Foreign tourists visit a plant garden in Qingxiu Mountain scenic area in Nanning, South China"s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on May 25, 2026.

　　Early in the morning, a thin mist lingers over the trails of Qingxiu Mountain in Nanning, South China"s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The Yongjiang River winds through the landscape while layers of trees line the paths and high-rise buildings appear and disappear amid the greenery.

　　According to Thomas, a local tourism content creator who regularly shows foreign visitors around the city, the scene often surprises those visiting for the first time.

　　"Many of them are amazed by how green and well-organized the city is," he told the Global Times, noting that some foreign tourists describe the dense greenery and carefully planned urban landscape as looking "almost like an AI-generated image."

　　Such reactions reflect Nanning"s long-standing reputation as China"s "green city." But greenery is no longer simply a backdrop to the city. Guangxi is now seeking to extend Nanning"s ecological appeal beyond its parks and riversides by connecting urban landscapes with mountains, waterways, rural areas and the coast.

　　Beyond sightseeing

　　The shift is taking shape on a much larger scale than the city"s parks and scenic spots.

　　Guangxi is developing a tourism road network spanning about 6,000 kilometers, linking nine major scenic routes, including those centered on the Pinglu Canal, Guilin"s landscapes, the southern border and the Beibu Gulf, according to local authorities.

　　The network is intended to connect scenic areas, cities, towns and rural communities, turning roads from simple transport links into scenic corridors that also connect local industries and tourism resources along the way.