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Lingnan (simplified Chinese: 岭南; traditional Chinese: 嶺南; pinyin: lǐng nán; Jyutping: ling5 naam4) is a geographic area referring to lands in the south of China's Nan Mountains: Tayu, Qitian, Dupang, Mengzhu, and Yuecheng. The region covers the modern Chinese provinces of Jiangxi, Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, and Hainan as well as modern northern Vietnam.
Background
The area was inhabited by the Baiyue and was the base of the ancient Nanyue. At that time, Lingnan was considered as a barbarian land and it had loose contact with the Zhongyuan, which was the cultural cradle of Chinese culture.
In the second century BCE, the Han–Nanyue War led to its absorption into Han dynasty during the Southward expansion of the Han dynasty, and its development was boosted once the Mei Pass was paved.