A Brief Exploration of Foreign History in Yong City

The north bank of the east side of the Nanning Lingtie Bridge was once a bustling water transport wharf. In 1907, the Qing Dynasty officially approved Nanning as a commercial port along the river, and accordingly set up a customs office. Most of the customs officers in Nanning at that time were foreigners. They held the great power of Nanning's customs, manipulating the rights of navigation and commerce, so the people of Nanning called this wharf 'Foreign Customs Wharf'. The Foreign Customs Wharf has witnessed the footprints of three great figures: On October 24, 1921, Sun Yat-sen arrived in Nanning and landed at the Foreign Customs Wharf. During his time in Nanning, he proposed a new strategy for the transformation and construction of Guangxi; in October 1929, Deng Xiaoping orchestrated the 'Nanning Military Uprising', leading the rebel troops to board a ship from the Foreign Customs Wharf, and successively launched the Baise Uprising and the Longzhou Uprising; on January 11, 1958, Mao Zedong took a small boat from the old site of the Foreign Customs Wharf to the center of the river for a winter swim in the Yong River. Between the Foreign Customs Wharf and the Customs Office, there is a small bridge called the Foreign Customs Bridge. The Customs Office building is a two-story European-style building, full of Western flavor. Older visitors looking at this yellow building will be reminded of the era of foreign matches and nails. More than a hundred years ago, a box of matches and a nail had to be imported from abroad, what a history that was. Due to the renovation of Nanning Zhongshan Road, the Zhongshan Road Christian Church temporarily uses this building for church activities, so the interior of the building has not been restored to its original customs office setting. In recent years, a Gothic-style scenic tower has been built at the tourist wharf opposite the river, facing the Customs Office from afar. The two European-style buildings stand on opposite banks of the Yong River, whether it is a coincidence or a deliberate plan. More than a hundred years ago, we were forced to open ports; more than a hundred years later, we are actively reforming and opening up. The phoenix flowers by the river bloom beautifully, and people strolling under the flowers are immersed in happiness.