| Hainan
is located at south end of China, and occupies an area
of 35,000 square kilometers (13,510 square miles). Its
administrative regions are Hainan Island, Xisha archipelago,
Zhongsha archipelago and Nansha archipelago. Its neighboring
countries are Philippines towards the east, Malaysia and
Brunei towards the south, Indonesia (Natuna Islands) towards
the southwest, and Vietnam towards the west. The surrounding
sea area totals 2,000,000 square kilometers (772,000 square
miles). Due to the mild climate and favorable environment,
Hainan is regarded as a long life island. The young often
travel to Hainan seeking a return to nature and the old
would rather live there to enjoy their lives. Hainan now
has a population of 7.11 million, among which about one
million are ethnic minorities.
Haikou, known also as the 'Coconut City', is the capital
of Hainan Province, China's second largest island. The
city is the provincial administrative center of Hainan
as well being the focus of the local economy, culture
and transportation. Haikou stands at the northern end
of Hainan Island, on the west bank of the Nandu River
estuary. This river is the longest on the island and
the city's name appropriately means 'Mouth of the Sea'.
Although scenery in Hainan lacks the grandness of the
Great Wall and the mystery of the Terror-Cotta Warriors,
its natural beauty has gained a good reputation among
the visitors and has been widely known around the world.
People call it "the Oriental Hawaii".
With the sea on three sides Haikou enjoys a long coastline
that features excellent bathing beaches and sea side
resorts. Holiday Beach is the most popular of these,
while Xixiu Beach is where the National sailing and
windsurfing teams train and hold competitions.
The downtown area of the city has an excellent environment
with streets lined with coconut palms. Here there are
modern and convenient public transport facilities and
all that is best in a tropical seaside city that is
pollution free and that meets the needs of the tourist
in a friendly and welcoming way.
Besides its natural resources, Haikou has a number
of important sites of historical interest. The Wugong
Temple (The Five Official's Temple), the Tomb of Hai
Rui and the Xiuying Emplacement each serve as reminders
of the historical importance of Haikou.
No trip is complete without the opportunity to savor
tempting local food and shopping opportunities. It goes
without saying that for anyone coming to Haikou, seafood
is definitely a must. However, the city is also famous
for its other prized dishes. There are four to delight
the gourmet and should not be missed. They are Wenchang
Chicken, Dongshan Mutton, Jiaji Duck and Hele Crab.
The climate means there is an abundance of fresh local
fruits such as mangos, pineapples, jackfruits, coconuts
and carambola, betelnuts, pawpaw, longan and lichee,
loquat, naseberry and passion fruit. Maybe some of these
will be new to you but we are sure that if you try them
you will want to take come home!
As for transportation, don't worry! Hainan Meilan
Airport, railway station, ship and expressway links
cities of China and the whole world.
Haikou has evolved from a simple sightseeing city to
an attractive seaside resort and business center. The
services for visitors to the city are being extended
with the aim of establishing Haikou as Southern China's
key center for tourism.
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