Guangxi is one of the extra special Autonomous regions of China.

I have been wondering lately... Nanning is situated in Guangxi and Guangxi is one of the Autonomous regions of China. ( Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region 广西壮族自治区 )

What does this mean, Autonomous Region?
Guangxi...You are not a province, you are an autonomous region or are you both?

The word Autonomous means:-
Not controlled by others or by outside forces; independent: an autonomous judiciary; an autonomous division of a corporate conglomerate.
Independent in mind or judgment; self-directed.Independent of the laws of another state or government; self-governing.
Of or relating to a self-governing entity: an autonomous legislature.
Self-governing with respect to local or internal affairs: an autonomous region of a country. (American Heritage Dictionary)

Whereas the word Province means:-
A territory governed as an administrative or political unit of a country or empire. (taken from the same source, American Heritage Dictionary)

For me, the words 'governed' and 'controlled' seem to be key here.

So, I would like to think that Guangxi is no longer a Province but a fully fledged extra special Autonomous Region...

[An autonomous area is an area of a country that has a degree of autonomy, or freedom from an external authority. Typically it is either geographically distinct from the country or is populated by a national minority. Countries that include autonomous areas are often federacies. Autonomous areas can be divided into territorial autonomies, personal autonomies (cultural autonomy) and local autonomies. (Referenced in WikiPedia) ]

I find the people in this particular Autonomous region full of expression and generally happier than some other areas in China. Is it the weather I wonder?.
The 'progressiveness' of Nanning has really surprised me. When I first arrived I was expecting a smallish, rather dirty City, full of smog and unhappy faces. Instead, Nanning is very much a modern, forward looking, dynamic, clean, happy city situated in the rather plush sounding area in China, the extra special Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region...