Guangxi Zhuang tribe’s autonomous region (Guangxi Zhuangzu-Zizhiqu), located in southern China, is an area where mystical scenery and various ethnic groups live in preserving their own way of life, and is one of the most popular tourist destinations...
Guangxi Zhuang tribe’s autonomous region (Guangxi Zhuangzu-Zizhiqu), located in southern China, is an area where mystical scenery and various ethnic groups live in preserving their own way of life, and is one of the most popular tourist destinations not only for foreign tourists but also for Chinese people. What did the shape of Guangxi, a beautiful and warm southern region that preserves natural nature look like? The Southern Song Dynasty had to actively start development in the southern region after surrendering its vast northern territory to the Jin Dynasty. Thus, the Guangxi region, which was previously underdeveloped in indifference, came to not only play a role as a major horse producing area, but it became a major channel for foreign trade with countries in Southeast Asia, and rapidly emerged as a center of economic activity in the royal court as well. Therefore, the government officials of the royal court had to recognize Guangxi, which was full of exotic scenery, no longer as a level of curiosity, but as a point for their own survival, and in addition, to manage this place efficiently, it was necessary to understand in detail the lifestyle of the ethnic minorities who had lived there for a long time. In this situation, Zhou Qufei, who was sent to Guangnanxi-Lu, a distant destination, collected information from various experiences during his six-year life to complete his 『Lingwaidaida』. This study attempts to examine what the Guangxi region in the Song Dynasty actually looked like through 『Lingwaidaida』, and explore how the ruling class Han-Zu officials perceived the culture of ethnic minorities in the region.