Jiangnan District 江南区

Setting and landscape

Across the Yong River to the north lie Xingning (兴宁区), Qingxiu (青秀区) and Xixiangtang (西乡塘区) districts. Liangqing District (良庆区) is to the east, Shangsi County (上思县) of Fangchenggang to the south and Fusui County (扶绥县) of Chongzuo to the west. Besides five urban subdistricts, the district has four towns: Wuxu (吴圩镇), Suxu (苏圩镇), Yan'an (延安镇) and Jiangxi (江西镇).

History

The district government traces Nanning's own beginnings to this bank: in 318 the Eastern Jin set up Jinxing Commandery (晋兴郡), with its seat near the Leimiao (雷庙) area of today's Baisha village (白沙村) on the south bank, before the seat moved across the river. Hence the local saying "first the pavilion, then Nanning" (先有亭子，后有南宁).

The modern district grew out of a body set up in 1953 to manage the boat households living on the Yong River. It became a waterborne people's commune, was renamed Jiangnan commune in 1971, and was replaced by Jiangnan District on 22 March 1979.

What to see

Yangmei village (扬美村) in Jiangxi Town, known as Yangmei Ancient Town, sits on the south bank of the lower Zuo River (左江) where the river loops in a horseshoe bend, a short way above the point where the Zuo and You rivers join to form the Yong. The town dates from the Song dynasty, but its houses are mainly Ming and Qing, and eight old wharf sites built in the Song and repaired in the Jiaqing reign survive. The Ming traveller Xu Xiake (徐霞客) came up the Zuo River and praised the scenery at Yangmei. The district counts four 4A scenic areas and two national historic and cultural villages.

Food and local products

The district's main local specialities are the "three treasures of Yangmei" (扬美三宝): fermented black beans, preserved mustard greens (梅菜) and shagao cake (沙糕), along with Yangmei papaya cubes (扬美木瓜丁). Farms grow sweet waxy corn, chillies, watermelons, Orah mandarins, starfruit and dragon fruit, and the district holds a watermelon culture season together with events for its Pinghua (平话) dialect culture and folk songs. A Nanning maker of suanye (酸嘢), sour pickles, runs a regional intangible-heritage workshop.

Highlights

• Yangmei Ancient Town 扬美古镇: Song-founded riverside town with mainly Qing houses and eight old wharf sites on the Zuo River.
• Three treasures of Yangmei 扬美三宝: Fermented black beans, preserved mustard greens and shagao cake.
• Nanning Wuxu International Airport 南宁吴圩国际机场: Nanning's airport, located in the district.