Qingxiu Mountain, on the southeastern edge of Nanning along the Yong River, is the city's most substantial outdoor space — a 13.5-square-kilometre area of forested limestone hills, Buddhist temples, and gardens that draws Nanning residents for morning exercise and weekend picnics. The views from the hilltops over the Yong River bend and the city beyond are good by any standard, not just by the modest standards of provincial Chinese park viewpoints.
The Dongling Temple on the upper slopes dates to the Tang dynasty, though it has been rebuilt many times; the current structure is clean white stone with incense sellers and monks who are not performing for visitors. The bonsai and orchid gardens on the lower slopes are genuinely worth the detour — Guangxi's subtropical climate produces orchid varieties that elsewhere would require greenhouse conditions, and the collection here includes species you will not see outside botanical institutions in cooler countries. The entrance fee is modest and the park is large enough that you can lose the crowds entirely if you take the less-signposted paths up the wooded back ridge.