Guangxi is the third autonomous region of China that I am introducing in the series These Wonderul People of... Once more I have met ordinary people who all had something special extraordinary and who all together represent our multifaceted world.
I have been warmly welcomed by a beekeeper and by a photographer specializing in ethnic costumes, by a collector of bronze drums and by a music composer, by a centenarian woman and by a renowned artist, by a Buddhist nun and by a sea pearl entrepreneur, by a model teacher and by a mask sculptor, let alone in this Olympic year, I had the pleasure of interviewing for you not one but two gold medal winners from former Olympic Games.
I visited almost all the territory of the autonomous region to meet as many ethnic groups as possible: Zhuang, Miao, Yao, Dong, Maonan, Mulam, and certainly Han, who make up 62 percent of the population.
Everywhere I received the same warm welcome, the same hospitality. Everywhere, the same will of sharing and spreading one's culture. It's my turn now to share with you these pages of discovery.
About the Author
李莎，AFter a teaching career in Canada, where she was born, Lisa Carducci found China to be the most favourable place for her writing. Author of more than 40 books and 2,000 articles, she aims to improve, year after year, her knowledge of the Chinese culture's many diverse features. However, this experience of China would not make sense to her if she did not share it with "those who don't have the chance to discover it on the ground".
In 2001, Lisa Carducci was granted the Friendship Award of the People's Republic of China, and, in 2005, permanent residence status.
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Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Re-gion is located at the far south of Bei-jing. Guangxi is known for Guilin and itslandscapes made of impressive conicalhills commonly called sugar loaves, itsnumerous karstic caves, and its wonder-ful Lijiang River.
The ethnic groups that composeGuangxi's population are very visible andcolorful; more than 90 percent of the16 million Zhuang of China live in thisautonomous region. Zhuang is also themost numerous ethnic group in Chinaafter the Han.
Guangxi is in fact a tapestry oflandscapes. With over 80 percent of theregion being hills and mountains, it of-fers fantastic views, beautiful sceneries,year-round greenery, clear waters, lushvegetation, tropical rain forests, verticalgardens, and terraced fields. Its greencoverage reaches 52.7 percent, and Nan-ning is, in this regard, among the leadingChinese cities.
