Related stories

China's Int'l Arts and Entertainment Group Founded British Museum Artefacts on Display in Beijing 中心承办中国首次摄影圆桌会议 Songzhuang: A New Cultural, Creative Industry Zone Let's Meet in Beijing

Beach Yourself on Hainan Island

A widely favored winter retreat among northern Chinese in particular, Hainan Island-located just off the southern most tip of the country -offers ample credentials as a sub-tropical holiday destination rivaling many others in the region. Sunny days, balmy nights, white sand beaches, good diving, diverse wildlife, traditional fishing villages and great seafood make it something of a Hawaii with Chinese characteristics.

Plush resorts dot the Sanya and nearby Yalong Bay areas on Hainan's southern coast, which boasts a necklace of white-sand beaches shaded by coconut palms. Recreational activities include water-skiing and scuba diving among coral reefs.

Yalong Bay's attractions include a new aquarium, butterfly park and shell museum, but among Chinese tourists, a major lure is Tianya Haijiao, a boulder-strewn beach just outside Sanya. The beach recalls the old days when Hainan was a place of exile for those who offended emperors. It was considered literally the "ends of the earth" because it was the farthest place imaginable from the capital.

Over the years, exiles expressed their despair by carving inscriptions on the boulders of Tianya Haijiao - a name that translates as "End of the World". These inscriptions are today painted red to aid long-term preservation.

Central Hainan is hill country. Tongshi, at the foot of Wuzhi Mountain, is home of an excellent ethnic museum, while nearby pine-clad mountains can easily be reached for hiking. Roads snake past hillside villages of thatched houses on stilts around communal courtyards, where the Li and Miao minorities preserve their traditional way of life. These and other ethnic villages offer entertainment to visitors, including the chance to learn their dances and craft-work.

Inland Hainan is blessed with an abundance of hot springs. Spa resorts are particularly plentiful in Xinglong, which lies close to a beautifully landscaped botanical garden. The second-generation Malay and Vietnamese Chinese communities who live in this area were responsible for introducing coffee and tea plantations to the island, both of which can be visited.

Hainan's capital, Haikou, is under constant development but remains laid-back in many ways. Residents and visitors gather in open-air cafes to sip the excellent local coffee, and traditional markets stay open until late at night. Haikou's role as the economic hub of the island is evident from its glass-clad bank buildings, branches of Hong Kong fashion boutiques, and several international first-class hotels.

On the food front, Hainan chicken is famous all over China, as much for its soup as its meat. The soup is made from the boiled chicken, and consumed with a tangy ginger and spring onion dip. Coconuts are in abundance, the milk of the younger ones sipped through a straw. The milk is also commonly used as a cooking oil. Hainan is equally famous for its seafood, arguably the freshest from any Chinese waters.