This blog chronicles the miracles and struggles of our daughters, Emily and Olivia. Emily was born 15 weeks early and had many complications, but she continues to amaze us! Olivia, born in China with heart complications, is also beating the odds. She joined her forever family (us!) when she was four years old and has been doing wonderfully! UPDATE: We started homeschooling August 2009 :)

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

RongXian, Home of Overseas Chinese

ChinaToday.com:
Rongxian County, Home of Overseas Chinese
By XU JING
Zhenwu Pavilion, the only ancient building in China in good repair without the aid of reconstruction. (click image above to enlarge)

RONGXIAN County in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region is famous as the hometown of overseas Chinese. They number 700,000 -- equivalent to the county's current population.
Rongxian is also well known for its tourist destinations. The Zhenwu Pavilion is well preserved, despite no rebuilding of any kind over the past 400 years or more. The pavilion comprises a structure of some 3,000 pieces of timber, perfectly assembled according to the lever principle. The four hypostyle columns on the second floor that are suspended from the ceiling and support it, the roof girders, tiles, and roof-ridge ornaments, are its most impressive feature. Shiliyangwai Village is the birthplace of Yang Yuhuan, favorite concubine of Tang Emperor Xuanzong, and a renowned beauty in Chinese history. A park has been built in the village enshrining the life of this legendary lady. A Taoist sanctum, Duqiao Mountain is noted for its red-rock geology, graceful soaring peaks, lush forests, and labyrinthine caves. The 108 by 88 meter character for Buddha engraved on its Qingshou Rock, in the calligraphy of Zhao Puchu, late chairman of China Buddhism Association, is the largest of its kind in the world.
Rongxian County has an established reputation for its local products, such as Shatian shaddock, anise, litchi, longan, Yanxia chicken, tea, and turpentine. While maintaining the output of its traditional produce, the county also cultivates new businesses, such as fast-growing forest, mulberry, and bamboo. Agricultural industrialization has led to a marked improvement in the local farmers' standard of living. In Heding Village the anise growing annual per capita income stands at 8,000 yuan. All households are two or more storied and own motorcycles.
Rongxian is a hotbed of investment. The HK Zhonggang Auto Body Plant and Rongxian Lisheng Auto Decoration Plant co-invested 88 million yuan in setting up the Lida-Zhonggang Auto Decoration Engineering Co. Similarly, the HK Huanan Building Material Co., Ltd. and Guangxi Gaofeng Artificial Board Co. co-invested 150 million yuan in founding the Guangxi Gaofeng Artificial Board Co., Ltd. The county also houses over 150 industrial projects transferred from eastern China. Meanwhile, the county has stepped up contact with overseas Chinese of Rongxian origin, and gives incentives to overseas Chinese-invested enterprises. To date, such enterprises number 25, at a total investment of US$ 60 million. Burgeoning overseas investment and tourism is believed to have given impetus to the county's agricultural modernization, industrialization and urbanization.
Rongxian is traversed by the Yulin-Rongxian and Rongxian-Cenxi grade-one roads. The asphalt and cement roads linking its 16 towns weave through and across the county, and its picturesque Xiujiang River makes visitors loath to leave this luxuriant and beautiful landscape.

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