Since 1958, Nánníng has been the provincial capital of the Guangxi Zhuàng Autonomous Region, itself home to more than 15 million Zhuàng people, China's largest minority group. Although over 60% of Nánníng's 1.4 million people are Zhuàng, you won't encounter too many "costumed" minorities here. The aboriginal Zhuàng, having long since assimilated the bulk of Chinese ways, except in their language, which bears a closer resemblance to Thai, are practically indistinguishable from the Hàn. An exception occurs during the annual International Festival of Folk Songs and Folk Arts held in the first half of November when many of Guangxi's minorities, including the Zhuàng, the Miáo, the Dòng, and the Yáo, gather for a colorful week of ethnic song and dance performances that have been criticized by some as being mere "urban re-enactments." During other times, Nánníng — which stands as an example of China's recent attempt to develop the west with its upmarket hotels, spanking-new department stores, and newly landscaped parks — has few attractions to keep visitors in town, but makes a convenient base for exploring the surrounding countryside dotted with limestone peaks and quaint traditional towns. Nánníng's location in the center south of the province and its proximity to the Vietnamese border (200km/120 miles to the south) makes it an ideal transit point for travelers, whether you're moving on to minority regions in the northeast, the coastal town of Beihai in the southeast, or Vietnam via the town of Píngxiáng. Vietnamese visas can be arranged here.
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