Liuzhou, also known as the dragon city, is located in the north-central part of Guangxi. It is a regional central industrial city and transportation hub with comprehensive development. It is also a historical and cultural city with unique beautiful landscapes. Liuzhou has five counties and five districts with a total area of 18,600 square kilometers and an urban built-up area of 248.5 square kilometers. The city has a resident population of 4,120,600 and an urban population of 2,310,000. There are 44 ethnic groups including Han, Zhuang, Miao, Yao and Dong in the city.

Liuzhou, a regional central industrial city and transportation hub with comprehensive development [Photo/VCG]

Liuzhou has a history of more than 2,100 years and is a national historical and cultural city. The culture of Liuzhou is inclusive and multi-ethnic. The development of ethnic minority cultures such as Zhuang, Dong, Miao and Yao, exemplified by the legendary Zhuang singer Liu Sanjie, is very advanced.

Liuzhou is an important industrial city in southwest China. The total industrial economy accounts for about one-fifth of Guangxi's. Liuzhou has formed an industrial system with automobiles, machinery and steel as its pillars, along with the chemical, sugar, paper, pharmaceutical, building material, and daily chemical industries. There are 463 enterprises whose industrial output exceeds 100 million yuan and 72 enterprises whose industrial output exceeds one billion yuan. The city has 16 listed companies, three famous Chinese brands and nine well-known Chinese trademarks. Liuzhou is a national automobile parts production base, national automobile and parts export base and one of the seven major automobile industry demonstration bases in China. It is also the only city in the country that has four automobile groups: FAW, Dongfeng, SAIC and SINO Truck. Wuling, Chenglong, Dongfeng Fengxing, Baojun and other automobile brands are well-known throughout China.

Liuzhou is an excellent tourist city. There are 16 national 4A-level tourist scenic spots and 15 national 3A-level tourist scenic spots in the city. Eighty percent of the national 4A-level tourist scenic spots in Guangxi are concentrated within a 250 km radius of Liuzhou. The fabulous natural landscape has earned Liuzhou the title of "the world's first natural bonsai". The city is also known as the "Stone Capital of China" and the Liuzhou International Fantastic Stone Festival has become an important platform for stone appreciation and cultural exchange between Chinese and foreign stone enthusiasts. The original ecological art of Zhuang Song, Yao Dance, Miao Festival, and Dong Tower are amazing. The Dong Song folk music has been included in the World Intangible Cultural Heritage List. Other cultural relics in Liuzhou listed as world material cultural heritages include Chengyang Bridge, Batuan Bridge, Mapang Drum Tower, Sanjiang Drum Tower and Duzhu Drum Tower.

Liuzhou is a modern and livable city. It has won the honor of being named a National Garden City, National Forest City and National Health City. It has also won the China Habitat Environment Model Award. The Liujiang drinking water protection section continues to maintain the national surface water class III water quality standard. The city's forest coverage rate is 65.03 percent, its urban built-up area has a green coverage rate of 43.25 percent and its urban good air quality rating is 86.3 percent. The green space per capita in Liuzhou is 12 square meters.