| Liuzhou | |
| Native Name: | Chinese: 柳州市 • {{lang|za|Liujcouh Si |
| Other Name: | Liuchow |
| Settlement Type: | Prefecture-level city |
| Pushpin Map: | China |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in China |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | People's Republic of China |
| Subdivision Type1: | Region |
| Subdivision Name1: | Guangxi |
| Seat Type: | Municipal seat |
| Seat: | Chengzhong District |
| Area Total Km2: | 18,594.2 |
| Area Urban Km2: | 3559.4 |
| Area Metro Km2: | 3559.4 |
| Population As Of: | 2023 census[1] |
| Population Total: | 4,153,500 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Population Metro: | 2,519,051 |
| Population Density Metro Km2: | auto |
| Population Urban: | 2,519,051 |
| Population Density Urban Km2: | auto |
| Demographics Type2: | GDP |
| Demographics2 Title1: | Prefecture-level city |
| Demographics2 Info1: | CN¥ 305.7 billion US$ 47.4 billion |
| Demographics2 Title2: | Per capita |
| Demographics2 Info2: | CN¥ 73,328 US$ 11,366 |
| Timezone: | China Standard |
| Utc Offset: | +8 |
| Coor Pinpoint: | Liuzhou government |
| Iso Code: | CN-GX |
| Pic: | LZZ.svg |
| Piccap: | "Liuzhou", as written in Chinese |
| Picsize: | 125px |
| P: | Liǔzhōu |
| Psp: | Liuchow |
| Zha: | Liujcouh |
| Zha57: | Liuзcouƅ |
| Showflag: | p |
| L: | Willow [River]Prefecture |
Liuzhou (;[2], IPA Pronunciation:) is a prefecture-level city in north-central Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, People's Republic of China. The prefecture's population was 4,153,500 as of 2023 census,[3] including 2,519,051 in the built-up area made of five urban districts. Its total area is 18594km2 and 3559.4km2 for the built-up area.
Liuzhou is located on the banks of the winding Liu River, approximately 255km (158miles) from Nanning, the regional capital. By road, it is about 167km (104miles) to Guilin, 167km (104miles) to Hechi, 237km (147miles) to Nanning, 373km (232miles) to Fangchenggang, 448km (278miles) to Beihai.
Swimming in the river is a tradition of the city. The river is normally green, but sometimes in summer, floods from the mountain areas upstream bring sediment which colors the water yellow. In early 2012, a cadmium spill upstream caused serious pollution worries.[4]
The river can be deep. Normally, the depth is 60m-70mm (200feet-230feetm) but can as deep as 90m (300feet) before it floods over the wall. In 2000 a bus, with 78 passengers, fell over the side of a bridge. There were no survivors.[5]
Liuzhou has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa/Cwa), with mild winters and long hot summers, and very humid conditions year-round. The monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from in January to in August, while extremes have ranged from NaNto. Rain is both the heaviest and most frequent from May to August, when nearly two-thirds of the annual rainfall occurs.
The Liujiang men are among the earliest modern humans found in East Asia. Their remains were discovered in the Tongtianyang Cave (Chinese: 通天岩) in Liujiang County, Guangxi.[6] Liujiang man is a Late Pleistocene Homo sapiens sapiens.
Liuzhou has a history of more than 2,100 years. The city was founded in 111 B.C. when it was known as Tanzhong .
In 742 A.D. it became known as Longcheng, after the Long River, before finally changing to Liuzhou after the Liu River in 1736.
The most famous historic figure is Liu Zongyuan (773 - 819), who was a poet and politician in the Tang dynasty and who died in Liuzhou. He is commemorated by a park in the city.
Liuzhou was the site of Liuchow Airfield, used by Nationalist Chinese and American Army Air Forces in World War II.[7] (At that time the airfield was closer to the centre, where the zoo is now.) It was captured by the Japanese army on 7 November 1944 during the Battle of Guilin–Liuzhou and recaptured by Nationalist Chinese forces on 30 June 1945 prior to the Second Guangxi Campaign.[7]
Liuzhou has direct administration over 10 county-level divisions: 5 districts, 3 counties and 2 autonomous counties:
Liuzhou is the second largest city in Guangxi and is the region's industrial center. According to statistics issued by the Liuzhou government in 2015, the city's GDP was 231.1 billion yuan.[8]
Among important companies based in Liuzhou are:
As with much of Guangxi, the landscape around Liuzhou is a mix of rolling hills, mountain peaks, caves and karst scenery. It is an ideal base for exploring the minority villages in the area.
In recent years (post-Covid-19 pandemic, 2022/3) some tourists engage in Culinary tourism since Liuzhou is the birthplace of Guangxi's most famous dish, Luosifen.
Liuzhou is the headquarters of the 41st Group Army of the People's Liberation Army, one of the two army groups that comprise the Guangzhou Military Region responsible for the defence of China's southern coast and its border with Vietnam.
Liuzhou appears in the Chinese saying Chinese: 生在苏州, 活在杭州, 吃在广州, 死在柳州.
Born in Suzhou, live in Hangzhou, eat in Guangzhou, die in Liuzhoubecause, in the past, the city was known for its coffins, made from firwood, camphor wood, and sandalwood,[9] which are said to preserve the body after death. Guangzhou's "Cantonese" cuisine is famous worldwide, and Hangzhou is known for its prosperity and the beauty of its location. Suzhou is reputed to have the most beautiful people in China, so the line is sometimes given as "Marry in Suzhou...".
Today many tourists buy miniature coffins, about 3to long, as souvenirs or good luck charms. The coffins are usually inscribed Chinese: 升官发财 which means 'get promotion and get rich". The second and fourth characters are homophones of Chinese: 棺材 meaning 'coffin'.
Some miniature coffins are used as caskets to hold the ashes of ancestors.[9]