Nong Zhigao (Chinese: 儂智高; pinyin: Nóng Zhìgāo; modern Zhuang language: Nungz Ciqgaoh; Vietnamese: Nùng Trí Cao)[3] (1025–1055?)

The region was a horse-trading center and there were specialized mounted units in which both man and horse were heavily armored, but the mountainous terrain and many rivers restricted the utility of cavalry.

It is equally apparent that the appeal of these festivals extended beyond clan or ethnic affiliations to the general populace that has often included communities on both sides of the modern political border.

References to "King Nùng" who had "raised high the banner proclaiming independence" have been replaced with floral patterns and pictures of horses, generic symbols associated with local heroes.

[13] In stark contrast to the wealth of evidence for worship activity in northern Viet Nam, there is little confirmation in the Chinese historical record of the existence of temple sites dedicated to Nong Zhigao in China.

In fact, most relevant Chinese sources only describe stelae and temples that honor the names of the Song generals who crushed Nong Zhigao's bid for independence.

On January 8, 1997 a local group of Nong Zhigao's descendants and their supporters from the Guangxi township of Jingxi (靖西) and the tiny village of Xialei (下雷) took the initiative to revive interest in this rebel's life and deeds.

The vice-director of the Center for Zhuang studies in Nanning, Pan Qixu (潘其旭), had earlier been invited to Xia Lei to authenticate the discovery of the cave believed to be Nong Zhigao′s dwelling and storehouse at the time he founded his first kingdom.

Nevertheless, the goal of bringing Nong Zhigao back into the public eye was largely successful, as the long list of small donors to the stele installation suggested.

This fact suggests that although distant Han officials fear that the memorial could be used to fan regional "Pan-Tai" sentiments, older clan associations may shape local identification with this site.