that at the end of the Southern Song a Jiangxi man, Zhang Tianzong, came here with more than three hundred followers after Wen Tianxiang's forces were defeated by the Yuan, settled, and worked with the local Zhuang to develop the frontier and pass on Central Plains techniques. Between 1411 and 1650 Jiuzhou was the seat of Guishun prefecture, and it was the home of Lady Wa, the woman commander known for fighting Japanese pirates. The city describes several strands of culture surviving together here, among them tusi culture in the tusi tombs, Zhuang building traditions in the old buildings of Jiuzhou street, landscape culture in the Dongshan cliff inscriptions and the surrounding farmland, the Zhuang 'na' culture, and religious culture in the Tianhuang Hall and the Guanyin Tower. Locally the place is spoken of as a living museum of the Zhuang.

Embroidered-ball making runs through the households of the town. Baise records that households throughout Jiuzhou make them, from children of seven or eight to women in their sixties and seventies, turning out more than five hundred thousand balls a year with an output value approaching three million yuan. The town has been named a home of Chinese folk culture and art, a national cultural industry demonstration base, a Guangxi agricultural tourism demonstration point and a Guangxi tourism commodity base, and the autonomous region's culture and tourism department carried the Jiuzhou scenic area at grade 4A in its register compiled to the end of 2021.

What to look for

• The old buildings of Jiuzhou street, which the city names as the representative of Zhuang building tradition here
• The tusi tombs, which the city names as the representative of the district's chieftain-era culture
• The Dongshan cliff inscriptions above the farmland
• The Tianhuang Hall and the Guanyin Tower, among the religious buildings the city names
• Embroidered balls being made in the houses of the town, a trade of more than half a million balls a year

Location & getting there

Getting to Jiuzhou Ancient Town

Identify the main visitor approach and any separately managed houses, museums or performances. Ask before entering residential spaces or photographing residents.

• Search for 旧州古镇 with 百色市 and 靖西市.