Liuzhou

The Liujiang men (Chinese: 柳江人) are among the earliest modern humans found in East Asia. Their remains were discovered in the Tongtianyang Cave (通天岩) in Liujiang County, Guangxi. Liujiang man is a Late Pleistocene Homo sapiens sapiens. Liuzhou has a history of more than 2,100 years. The city was founded in 111 B.C. when it was known as Tanzhong (潭中; 'Center of Deep Pool'). In 742 A.D. it became known as Longcheng (龙城; 'Dragon City'), after the Long River, before finally changing to Liuzhou (柳州; 'Willow Prefecture') after the Liu River in 1736. The most famous historic figure is Liu Zongyuan (773–819), who was a poet and politician in the Tang dynasty and who died in Liuzhou. He is commemorated by a park in the city. Liuzhou was the site of Liuchow Airfield, used by Nationalist Chinese and American Army Air Forces in World War II. …

Liuzhou is located on the banks of the winding Liu River, approximately 255 km (158 mi) from Nanning, the regional capital. By road, it is about 167 km (104 mi) to Guilin, 167 km (104 mi) to Hechi, 237 km (147 mi) to Nanning, 373 km (232 mi) to Fangchenggang, 448 km (278 mi) to Beihai. Swimming in the river is a tradition of the city. The river is normally green, but sometimes in summer, floods from the mountain areas upstream bring sediment which colors the water yellow. In early 2012, a cadmium spill upstream caused serious pollution worries. The river can be deep. Normally, the depth is 60–70 metres (200–230 ft) but can as deep as 90 metres (300 ft) before it floods over the wall. In 2000 a bus, with 78 passengers, fell over the side of a bridge. There were no survivors. …

Liuzhou is the second largest city in Guangxi and is the region's industrial center. According to statistics issued by the Liuzhou government in 2015, the city's GDP was 231.1 billion yuan. Among important companies based in Liuzhou are: LiuGong - a multinational construction machinery manufacturer SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile - a joint venture between General Motors, SAIC Motor and Liuzhou Wuling Motors