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#discoverchina Just back from 3 days and nights in Nanning. It’s a very spread out city with 5 subway lines, an interesting assortment of regular city buses and routes, and a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system. Chaoyang Square itself is the centre of the city and a hive of activity from early until late - people dancing, singing various kinds of Chinese opera (on high volume), playing cards and Chinese chess, and generally wheeling and dealing (I didn’t want to ask any questions). A great place for people watching. Most of the people in Nanning in my experience can not speak very good english. So it would be handy to bring a translation book. There is also a local dialect but most can speak mandarin. Shopping is very good especially for women clothes. There is a tunnel underground shop along Chao Yang Road - the main shopping area - clothes and food is cheap in Nanning. There is also a very tasty sidewalk dish that i tried - black tofu - the smell though is not very good but it tastes good especially with its chili sauce. Life is also slow paced in Nanning compared to its bustling neighbor. 30 minutes away from the main city gates - its already all province. Literally speaking surrounded by banana plantations and scenic mountains.