Dacheng Hall of Wen Temple in Gongcheng, Guangxi

A Yao ethnic enclave with long history

Among counties of Guilin City， time-honored history and distinctive ethnic customs enable Gongcheng Yao Autonomous County to be a shining tourist spot in Guangxi. Over 1，300 years of history leaves over certain cultural relics and historical sites in Gongcheng Yao Autonomous County， like the renowned and magnificent ancient architectural complex， “three temples and one hall”. Three temples refer to Wen Temple， Wu Temple and Zhouwei Temple， respectively， while one hall refers to Hunan Guild Hall. Those ancient constructions of Gongcheng preserve the atmosphere of primitive simplicity and heavy sense of history， presenting the unique charm of a Lingnan ancient county.

Except strong historical flavor， minority folk-custom is another attractive point of Gongcheng. Yao people are the main habitants， yet there are other 11 ethnic groups， including Han， Zhuang， Miao， Dong and Hui. After continuous migrations， Yao people have experienced the fusion and adaption to make them be expansive and enthusiastic when they live with other ethnic groups， thus， Gongcheng becomes a cultural container displaying fascinating customs of Chinese ethnic minorities.

The hometown of tasted persimmons

Gongcheng Yao Autonomous County is known as “the hometown of Chinese persimmons” with an over-400-year history of planting persimmons. According to historical records， persimmon trees were introduced from Shaoan of Fujian Province to Gongcheng in the Ming Dynasty governed by Emperor Zhu Yijun （1563-1620）. In 1937， the persimmon formally became a popular local specialty because its annual yield reached around 150 thousand kilograms being worth RMB 40，000 yuan

Gongcheng persimmon owns beautiful appearance and bright color with a crispy and delicious taste. Because of being rich in tannins， vitamins， dietary fiber and potassium， Gongcheng persimmon is a nutritious fruit that improves human immunity and the permeability of blood vessel， as well as lowering blood pressure for preventing cardiovascular diseases. Those benefits allow Gongcheng persimmon to appear in peoples daily life frequently in a variety of forms.

The geographical advantages of Gongcheng provide a proper environment for planting persimmons， and through thousands of years of natural evolution and growers painstaking efforts， a series of related productions， such as dried persimmon， persimmon pie， persimmon leaf tea and persimmon wine， obtain a higher market recognition， ultimately， Gongcheng becomes the largest national persimmon production base. Planting persimmon is not only a vital source of growers incomes， but also a booster who advances the growth of agriculture， manufacturing industry and cultural tourism.