Rongshui Miao Autonomous County (Standard Zhuang: Yungzsuij Myauzcuz Swciyen) is under the administration of Liuzhou, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China. The seat of Rongshui County is Rongshui Town. It borders the prefecture-level divisions of Qiandongnan (Guizhou) to the north and Hechi to the west. Rongshui Miao Autonomous County is the only Miao majority county in Guangxi, with 40 percent of the total population representing the Miao nation.

Demographics

Rongshui County has a total population of 485,120 (2007). More than 70 percent of the population represents various ethnic minorities, such as the Miao, Yao, Dong, Zhuang and others. 40,81% of the total population belong to the Miao minority (2007).

Geography

Apart from the county town, Rongshui comprises many small villages and large rural areas. The county is mountainous, featuring both karst landscapes and larger mountain massifs such as the Yuan Bao Shan mountains. The river Rong (Rongjiang) flows through the county and passes by Rongshui town. The longest river within the county is the Bei River (Beijiang, not to be confused with the Beijiang tributary to the Zhujiang).

Administrative divisions

Rongshui County is divided into 7 towns, 11 townships and 2 ethnic townships:

Transport

Highway G209 provides access to Rongshui from Liuzhou in the south and Guyizheng in the north (with highway G321 connecting from Guyizheng to Guiyang, the capital of Guizhou province, in the west). Rongshui is serviced by trains connecting with Liuzhou in the south and Huaihua (Hunan) in the north, branching off to larger cities such as Guiyang (Guizhou), Changsha (Hunan), Wuhan (Hubei) and Zhengzhou (Henan).

Culture

Rongshui is known for the frequent festivals of its Miao population. Their celebrations include the drum festival, sowing festival, seedling festival and horse-fighting festivals. The festivities are often accompanied by music played on the Lusheng, a reed-pipe wind instrument, and dancing and singing performances.

Climate