Longzhou County 龙州县

Setting and landscape

The land is higher in the west and lower in the east, and eight rivers, among them the Shuikou (水口河), Ping'er (平而河), Ming (明江) and Heishui (黑水河), belong to the Xi River (西江) system of the Pearl River basin. The Nonggang National Nature Reserve (弄岗) records 1,759 plant species, including golden camellia (金花茶), and a jianmu tree (枧木) at Longhu (陇呼) that stands 48.5 m tall and is about a thousand years old. Animals recorded in the county include the white-headed langur, the clouded leopard and the Nonggang babbler (弄岗穗鹛).

History

Longzhou was once the land of the Luoyue (骆越). The Tang set up the Long loose-rein prefecture (龙羁縻州) in 621, the start of the county, and in 1055 its seat moved to the present county town. In 1889 Longzhou opened as an overland trading port, described by the county as the first in Guangxi open to foreign trade; it was nicknamed "Little Hong Kong" (小香港).

In late 1929 and early 1930 Deng Xiaoping (邓小平), as the Communist Party's central representative, came to Longzhou twice to lead the Longzhou Uprising (龙州起义) and found the Red Eighth Army. The county was called Longjin (龙津县) from 1937 and took back the name Longzhou on 27 May 1961.

What to see

The Red Eighth Army headquarters (红八军军部旧址), at 19 Xinjie in the county town, occupies the former Ruifengxiang money shop (瑞丰祥钱庄): a French-style building and a traditional Chinese one, with two cypresses Deng planted out front. It became a national key protected monument in 1988. The Longzhou Uprising Memorial Park (龙州起义纪念园), Discover Nonggang (发现弄岗) and the Zuojiang scenic area (左江景区) in Shangjin township (上金乡) are 4A scenic areas.

The county also lists Xiaolian Cheng (小连城), a Sino-French War battlefield site called the "Great Wall of the southern frontier", the former French consulate (法国驻龙州领事馆旧址), the Ho Chi Minh exhibition hall (胡志明展馆) and the Shuikou border area. Local festivals include the song fair (歌圩节) on the 13th day of the fourth lunar month and the Nongdong festival (侬垌节) on the 10th day of the first lunar month.

Food and local products

Named local products include guanglang flour (桄榔粉), wild wampee (山黄皮), chicken rice noodles (鸡肉粉), star anise, jackfruit, jianmu chopping boards, "Qinglong" kitchen knives (青龙刀) and Jinlong Zhuang brocade (金龙壮锦).

Highlights

• Red Eighth Army headquarters 红八军军部旧址: Former Ruifengxiang money shop where Deng Xiaoping lived and worked in 1929-1930; national key protected monument since 1988.
• Xiaolian Cheng 小连城: Sino-French War battlefield site called the Great Wall of the southern frontier.
• Nonggang National Nature Reserve 弄岗: National nature reserve recording 1,759 plant species, including golden camellia.
• Jinlong Zhuang brocade 金龙壮锦: Zhuang brocade from Jinlong named among the county's local products.