Tianyang District 田阳区

Setting and landscape

The Youjiang is the main river, flowing from west to east through six townships. Elevations run from 250 metres to a highest peak of 1,250.8 metres. Close to the Tropic of Cancer, the district has a southern subtropical monsoon climate with warm winters and long summers, and the district government notes that it has the lowest rainfall in Guangxi. The district government is in Tianzhou (田州镇).

History

Tianzhou prefecture (田州) was first set up in 713 under the Tang, and in 1053 the Song created Fengyi (奉议州) as a loose-rein (jimi) prefecture. After Tianzhou came under regular officials in 1875, its land was divided and the Zhongtian (中田里) area went to Fengyi. In 1912 the area became Fengyi and Enyang (恩阳县) counties, which merged in 1935 as Tianyang County. In 1930 an Enyang County Soviet government was formed, and in 2019 the county became a district of Baise.

What to see

Ganzhuang Mountain (敢壮山), a hill rising to 326 metres in Naguan hamlet (那贯屯) of Baiyu (百育镇), about 19 kilometres from the urban area, is venerated as the home of Buluotuo (布洛陀), the creator ancestor of the Zhuang, and his female counterpart Muliujia (姆六甲). The national 4A scenic area includes the Muniang Cave (姆娘岩) where legend places them, an ancestor shrine, the Mandarin Duck Spring (鸳鸯泉) and a Red Army cave. From the 7th to the 9th day of the third lunar month people gather there to sing folk songs, perform lion dances and throw embroidered balls in Buluotuo's honour; the district government cites historical records dating the song fair to before the Sui and Tang.

Tianzhou Ancient Town (田州古城), a 4A scenic area inside the urban area, is a Zhuang-themed complex with a Buluotuo square, a Zuogong pagoda (祖公塔), a Yawang pavilion (娅王阁) and streets of restaurants and snack stalls. Madame Wa Culture Park (瓦氏夫人文化公园), a 3A scenic area at Longping village (隆平村) in Tianzhou, commemorates Madame Wa (瓦氏夫人), who fought Japanese pirates. The park holds her tomb, an exhibition hall and a statue; the tomb became an autonomous-region protected site in July 1994.

Food and local products

The district calls itself the first place in China to be named a "Home of Mango" (芒果之乡). More than 30 varieties are grown, including Tainong No. 1, Jinhuang, Guifei and Guiqi mangoes.

Highlights

• Ganzhuang Mountain Buluotuo site 敢壮山布洛陀遗址景区: 4A scenic area on the hill venerated as the home of the Zhuang creator ancestor Buluotuo.
• Ganzhuang song fair 敢壮山歌圩: Held from the 7th to the 9th day of the third lunar month.
• Tianzhou Ancient Town 田州古城: 4A Zhuang-themed complex in the urban area.
• Madame Wa Culture Park 瓦氏夫人文化公园: 3A park around the tomb of Madame Wa, protected by the autonomous region since 1994.