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Chongzuo (simplified Chinese: 崇左; pinyin: Chóngzuǒ, Zhuang: Cungzcoj) is a prefecture-level city in China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. It is home to one of China’s largest Zhuang populations.
Geography and climate
Chongzuo is located in southwestern Guangxi province. It borders Nanning in the west, Baise in the north, Fangchenggang in the south and Vietnam in the west. The Zuo or Left River and the You or Right River have their confluence in Chongzuo after which the river becomes the Yong River. Chongzuo is mountainous and hilly with numerous karst formations similar to Guilin and northern Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay. Its area is 17,345 km², 7,190 km² of which is forested.
Chongzuo’s climate is tropical wet. January’s average temperature is 13.8o C and July’s is 28.1o C. Annual average is 20.8-22.4o C. There are 330 frost free days. Annual precipitation is between 1088-1799mm.
History
Chongzuo is one of the earliest centers of Zhuang culture. Sites dating back to the stone age have been found here. In 214 BC, during the Qin dynasty, it was part of the Xiang(象郡) commandry. Chinese general Feng Zicai beat back a French attack here at the Battle of Zhennan Pass in 1885. Sun Yatsen fired the first canon shot of the anti-Qing revolution in Chongzuo in 1907. In the 1930’s, after fomenting rebellion in other parts of Guangxi, Deng Xiaoping helped organize the peasants and workers here during the Longzhou rebellion and eventually formed the Red Army's 8th Army. Later, in 1979, the Chinese army invaded Vietnam from here.
Administration
Chongzuo has 1 city, 5 counties, 57 towns, 72 townships, 146 residential communities, and 1,724 villages.
City:
- Pingxiang (凭祥市)
Counties:
Demographics
Chongzuo's population is 2,260,000. 88% of the people belong to the Zhuang ethnic group. The rest include Han, Yao, and other ethnic groups.
Economy
Forestry and agriculture are two of Chongzuo’s biggest industries. Oranges, rice, beans, corn, cassava, cinnamon, bananas, vegetables, durian, pineapples, longan, and tea are all major crops. Farm raised animals include beef and dairy cattle, sheep, ducks, chickens, geese, and bees. Aquaculture for fish is also big. Chinese medicinal herbs are picked from the wild and also grown. Important mineral resources include manganese, gold, ferberite, coal, barite, bentonite, uranium, and vanadium. It is China’s biggest manganese producer and the world's biggest producer of bentonite. Other industries include export infrastructure, paper, forest products such as timber and turpentine, building materials, pharmaceuticals, and electronics manufacturing.
Flora and fauna
Chongzuo has amazing biodiversity with more than 4000 species of plants and more than 450 kinds of animals. There are more than 30 rare and protected animals including white headed and black gibbons, crested striped hornbills, pangolins, and clouded leopards. 1/4 of China’s wild animal species can be found in Chongzuo.
Tourism
Chongzuo is famous for its beautiful natural scenery. The most famous attraction is Detian Waterfall in Daxing County along the border with Vietnam. It is the second largest waterfall along a national border after Niagara Falls and was one of the crossing points for China’s army during the brief Sino-Vietnamese War. Nearby there is the Tongling Gorge accessible only through a cavern from an adjoining gorge. Rediscovered only recently, it has many species of endemic plants, found only in the gorge, and used to be used as a hideout by local bandits whose treasure is occasionally still found in the cliff-side caves.
External links
"Chongzuo"