Hainan
Basic Information about Hainan
The Hainan province is located in the southernmost part of China. It is made up of an area of 34.000 square meters. The population of Hainan is around 7.4 Million and the capital is Hankou. The centre of Hainan is made up of various mountainous areas, various rivers and forests. As a matter of fact 50% of Hainan is covered in forest. The coastal areas have fabulous beaches with clear water, white sand and palm trees.
Hainan is a popular tourist destination amongst the Chinese， growing more and more popular amongst foreign tourists as well. Many old Chinese people like to retire in Hainan due to the climate and relaxing atmosphere and to get away from the dirty air in larger Chinese cities. It is said that if you are ill you can to Hainan and you will get well right away.
Climate in Hainan
The climate in Hainan is one of the main reasons why it has become a more and more popular tourist destination. The climate is monsoon tropical with an annual temperature change of only 15 degrees. The coldest months are January and February while the hottest ones are July and August. Many people travel to Hainan in order to get away from a cold winter. The northern part of Hainan is the hottest part where the temperature is above 35°C for more than 20 days a year. Hainan also has a rainy season which lasts from about May to October. 70% of the annual precipitation comes just from the rainy season.
The people of Hainan
Hainan is made up of many different groups of people and there is a lot of cultural diversity. Around 80% of the people are of the Han nationality; around 16% are of the Li nationality. Other nationalities include the Miao and Zhuang nationalities as well as other minorities which make up a small percentage of the population. Each of these groups speaks their own language, but most of them speak standard mandarin as a second language. Many of the younger population can also speak English. The locals are friendly and provide tourists with delicious traditional food as well typical singing and dancing performances.
Hainan's Economy
Hainan is a special economic zone since the 1980’s. It is however not part of the economic policies applied on the Chinese mainland. Industrialization has not reached Hainan yet and there are only very few factories, which makes it an even more beautiful as much of the nature has been left untouched.
Hainan has many resources such as animals, plants, rich petroleum and natural gas. Typical Chinese products such as sugar cane, peanuts, coco, coffee, sisal, pineapple, seafood, timber as well as plastic are produced here. Specialists claim that Hainan’s coffee can easily keep up in quality with Columbian coffee.
Hainan's Attractions
Hainan offers many different tourist attractions such as the Baishi ridge scenic zone, the Wanquan River, the Guantang hot spring resort, the Qizhishan, Yalong bay national resort, the Dongjiao coconut plantation and the Hairui tomb. In case you decide to visit Hainan you should definitely find the time to visit some of these attractions. Due to the quick growth of the tourist industry in Hainan at the moment many inferior tourist attractions start to appear to attract tourists. One should try to avoid these and only visit the truly historical attractions.
Hairui Tomb
The Hairui tomb is well worth seeing. It is located in Yabin village Xiuying district of Haikou city. It is the key cultural relic conservation in Hainan. It was built in 1589. Hairui was a famous official in the Ming Dynasty and was known as the incorruptible officer. No matter how corrupt his surroundings were Hairui would act rightfully. Eventually he ended up in prison for his honesty. When he died and his coffin was being carried the rope broke and the coffin fell. The people carrying the tomb felt that Hairui had himself chosen this spot and so he was buried there. The tomb is located on the outskirts of Haikou city and it is surrounded by beautiful palm trees and statues.
When visiting the tomb one can not only enjoy the beautiful surroundings and gardens, one can also learn more about the history of Hairui. On the way to the tomb one can see statues of various animals such as sheep, horses and lions. The tomb itself is surrounded by coconut trees, pines and cypresses.
Dongjiao Coconut Plantation
This beautiful plantation is located in Wenchang city. Wenchang city is located in the northeastern part of Hainan. Many famous politicians were born here and the people living there are broad-minded and welcoming. It is said that the coconuts grown in this city make up half of all coconuts in Hainan. All local food specialties are made up of coconut. It is said that every part of the coconut tree is a treasure. Just one tree can provide high-quality soap, edible oil from coconut kernels, the coconuts can be used to be crafted into beautiful objects and they provide a refreshing and tasty beverage.
The most famous and largest plantation in the city is the Dongjiao Coconut plantation. The plantation is made up of around 500,000 coconut trees containing many different types of coconuts such as the red, green, short and tall ones. Walking around on the plantation is very cozy and relaxing and small log huts are available for resting.
Visiting Hainan
Hainan has introduced a Visa upon arrival system for 21 countries. This means one does not have to worry about getting a Visa before visiting Hainan. This Visa lasts for 15 days and can be renewed if one wishes to stay longer.
Hainan has two major airports in Haikou and in Sanya. From here one can reach all the places in Hainan easily with the public transport system.
However you can also reach Hainan by taking a ferry from Guangzhou in the Guangdong province. The total trip which also includes taking a train takes around 12 hours.
Haikou and Sanya are currently the two cities with the most tourism. Here there is no problem at all finding Hotels and accommodation. However in other areas it might be a little problematic due to the lack of tourist information in English. Book your dream hotel here at Hainan Island Hotels.
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