Fangchenggang 防城港市

Setting and landscape

The Shiwanda Mountains (十万大山) run for more than 130 kilometres across the middle of the prefecture, peaking at 1,462 metres on Shuliang Ridge (薯良岭) in Shangsi (上思). They split the rivers: the Fangcheng (防城河) and Beilun (北仑河) flow south to the sea, while the Ming River (明江) flows north through Shangsi, whose basin forms the north of the prefecture. The lower eastern branch of the Beilun is the border with Vietnam. On the coast three peninsulas alternate with three bays, and the prefecture has a national nature reserve for golden camellias (金花茶).

History

Archaeological finds show people living here more than 5,000 years ago. Before the Song, people around today's Fangcheng District (防城区) lived inside wooden stockades built against raiders, and in 972 the place was renamed Fangcheng (防城); Fangcheng County followed in 1888. From March 1968 the port was built as the main starting point of a covert sea route supplying Vietnam against the United States, and the prefecture-level city was created in 1993.

What to see

Wanwei (万尾), Wutou (巫头) and Shanxin (山心) form the Jingdao scenic area; Golden Beach (金滩), about 11 kilometres long on the south side of Wanwei, faces Vietnam across the water. At the Ha Festival (哈节), the grandest Jing festival, villages sing for three days in their Ha pavilions (哈亭), led by a man playing a stringed instrument and two women singers. Bailang Beach (白浪滩), on the east coast of the Jiangshan Peninsula (江山半岛), is about 6 kilometres long and up to 2.8 kilometres wide at the lowest tide. At Dongxing the border-gate scenic area lines the Beilun opposite Mong Cai (芒街), and the city describes Zhushan (竹山), at the river mouth, as the south-westernmost fishing village on the mainland.

Food and local products

Dongxing counts Red Girl sweet potatoes (红姑娘红薯), Jing vermicelli (京族粉丝) and the Jing "wind-blown" cake (京族风吹饼) as its three treasures; the sweet potato has been grown for more than 200 years and gained geographical-indication status in 2010. Shangsi fragrant glutinous rice (上思香糯) is also a geographical-indication product, and local chicken breeds include Guangpo chicken (光坡鸡) from Gangkou District and the short-legged Dongzhong chicken (峒中矮鸡).

Getting oriented

The city government sits in Gangkou District (港口区), 141 kilometres from Nanning (南宁) and 49 kilometres from Mong Cai.

Highlights

• Jing Islands and Golden Beach 京族三岛: Wanwei, Wutou and Shanxin in Dongxing; Golden Beach on the south side of Wanwei is about 11 km long.
• Ha Festival 哈节: The grandest Jing festival: three days of singing in village Ha pavilions.
• Bailang Beach 白浪滩: Beach on the east coast of the Jiangshan Peninsula, about 6 km long and up to 2.8 km wide at the lowest tide.
• Shiwanda Mountains 十万大山: Range running more than 130 km across the prefecture; highest peak Shuliang Ridge, 1,462 m.
• Red Girl sweet potato 红姑娘红薯: Dongxing sweet potato grown for more than 200 years; geographical-indication status in 2010.