We had a good time in Nanning and it definitely felt like a city that is growing and on the upswing, and we could not say that about every city we visited while in China. There was a vibrancy and feeling of newness that was evident once we exited the train station. Of course, it has its historical side as well, as we experienced in an afternoon visit to Yongzhou Ancient City (also known as Three Streets and Two Alleys).
Funnily enough, the KFC really stands out once we walked under the red gate:
We did walk the streets and alleys, and most of it was heavily commercial, but was good for photos.
The remainder of the Chinese New Year street decorations were still on display and, as we passed a gold leaf fake tree, we heard a woman speaking English, and began chatting, and learned she lives in St. Genevieve, Missouri, which is certainly a small world!
We walked on, eventually making our way to the riverfront, where we sat and enjoyed the cool weather.
Our last full day in Nanning we decided to visit the Guangxi Museum, which, while sizeable, and colorful in front, was not as interesting as we had hoped. It was pretty empty, of people and original exhibits.
The main attraction were (copies of) Chinese scroll art throughout history, and these occupied all the open rooms on each floor; here are some I enjoyed:
Sadly there were simply too many to see, and noting none were originals, was a bit disappointing. We did learn a little about the red seals that are found on much of the art, and that was interesting, as you can tell by Jessica’s inquisitiveness below.
The silver lining at the museum was the 22 Cafe, which is housed in a pyramid and has a very cool, artsy vibe; we enjoyed some tasty beverages before heading on our way.
Across the street from the museum was Wuxianghu Park, which covers a large area and surrounds a lake, and we strolled amongst the flowering trees and around the lake.
Our final destination was a bookstore named Lijiang Books, out in the suburbs. I had seen a video of it being a cool place to have a coffee and take pictures of the multistory book racks, and we did both.
The art gallery in the basement was small yet interesting and worth a visit if you’re stopping by the bookstore. The featured artist is named Zhang Yangen, and there was even a piece we could contribute to, as Jessica is doing below.
The places we visited this day were not the most exciting, or life changing, and it reminds me that not every travel experience is going to be as such; some are average, some are not enjoyable, and some will surprise us. And if we don’t have subpar experiences, how are we going to recognize and enjoy the great ones? We had a lot of experiences in Nanning, more great than not, and if presented with the opportunity to visit, I would recommend it. So with that being said, ciao, Nanning! On to our next city, in Yunnan Provence, Kunming!
Phil's WayPastCool 