Laibin ( zh, s=来宾市, t=來賓市, p=Láibīn, Zhuang: Laizbinh) is a

prefecture-level city A prefecture-level city () or prefectural city is an administrative division of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC), ranking below a province of China, province and above a Counties of the People's Republic of China, county in China's ...

in the central part of the

Guangxi Guangxi,; officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People's Republic of China, located in South China and bordering Vietnam (Hà Giang Province, Hà Giang, Cao Bằn ...

Zhuang Autonomous Region, China.

History

Laibin is an ancient town with more than 2000 years of history. The area was settled in prehistoric times, more than 30,000 years ago.

Geography and climate

Laibin is located in central Guangxi. The Hongshui River or Red River and Rong River, both tributaries of the

Xi River The Xi River (; ) or Si-Kiang is the western tributary of the Pearl River in southern China. It is formed by the confluence of the Gui and Xun Rivers in Wuzhou, Guangxi. It originates from the eastern foot of the Maxiong Mountain in Quji ...

, meet in Laibin. Its administrative area is , of which more than 43% is forested.

Administration

Laibin administers 1

district A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...

, 1

county-level city A county-level city () is a County-level divisions of China, county-level administrative division of the China, People's Republic of China. County-level cities have judiciary, judicial but no legislature, legislative rights over their own local or ...

counties A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

, and 1

autonomous county Autonomous counties () and autonomous banners () are Counties of China, county-level autonomous administrative divisions of China. Autonomous counties tend to have a large number of ethnic minority citizens compared to ordinary counties (if not ...

. District: * Xingbin District () County-level city: * Heshan City () Counties: * Xincheng County () * Xiangzhou County () * Wuxuan County () Autonomous county: * Jinxiu Yao Autonomous County ()

Demographics

Laibin's population is 2,498,236 (2010). 69.4% of the people belong to the Zhuang ethnic group. The rest include Han, Yao, and other ethnic groups. * ''These figures are based on the following official statistics:''

Economy

Laibin is an important transportation hub with several regional and national highways, important rail lines, and shipping along the Hongshui River to Hong Kong, Macau, and Guangzhou. Agriculture is a major industry, with sugarcane, rice, peanuts, tea, and fruits being the major crops. There are more than 600 industries in Laibin, including sugar processing, powerplants, construction materials, mining, and Chinese medicine. The area produces 1/4 of the world's

indium Indium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol In and atomic number 49. It is a silvery-white post-transition metal and one of the softest elements. Chemically, indium is similar to gallium and thallium, and its properties are la ...

Culture

Laibin is filled with numerous examples of unique ethnic minority culture, especially from the Yao. There are also many types of dance found only in the area, including the Bamboo Horse, the Colorful Butterfly, the Dragon Fish, the Emerald, the Bright Lantern, and the Yao dance, the Monkey Drum.

Notable people

* Xiao Qiaogui () (1821–1852) Taiping general. * Zhai Fuwen () (1866–1942) educator, author, and national assembly representative for Guangxi province * Liu Ceqi () (1895–1927) revolutionary hero and martyr, Zhuang. * Mo Jiangbai () (1918–1949) revolutionary hero and martyr, Zhuang. * Zhang Hua () (1911–1990) military and political figure. * Jin Baosheng () (1927– ) military and political figure, Yao. * Han Feng () (1956– ) Tobacco monopoly apparatchik outed in 2010 as a "Chinese Casanova". * Jing Xianfa ( ) (1957– ) Current Mayor of Laibin.

References

External links

Official Website(Chinese)
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