Bobai County 博白县

History

Bobai County was created in 621 under the Tang, named by one account after the Bobai River, today's Xiaobai River (小白江), and by another after Bobai Mountain. In 623 the prefecture of Nanzhou (南州), seated in the present county town, was renamed Baizhou; a busy street in town is still called Nanzhou Road (南州路). Baizhou was abolished for the last time in 1136, and Bobai then belonged to Yulin Prefecture (鬱林州) through the Yuan, Ming and Qing.

According to the county government, most ancestors of Bobai's Hakka moved south during the Tang and Song. It lists Southern Guangxi tea-picking opera (桂南采茶戏) on the first national intangible-heritage list and says Bobai acrobats have performed in more than 50 countries and regions. The linguist Wang Li (王力) came from here, and there are sites linked to the Western Jin beauty Liang Lüzhu (梁绿珠) and to Liu Yongfu (刘永福), who fought the French in Vietnam.

What to see

Yanshi Mountain (宴石山), 30 kilometres from the county town in Dungu town (顿谷镇) in the southwest, is a flat-topped hill of purple sandstone with sheer sides; the Nanliu River (南流江) runs through the scenic area, and legend says gods once feasted on the summit. Yanshi Temple (宴石寺) is over 1,100 years old, three cliff-carved statues became a provincial protected site in 1995, and the county government calls its Xianren Bridge (仙人桥), a Danxia-landform stone bridge, the largest in Asia.

The Zizu Temple (字祖庙), inside Bobai Middle School, was built in 1889 by magistrate Gu Enren (顾恩仁) to honour Cang Jie (仓颉) and Ju Song (沮诵), legendary creators of Chinese characters; it has two tiers of eaves and a gourd-shaped finial. The county also lists the 4A Wang Li scenic area (王力·书香景区) and Qianhe Island (千鹤岛) at Jiangning.

Food and local products

Bobai longan (博白桂圆), water spinach (博白蕹菜), taro shoots (博白芋苗) and star fruit (博白杨桃) are registered geographical-indication trademarks. The county is also known for woven handicrafts and for Nanliu coloured jade (南流彩玉).

Getting oriented

The Yulin–Tieshangang (玉铁) and Litang–Zhanjiang (黎湛) railways cross the county, and the county town is less than 20 kilometres from Yulin Fumian Airport (玉林福绵机场).

Highlights

• Yanshi Mountain Scenic Area 宴石山风景区: Flat-topped purple-sandstone hill on the Nanliu River with Yanshi Temple and cliff-carved statues; a 3A scenic area since 2017.
• Zizu Temple 字祖庙: Built in 1889 to honour the legendary creators of Chinese characters, inside Bobai Middle School.
• Bobai longan 博白桂圆: One of four Bobai products registered as geographical-indication trademarks.