Guangxi
Guangxi (/ɡwɑːŋˈʃiː/, gwahng-SHEE; [kwàŋ.ɕí] ⓘ; alternately romanized as Kwanghsi; Chinese: 广西; Zhuang: Gvangjsih), officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, located in South China and bordering Vietnam (Hà Giang, Cao Bằng, Lạng Sơn, and Quảng Ninh Provinces) and the Gulf of Tonkin. Formerly a province, Guangxi became an autonomous region in 1958. Its current capital is Nanning.
Guangxi | |
|---|---|
| Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region | |
| Chinese transcription(s) | |
| • Simplified Chinese | 广西壮族自治区 |
| • Hanyu pinyin | Guǎngxī Zhuàngzú Zìzhìqū |
| • Cantonese Jyutping | Gwong2sai1 Zong3zuk6 Zi6zi6keoi1 |
| • Abbreviation | 桂 (Guì / Gwai3) |
| Zhuang transcription(s) | |
| • Standard Zhuang | Gvangjsih Bouxcuengh Swcigih |
| • Abbreviation | Gvei |
Clockwise from the top:
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Location of Guangxi within China | |
| Coordinates: 23.6°N 108.3°E | |
| Country | China |
| Named for | 广 guǎng – "wide" 西 xī – "west" lit. 'western expanse' |
| Capital (and largest city) | Nanning |
| Divisions | 14 prefectures, 109 counties, 1396 townships |
| Government | |
| • Type | Autonomous region |
| • Body | Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Regional People's Congress |
| • CCP Secretary | Liu Ning |
| • Congress Chairman | Liu Ning |
| • Government Chairman | Lan Tianli |
| • CPPCC Chairman | Sun Dawei |
| Area | |
| • Total | 237,600 km2 (91,700 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 9th |
| Highest elevation | 2,141 m (7,024 ft) |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 50,126,804 |
| • Rank | 11th |
| • Density | 210/km2 (550/sq mi) |
| • Rank | 20th |
| Demographics | |
| • Ethnic composition | Han – 59% Zhuang – 34% Yao – 3% Jing (Vietnamese) – 2% Miao – 1% Dong – 0.7% Gelao – 0.3% |
| • Languages and dialects | Zhuang, Yue languages (mainly Cantonese), Southwestern Mandarin, Pinghua |
| ISO 3166 code | CN-GX |
| GDP (2021) | CN¥2.474 trillion US$383 billion (19th) |
| GDP per capita | CN¥49,118 US$7,611 (31st) |
| GDP per growth | 7.5% |
| HDI (2019) | 0.728 high · 25th |
| Website | (in Chinese) Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region |
| Guangxi | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Guǎngxī in Simplified (top) and Traditional (bottom) Chinese | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 广西 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 廣西 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hanyu Pinyin | ⓘ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Postal | Kwangsi | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | An abbreviation of "Guǎng(nán)xī (Circuit)" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 广西壮族自治区 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 廣西壯族自治區 or 廣西僮族自治區 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hanyu Pinyin | Guǎngxī Zhuàngzú Zìzhìqū | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Postal | Kwangsi Chuang Autonomous Region | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Vietnamese name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vietnamese alphabet | Quảng Tây Khu tự trị dân tộc Choang (Tráng) Quảng Tây | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chữ Hán | 廣西 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chữ Nôm | 區自治民族壯廣西 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Zhuang name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Zhuang | Gvangjsih long: Gvangjsih Bouxcuengh Swcigih | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1957 orthography | Gvaŋзsiƅ long: Gvaŋзsiƅ Bouчcueŋƅ Sɯcigiƅ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sawndip | 广西佈僮自治区 廣西佈僮自治區 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| English name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| English | /ˈɡwɑːŋˈsiː/ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Guangxi's location, in mountainous terrain in the far south of China, has placed it on the frontier of Chinese civilization throughout much of Chinese history. The current name "Guang" means "expanse" and has been associated with the region since the creation of Guang Prefecture in 226 AD. It was given provincial level status during the Yuan dynasty, but even into the 20th century, it was considered an open, wild territory. The abbreviation of the region is "桂" (Hanyu pinyin: Guì; Zhuang: Gvei), which comes from the name of the city of Guilin, the provincial capital during both the Ming dynasty and the Qing dynasty.
Guangxi contains the largest population of China's ethnic minorities after Yunnan, in particular, the Zhuang people, who make up 34% of the population. Various regional languages and dialects such as Pinghua, Zhuang, Kam, Cantonese, Hakka, and Min are spoken alongside Mandarin Chinese.