Hainan (, ; ) is the smallest and southernmost
province
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions out ...
of the
People's Republic of China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...
(PRC), consisting of various islands in the
South China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by the shores of South China (hence the name), in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Ph ...
. , the largest and most populous
island in China,
[The ]island of Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is an island country located in East Asia. The main island of Taiwan, formerly known in the Western political circles, press and literature as Formosa, makes up 99% of the land area of the territor ...
, which is slightly larger, is claimed but not controlled by the PRC. It is instead controlled by the Republic of China, a ''de facto
''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with '' de jure'' ("by l ...
'' separate country. makes up the vast majority (97%) of the province. The name means "south of the sea", reflecting the island's position south of the
Qiongzhou Strait, which separates it from
Leizhou Peninsula
The Leizhou Peninsula, alternately romanized as the Luichow Peninsula, is a peninsula in the southernmost part of Guangdong province in South China.
History
Qing naval forces were stationed at the Leizhou Peninsula. During the 19th centur ...
.
The province has a land area of , of which Hainan the island is and the rest is over 200 islands scattered across three
archipelagos:
Zhongsha,
Xisha and
Nansha. It was part of
Guangdong
Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020 ...
from 1950–88, after which it resumed as a top-tier entity and almost immediately made the largest
Special Economic Zone by
Deng Xiaoping
Deng Xiaoping (22 August 1904 – 19 February 1997) was a Chinese revolutionary leader, military commander and statesman who served as the paramount leader of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC) from December 1978 to November 1989. Aft ...
as part of the then-ongoing
Chinese economic reform program.
Indigenous peoples like the
Hlai, a
Kra–Dai-speaking
ethnic group, are native to the island and comprise 15% of the population. Their native languages include the
Hlai languages. They are recognized by the Chinese government as one of the country's 56
ethnic groups. The
Han population, who compose a majority of the population at 82%, speak a wide variety of languages including
Standard Chinese
Standard Chinese ()—in linguistics Standard Northern Mandarin or Standard Beijing Mandarin, in common speech simply Mandarin, better qualified as Standard Mandarin, Modern Standard Mandarin or Standard Mandarin Chinese—is a modern standa ...
,
Hainam Min,
Yue Chinese,
Cantonese
Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding a ...
,
Be language,
Hakka Chinese
Hakka (, , ) forms a language group of varieties of Chinese, spoken natively by the Hakka people throughout Southern China and Taiwan and throughout the diaspora areas of East Asia, Southeast Asia and in overseas Chinese communities aroun ...
, etc.
There are ten major cities and ten
counties in Hainan Province. The capital of the province is
Haikou, on the northern coast of Hainan Island, while
Sanya
Sanya (; also spelled Samah) is the southernmost city on Hainan Island, and one of the four prefecture-level cities of Hainan Province in South China.
According to the 2020 census, the total population of Sanya was 1,031,396 inhabitants, livi ...
is a well-known tourist destination on the southern coast. The other major cities are
Wenchang,
Sansha,
Qionghai,
Wanning,
Wuzhishan,
Dongfang and
Danzhou
Danzhou () is a prefecture-level city in the northwest of the Chinese island province of Hainan. Although called a "city", Danzhou administers a large area which was called Dan County or Danxian () until 1993. The administrative seat and ur ...
.
According to China's
territorial claims, several territories in the
South China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by the shores of South China (hence the name), in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Ph ...
, including the
Spratly Islands (''Nansha'') and
Paracel Islands (''Xisha''), are administered under Sansha city of the province.
In 2020, a large-scale plan was announced by the Chinese government to transform the entire island province into a
free trade port, with the aim of turning it into the largest
special economic zone in China.
Names
The provincial name derives from its major island, Hainan, in Hainanese "Hai Nam", which is named after its position south of the
Qiongzhou Strait. (To the north of the strait, the
Leizhou Peninsula
The Leizhou Peninsula, alternately romanized as the Luichow Peninsula, is a peninsula in the southernmost part of Guangdong province in South China.
History
Qing naval forces were stationed at the Leizhou Peninsula. During the 19th centur ...
in Guangdong is also known as ''Haibei/Hai Bac'' or "North of the Sea".) Former names for Hainan Island include Zhuya, Qiongya, and Qiongzhou. The latter two gave rise to the
provincial abbreviation or (''Qióng/Kheng'').
During the 17th and 18th centuries, explorers referred to the island as "Aynam", which remains the pronunciation of its name in the local
Hainanese dialect.
History
Prehistoric era
Hainan was originally attached to the Northeastern part of what is now
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making ...
; however, the island was formed after it physically broke away from
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making ...
due to a
volcanic eruption and drifted southeast near China after the
Mesozoic
The Mesozoic Era ( ), also called the Age of Reptiles, the Age of Conifers, and colloquially as the Age of the Dinosaurs is the second-to-last era of Earth's geological history, lasting from about , comprising the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretace ...
, millions of years ago.
The
Baiyue people are among the earliest
Kra-Dai residents to arrive on Hainan island. They are believed to have settled there at least 2 to 6 thousand years ago, and carry genetic markers from ancient people who reached the island between 7 and 27 thousand years ago.
Imperial Era
Hainan Island was recorded by Chinese mandarin officials in 110 BC, when the
Han dynasty
The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by th ...
of China established a military
garrison there following the arrival of
General Lu Bode. In 46 BC the Han court decided that the conquest was too expensive and abandoned the island. Han Chinese people together with military personnel and officials began to migrate to Hainan Island from the mainland. Among them were the offspring of those who were banished to Hainan for political reasons.
After the 10th century AD, Cantonese peasants and Henghua colonists colonised Leizhou peninsula and Hainan island, pushing the Li into the highlands in the southern half of the island.
Republic of China
Hainan was historically part of Guangdong and Guangxi Provinces and as such was the Qiongya
Circuit () under the 1912 establishment of the
Republic of China. In 1921, it was planned to become a
special administrative region (); in 1944, it became
Hainan Special Administrative Region
Hainan (, ; ) is the smallest and southernmost province of the People's Republic of China (PRC), consisting of various islands in the South China Sea. , the largest and most populous island in China,The island of Taiwan, which is slightly ...
with 16
counties, including the
South China Sea Islands.
During the 1920s and 30s, Hainan was a hotbed of banditry, many opposition politicians were hanged, therefore opposition politicians went into hiding. The Communists and the indigenous
Hlai people fought a vigorous
guerrilla campaign against the Japanese that were only able to occupy some Hainan territories, but in retaliation the Japanese launched numerous massacres against Hlai villages.
Feng Baiju led the
Hainan Independent Column
Hainan (, ; ) is the smallest and southernmost province of the People's Republic of China (PRC), consisting of various islands in the South China Sea. , the largest and most populous island in China,The island of Taiwan, which is slightly ...
of fighters throughout the 1930s and 1940s. After the Japanese surrender in 1945, the
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang (KMT), also referred to as the Guomindang (GMD), the Nationalist Party of China (NPC) or the Chinese Nationalist Party (CNP), is a major political party in the Republic of China, initially on the Chinese mainland and in Ta ...
reestablished control. Hainan was one of the last areas to eventually come under the administration of the People's Republic, having been under the control of
ROC forces until March 1950. The People's Republic
attacked Hainan on April 10, 1950 and attained complete control on May 1.
People's Republic of China
On 1 May 1950, under the People's Republic of China, the Hainan Special Administrative Region became an Administrative Region Office (), a branch of the Guangdong provincial government. During the mid-1980s, when Hainan Island was still part of Guangdong Province, a fourteen-month episode of marketing zeal by Hainan Special District Administrator Lei Yu put Hainan's pursuit of provincial status under a cloud. It involved the duty-free imports from
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a List of cities in China, city and Special administrative regions of China, special ...
of 90,000 Japanese-made cars and trucks at a cost of
¥ 4.5 billion (US$1.5 billion), and exporting them – with the help of local naval units – to the mainland, making 150% profits. By comparison, only 10,000 vehicles were imported into Hainan since 1950. In addition, it involved further consignments of 2.9 million TV sets, 252,000 videocassette recorders & 122,000 motorcycles. The money was taken from the 1983 central government funds destined for the construction of the island's transportation infrastructure (roads, railways, airports, harbors) over the next ten years.
On 1 October 1984, it became the Hainan Administrative Region (), with a People's Government, and finally as province separate from
Guangdong
Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020 ...
four years later. In 1988, when the island was made a separate province, it was designated a
Special Economic Zone in an effort to increase investment.
The central government funds were deemed insufficient by the Hainan authorities for the construction of the island's other infrastructures (water works, power stations, telecommunications, etc.) and had taken a very liberal interpretation of the economic and trade regulations for Hainan and thirteen coastal cities; the regulations did not mention on prohibiting the re-selling of second-hand goods. Some of the proceeds, from unsold units, were later retrieved by the central government to re-finance the special district.
In June 2020, China announced a master plan for Hainan's free trade port system. Announced by state-owned media Xinhua News Agency, "Hainan will “basically establish a free trade port system by 2025 and become more mature by 2035.”
South China Morning Post described such an initiative as an effort of PRC to "replace Hong Kong as the trading entrepôt" while Cheng Shi, of ''ICBC International'' has refused to accept such a claim. Additionally, experts have raised concern about the question of compliance of global trading practices particularly for this project.
Geography
Hainan, separated by the wide
Qiongzhou Strait from the
Leizhou Peninsula
The Leizhou Peninsula, alternately romanized as the Luichow Peninsula, is a peninsula in the southernmost part of Guangdong province in South China.
History
Qing naval forces were stationed at the Leizhou Peninsula. During the 19th centur ...
of
Guangdong
Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020 ...
, is the largest island administered by the
People's Republic of China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...
and the 42nd largest in the world. The area of Hainan Island (, 97% of the province) is similar to that of Belgium or slightly smaller than that of
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the no ...
. To the west of Hainan Island is the
Gulf of Tonkin.
Wuzhi Mountain is the highest mountain on the island at .
Hainan Island measures long and wide.
The northern half of Hainan is covered with the ancient
Hainan Volcanic Field. Beneath the topsoil is
volcanic rock while the topsoil itself contains small pieces of this
vesicular rock.
Wetland covers 320,000 hectares, 78,000 hectares of which were created artificially. Most of this is located in the eastern and northern part of Hainan.
Rivers and lakes
Most of the rivers in Hainan originate in the central area of the island and flow radially in different directions. The
Nandu River in the northern part of the island is long, and its
tributary
A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drai ...
, the
Xinwu River, is long. Other major rivers include the
Wanquan River at -long in the east,
Changhua River
The Changhua River (), also known as Changhua Jiang, Chang River (昌江), is a river located in Hainan Province of the People's Republic of China. and is the second longest river in Hainan.
Changhua River originates from Kongshi Ridge (空示� ...
in the west, and the
Sanya River
Sanya River (Chinese: 三亚河) is located in the southern part of Hainan Province, China. It runs from the Shuiyaunchi Reservoir south through Sanya
Sanya (; also spelled Samah) is the southernmost city on Hainan Island, and one of the fou ...
in the south. Evaporation during the dry season around the coastal areas greatly reduces the flow of the rivers.
There are very few natural lakes in Hainan. However, there are numerous
reservoir
A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation.
Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contr ...
s, the largest of which is the
Songtao Reservoir
The Songtao Reservoir (), also known as the Songtao Reservoir Irrigation Area, is the largest body of water in Hainan, and the second largest reservoir in China.
Located upstream of the Nandu River approximately southeast of Danzhou
Danzhou ...
in the central-north area.
Islands
Nearby islands
Several small islands exist around the coast of Hainan Island:
*
Dazhou Island
Dazhou Island (commonly known as Grand Island or Tinhosa Island) is a state-level nature reserve located about 5 km off the coast of Wanning, Hainan, China. This protected area covers 4.36 square kilometres, and comprises three mountains spann ...
is located about off the coast of
Wanning
*
Haidian Island, on the north coast, is part of Haikou City
*
Nanwan Monkey Island
Nanwan Monkey Island () is a state-protected nature reserve for macaque monkeys in Lingshui county on the south coast of Hainan, the southernmost province of China. While termed an island, the reserve is actually on the Nanwan peninsula borderi ...
, in actuality a peninsula
*
Phoenix Island
Phoenix Island (), dubbed the Oriental Dubai, is an artificial archipelago consisting of two landmasses forming an island resort in Sanya, Hainan Province, China.
Description
These islands are located in the southeast part of Sanya Bay. T ...
is an artificial resort island currently under construction in
Sanya Bay __NOTOC__
Sanya Bay () is one of the five major bays in Sanya City, Hainan Province, China. Located at the southern coast of Hainan, directly south of Sanya city, it has a 22 km beach. It is bordered by a peninsula at the east side. Within t ...
.
*
Wuzhizhou Island is located within
Haitang Bay
*
Xinbu Island is located directly to the east of
Haidian Island
Due to their close proximity to the main island, the flora, fauna, and the climate are very similar.
Disputed islands
A number of small islands, which are located hundreds of kilometers to the south, are claimed and administrated by
Sansha as part of Hainan Province. Sovereignty of these islands is however disputed. These islands include:
*
Paracel Islands Xisha Islands – "The West-sands" – claimed by
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making ...
, the PRC and the
Republic of China (Taiwan, ROC)
**
Money Island, Paracel Islands
Money Island (; vi, Đảo Quang Ảnh) is the southwesternmost island in the Crescent Group of the Paracel Islands archipelago. It rises to a height of 6 metres and is covered with brush.National Imagery and Mapping Agency (2002"South China ...
**
Rocky Island, South China Sea
Rocky Island (; Vietnamese: ''Đảo Đá'') is one of the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea. It is under the administration of the People's Republic of China and guarded by the PLA Navy. The island is also claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam.
...
**
Tree Island, South China Sea ''For the "Tree Island" in Tuen Mun District, New Territories, Hong Kong, see Pak Chau.''
Tree Island, also known as Zhaoshu Island, (; vi, Đảo Cây) is one of the main islands of the Paracel Islands group in the South China Sea. In 1947, th ...
**
Triton Island
Triton Island (; ) is the westernmost and southernmost of the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea. It is located on the southwest corner of Triton Reef and has an area of above sea-level. The reef including the island measures about in area. ...
**
Woody Island, South China Sea
*
Zhongsha Islands
The Zhongsha Islands is a Chinese term for a collection of two skerries, many entirely submerged banks, seamounts, and shoals in the South China Sea. There are in fact, no islands in the Macclesfield Bank, the main part of Zhongsha. The Sca ...
– "The Middle-sands"
*
Spratly Islands – Nansha Islands – "The South-sands" are subject to claims by Vietnam, the PRC, ROC,
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Mal ...
, the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
, and
Brunei
Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely surrounded by th ...
.
**
Spratly Island
**
Flat Island (Spratly)
Flat Island, also known as Patag Island ( fil, Pulo ng Patag; Mandarin ; vi, Đảo Bình Nguyên), is the second smallest of the natural Spratly Islands. It has an area of , and is about north of Philippine-occupied Nanshan Island, both of whic ...
**
Taiping Island
**
James Shoal (southernmost point)
**
Loaita Island
Loaita Island also known as Kota Island ( fil, Pulo ng Kota; Mandarin , and vi, Đảo Loại Ta), with an area of -- is the tenth largest of the naturally-occurring Spratly Islands, and the fifth largest of the Philippine-occupied islands. It ...
**
Namyit Island
Namyit Island, also known as vi, Đảo Nam Yết; Binago Island ( tl, Pulo ng Binago, lit=Island of Changed); Mandarin , is the third-largest island on Tizard Bank in the northwest of the Spratly Islands in South China Sea. With an area of , i ...
**
Nanshan Island
**
Sin Cowe Island
Sin Cowe Island , also known as Sinh Ton Island ( vi, Đảo Sinh Tồn); Rurok Island ( tl, Pulo ng Rurok, lit=Island of Peak ); Mandarin , is an island in the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. With an area of , it is the seventh largest ...
**
Thitu Island
**
West York Island
Environment
Compared to most of mainland China, the air quality of Hainan is significantly better since it is not affected by factory pollution, which has adversely affected the air on the mainland. Throughout 2012, Hainan had the highest air quality in the country for 351 days.
The provincial government's environmental protection campaign has taken action against a number of industrial plants. During 2012, several outdated manufacturing facilities had their business licenses revoked, and 175 cases related to illegal sewage discharge were handled.
Total sulfur dioxide emissions for the province were 34,000 tons in 2012, a 3 percent year-on-year reduction. In 2011, smog emissions were reduced 6.3 percent to 15,000 tons.
Province-wide infrastructure development
From 2015 to the present, a widespread program to improve cities and other settlements in Hainan island has been taking place. It includes the removal of litter from towns, villages, and many roadsides.
Small, illegal dumps are being removed. However,
illegal dumping of
construction debris still occurs on rural roads. Large, plastic dumpsters have been put in place within villages and at countryside road intersections. Towns are being improved with new road and sidewalk surfaces, landscaping features are being created, and many buildings are receiving new façades.
This
initiative in Haikou has seen entire neighborhoods demolished and rebuilt, sanitation improved, illegal structures used for business removed, roadside vendors banned, roads and sidewalks replaced, and new street crossings with traffic lights installed.
Climate
The climate of Hainan is mostly tropical. The island's two largest cities,
Haikou and
Sanya
Sanya (; also spelled Samah) is the southernmost city on Hainan Island, and one of the four prefecture-level cities of Hainan Province in South China.
According to the 2020 census, the total population of Sanya was 1,031,396 inhabitants, livi ...
, both possess a
tropical Köppen climate. The coldest months are January and February when temperatures drop to ; the hottest months are July and August, and the temperatures are . Except for the mountainous regions in the central part of the island, the daily average temperature in Hainan in all months is well above .
The summer in the northern part is hotter and, ). The average annual precipitation is and can be as high as in central and eastern areas, and as low as in the coastal areas of the southwest. Parts of Hainan lie in the path of
typhoons, and 70% of the annual precipitation is derived from typhoons and the summer rainy season. Major flooding occurs due to typhoons, which can cause many problems for local residents.
Annual fog
From January to February, the island of Hainan is often affected by thick fog, particularly in coastal areas and the northern part of the island. This is caused by cold winter air from the north coming into contact with the warmer sea, causing the moisture that evaporates from the sea to be condensed into fog. The fog remains from day to night, and is evenly distributed. Visibility may be reduced to for days at a time. During this period, residents normally keep windows shut. The moisture in the air is so extreme that the walls in homes weep, and floors often accumulate a layer of water.
Flora and fauna
Hainan has over of tropical forest, in which live 4,600 kinds of plants and more than 570 species of animals. However, due to an invasion of exotic species, human impact from tourism, deforestation, and the release of pollutants, many species are under threat. A report from the Department of Land, Environment and Resources of Hainan Province states that 200 species are near extinction, with 6 species, such as ''
Maytenus hainanensis'' and ''
Sciaphila tenella'' already extinct.
Flora
The majority of Hainan's land mass is forest with 61.5 percent coverage (210,000 hectares) reported at the end of 2012, an increase of since 2011. A further grass and trees were planted along the province's highways.
There are 53 genera in 29 families of wild and cultivated fruit growing on Hainan Island. There are few large trees on the island; coconut palms are very common along with other smaller trees. Most of Hainan Island is however covered by forest.
Notable species include:
*
Hainan yellow lantern chili
The Hainan yellow lantern chili (), also known as the yellow emperor chili () is a member of the ''Capsicum chinense'' species of chili peppers that grows mainly in the southwest and southeast of Hainan Island off the coast of Southern China
...
is a pepper similar to the
scotch bonnet.
*
Hainan white pine, a species of tree.
* ''
Cephalotaxus hainanensis'' is a species of plum-yew.
Fauna
There are numerous protected areas and wildlife preserves on the island. Animals that are ubiquitous throughout the island include frogs, toads, geckos, skinks, and butterflies. Present, but less commonly observed, are snakes (
Asian palm pit vipers,
red bamboo snake, and occasionally cobras),
Siberian chipmunks, squirrels, and the
masked palm civet. Almost no large animals remain in the wild. The lakes are largely populated with carp and catfish.
There are 362 known bird species.
Seabirds such as gulls are not generally seen. Egrets and
Black-winged kites are common in agricultural areas. Similar to many subtropical areas, insect species are diverse, and mosquitoes are very common.
In the ocean,
sea turtles and
whale sharks are known to migrate in these waters.
Hainan island has rich bio-diversity of
cetaceans and is the site of studying these in Chinese waters. Many whales such as
North Pacific right whales, western
gray whales,
humpback whale
The humpback whale (''Megaptera novaeangliae'') is a species of baleen whale. It is a rorqual (a member of the family Balaenopteridae) and is the only species in the genus ''Megaptera''. Adults range in length from and weigh up to . The hu ...
s, and
blue whale
The blue whale (''Balaenoptera musculus'') is a marine mammal and a baleen whale. Reaching a maximum confirmed length of and weighing up to , it is the largest animal known to have ever existed. The blue whale's long and slender body can ...
s (all of these are almost extinct in Chinese waters) were historically seen in the winter and spring to mate and calve. These gentle giants of the sea had been hunted heavily and were wiped out by Japanese whalers (established whaling stations on various sites on Chinese and Korean coasts including Hainan and
Daya Bay
Daya Bay (), formerly known as Bias Bay, is a bay of the South China Sea on the south coast of Guangdong Province in China. It is bordered by Shenzhen's Dapeng Peninsula to the west and Huizhou to the north and east.
History
The bay was a h ...
). A few
Bryde's whales and
minke whales may still occur in the adjacent waters along with on
Leizhou Peninsula
The Leizhou Peninsula, alternately romanized as the Luichow Peninsula, is a peninsula in the southernmost part of Guangdong province in South China.
History
Qing naval forces were stationed at the Leizhou Peninsula. During the 19th centur ...
and the
Gulf of Tonkin. Smaller species of
whale and
dolphin
A dolphin is an aquatic mammal within the infraorder Cetacea. Dolphin species belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontoporiidae (the b ...
s, such as
short-finned pilot whales and
pantropical spotted dolphin
The pantropical spotted dolphin (''Stenella attenuata'') is a species of dolphin found in all the world's temperate and tropical oceans. The species was beginning to come under threat due to the killing of millions of individuals in tuna purse s ...
s, but most notably the endangered
Chinese white dolphin. Declared sanctuary for the species extends along the coasts. These dolphins may appear among clearer waters such as vicinity to
Sanya
Sanya (; also spelled Samah) is the southernmost city on Hainan Island, and one of the four prefecture-level cities of Hainan Province in South China.
According to the 2020 census, the total population of Sanya was 1,031,396 inhabitants, livi ...
.
Dugongs still occur in small number, mostly on
Gulf of Tonkin side.
Notable species include:
*
Hainan gymnure
The Hainan gymnure (''Neohylomys hainanensis'') or Hainan moonrat is a species of mammal in the family Erinaceidae. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests. It was thought to be endemic to the island of Hainan, China where ...
(''Neohylomys hainanensis'' or Hainan moonrat) is a small mammal.
*
Hainan partridge (''Arborophila ardens'') is a species of bird endemic to Hainan Island.
*
Hainan peacock-pheasant
The Hainan peacock-pheasant (''Polyplectron katsumatae'') is an endangered bird that belongs to the pheasant family Phasianidae. This extremely rare species is endemic to the island of Hainan, China.
Description
The bird was long considered ...
(''Polyplectron katsumatae'') is an endangered species of the family
Phasianidae.
*
Hainan black crested gibbon
The Hainan black-crested gibbon or Hainan gibbon (''Nomascus hainanus''), is a Critically Endangered species of gibbon found only on Hainan Island, China. It was formerly considered a subspecies of the eastern black crested gibbon (''Nomascus n ...
(''Nomascus hainanus'') is one of the world's most endangered primates.
Seacology
Seacology is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) charitable organization headquartered in Berkeley, California, that works to preserve island ecosystems and cultures around the world. Founded in 1991, it began with the work of ethnobotanist Paul Alan Cox, w ...
, a non-profit organization in Berkeley, California, United States, initiated a project to protect the highly endangered Hainan gibbon in exchange for scholarships for the children of four villages near
Hainan Bawangling National Nature Reserve.
*
Hainan hare
The Hainan hare (''Lepus hainanus'') is a hare endemic to Hainan Island, China. The species was first described by Robert Swinhoe in 1870.
Description
The Hainan hare is small; its body length is less than and weighs only . Its head is small ...
(''Lepus hainanus'') is a species of hare endemic to Hainan.
* A subspecies of the
leopard cat
The leopard cat (''Prionailurus bengalensis'') is a small wild cat native to continental South, Southeast, and East Asia. Since 2002 it has been listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List as it is widely distributed although threatened by hab ...
(''Prionailurus bengalensis alleni'') is endemic to Hainan.
*
Hainan leaf-warbler (''Phylloscopus hainanus'') is an Old World warbler in the family
Phylloscopidae.
*
Little torrent frog (''Amolops torrentis'') is a species of frog found only on Hainan Island.
Demographics
The population density of Hainan is low compared to most coastal Chinese provinces.
In 2000, the ethnic groups of Hainan included the Han-Chinese
Hainanese, who are the majority (84% of the population) and speak the Min language, the
Li (Hlai) (14.7% of the population); the
Miao Miao may refer to:
* Miao people, linguistically and culturally related group of people, recognized as such by the government of the People's Republic of China
* Miao script or Pollard script, writing system used for Miao languages
* Miao (Unicode ...
(0.7%) and the
Zhuang (0.6%). The Li are the largest indigenous group on the island in terms of population. Also found on the island are the
Utsuls, descendants of
Cham refugees, who are classified as
Hui by the Chinese government because of their Islamic religion. There is a
Tanka community that live at Sanya Bay.
The Li people mainly reside in the nine cities and counties in the middle and southern part of Hainan – the cities of Sanya,
Wuzhishan and Dongfang, the Li autonomous counties of
Baisha, Lingshui, Ledong,
Changjiang, and the 'Li and Miao Autonomous Counties of
Qiongzhong and
Baoting'. Some others live elsewhere on Hainan with other ethnic groups in Danzhou, Wanning, Qionghai, Lingshui and Tunchang. The area inhabited by the Li ethnic group totals , about 55 percent of the province's total.
Although they are indigenous to the island and do not speak a Chinese language, the
Limgao (Ong-Be) people near the capital (8% of the Hainan population) are counted as Han Chinese by the Chinese government.
Religion
Most of the Hainanese population practices
Chinese folk religion
Chinese folk religion, also known as Chinese popular religion comprehends a range of traditional religious practices of Han Chinese, including the Chinese diaspora. Vivienne Wee described it as "an empty bowl, which can variously be filled ...
and
Chinese Buddhism
Chinese Buddhism or Han Buddhism ( zh, s=汉传佛教, t=漢傳佛教, p=Hànchuán Fójiào) is a Chinese form of Mahayana Buddhism which has shaped Chinese culture in a wide variety of areas including art, politics, literature, philosophy, ...
. The
Li population has a
Theravada
''Theravāda'' () ( si, ථේරවාදය, my, ထေရဝါဒ, th, เถรวาท, km, ថេរវាទ, lo, ເຖຣະວາດ, pi, , ) is the most commonly accepted name of Buddhism's oldest existing school. The school ...
Buddhist minority. Most of the
Utsuls of the island, a branch of
Cham people living near
Sanya
Sanya (; also spelled Samah) is the southernmost city on Hainan Island, and one of the four prefecture-level cities of Hainan Province in South China.
According to the 2020 census, the total population of Sanya was 1,031,396 inhabitants, livi ...
, are
Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
s. Because Hainan was a point in the travel route of missionaries, there are some
Christians
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ� ...
. According to the Chinese General Social Survey of 2009, Christians constitute 0.48% of the province's population.
[China General Social Survey (CGSS) 2009. Report by]
Xiuhua Wang (2015, p. 15)
Nanshan Park is the center of Buddhism on Hainan. Encompassing more than of forest. The site includes countless grand temples, statues and spiritual gardens the likes of Savior Garden and Longevity Valley, with intricately trimmed hedges and abundant in lotus flowers, a venerated symbol in Buddhism meaning virtue or purity.
At the heart of the valley is the grand
Nanshan Temple, its gates flanked by stone figures of Buddha in front of the Tang dynasty-style entrance. The interior displays images of the Four Heavenly Kings amid statues of other deities enshrined in renderings of stone, gold and jade.
Perhaps the most popular site within the Nanshan Buddhist Cultural Zone is the awe-inspiring stone rendering of the Bodhisattva Guan Yin, emerging out of the South China Sea to stand at 108 meters, taller than the statue of liberty.
The Nanshan Buddhist Cultural Zone is visited by thousands of tourists and pilgrims each year who come pay homage to the site that plays a significant role in the religion in China and to sample some of the finest Buddhist vegan cuisine on the island.
Languages
Most people in Hainan speak a variety of
Min Chinese known as
Hainanese. Other Chinese varieties and non-Chinese languages are spoken as well:
*
Standard Mandarin
Standard Chinese ()—in linguistics Standard Northern Mandarin or Standard Beijing Mandarin, in common speech simply Mandarin, better qualified as Standard Mandarin, Modern Standard Mandarin or Standard Mandarin Chinese—is a modern standa ...
(''Putonghua'') is widely known as in the rest of China. Mandarin is especially common in the city of
Sanya
Sanya (; also spelled Samah) is the southernmost city on Hainan Island, and one of the four prefecture-level cities of Hainan Province in South China.
According to the 2020 census, the total population of Sanya was 1,031,396 inhabitants, livi ...
.
** In
Yacheng City (as well as its vicinity several dozen miles west of Huihui and Huixin), the so-called
military speech
Junjiahua, Junhua, Junsheng or "military speech" in English, is any of a number of isolated dialects in Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Fujian, and Taiwan region. Some believe that they are a Mandarin dialect group that assimilated to local Chine ...
dialect of Mandarin (the official language of the southwest among the northern Chinese dialects) is spoken.
*
Cantonese
Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding a ...
is spoken by some, particularly in
Haikou.
* In
Yanglan Village in the northeast, two Min dialects, both closely related to Cantonese, are spoken: the
Mai dialect
Maihua () is a variety of Chinese of uncertain affiliation spoken in the area of 崖县 ''Yáxiàn'' (Sanya) in southern Hainan, China. It was classified as Yue in the '' Language Atlas of China'', but that is no longer certain. There are abou ...
and the
Danzhou dialect
The Danzhou dialect (), locally known as Xianghua (), is a Chinese variety of uncertain affiliation spoken in the area of Danzhou in northwestern Hainan, China.
It was classified as Yue in the ''Language Atlas of China'',
but in more recent work ...
, spoken in Haipo Village in the south, which is the same dialect as the dialect spoken in Danzhou in Dan Country in the northern part of the island.
* The
Li,
Zhuang and
Limgao speak
Tai–Kadai languages.
* The
Miao Miao may refer to:
* Miao people, linguistically and culturally related group of people, recognized as such by the government of the People's Republic of China
* Miao script or Pollard script, writing system used for Miao languages
* Miao (Unicode ...
speak
Hmong–Mien languages.
* There are roughly 4,500
Utsul people living in the villages of
Yanglan () and
Huixin (), two villages on the outskirts of Sanya. They speak the
Tsat language, a member of the
Austronesian Chamic languages.
Sociolinguistics
Standard Mandarin serves as a ''
lingua franca'' between different ethnic groups. Adults who are members of a minority also have quite high literacy skills in Chinese. Most adults speak several Chinese dialects, and some also speak
Li.
When Chams interact with the Hainanese dialect speakers from within Hainan Province, they use the Hainanese dialect, though youngsters generally use Mandarin. Not many can communicate in Li, so the Hainanese dialect or Mandarin is often used.
In the market place and within the Sanya Municipality, the Cham speakers use Cham among themselves, and with others mostly use the Hainanese dialect. However, in the market places near the government seat of Yanglan Township, the Chams either use the Hainanese dialect or the Mai dialect.
[Thurgood, Graham]
"Sociolinguistics and contact-induced language change: Hainan Cham, Anong, and Phan Rang Cham."
2006. Tenth International Conference on Austronesian Linguistics, 17–20 January 2006, Palawan, Philippines. Linguistic Society of the Philippines and SIL International.
Life expectancy and longevity
The people of Hainan live longer than those on the mainland. At the end of 2017, there were 1,565
centenarians in Hainan. For every 100,000 people in the province, 17.13 were centenarians. As of 8 March 2018, there were 287,700 residents over 80 years of age, making up 3.15% of the population.
Government
Even while Hainan Island was a part of
Guangdong
Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020 ...
it had a considerable amount of local autonomy; the southern half of the island was an
autonomous prefecture. Hainan's elevation to provincial level in 1988 increased its
accountability to the
Central People's Government
The State Council, constitutionally synonymous with the Central People's Government since 1954 (particularly in relation to local governments), is the chief administrative authority of the People's Republic of China. It is chaired by the p ...
, but by designating the new province a
special economic zone the central government expressed its intent to allow Hainan maximum flexibility in devising programs to facilitate
foreign investment and
economic growth. Administratively, the province has been divided into five economic major districts.
Politics
The politics of Hainan is structured in a dual party-government system like all other governing institutions in
mainland China
"Mainland China" is a geopolitical term defined as the territory governed by the China, People's Republic of China (including islands like Hainan or Chongming Island, Chongming), excluding dependent territories of the PRC, and other territorie ...
.
The
Governor of Hainan is the highest-ranking official in the People's Government of Hainan. However, in the province's dual party-government governing system, the Governor has less power than the Hainan
Chinese Communist Party
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victorious in the Chinese Ci ...
Provincial Committee Secretary or
CCP Party Chief.
Legislation
On 13 April 1988, the First Session of the Seventh
National People's Congress decided to establish Hainan Province, and at the same time granted the Hainan Provincial People's Congress and its Standing Committee special legislative power.
After the 2019 free trade port plan is proposed, Hainan can enact legislation in economic, cultural, local affairs, social management, etc., and implement it in the Hainan Free Trade Zone (port).
Intelligence
Per the research conducted by
Information Warfare Monitor, Hainan is the physical location of
GhostNet. The Chinese government has officially denied the existence of a cyber war and intelligence apparatus.
Administrative
In the official
PRC territorial claim, Hainan Province includes not just one island, but also some two hundred
South China Sea Islands. While the containment of the South China Sea Islands means that Hainan Province has a very large water body, it has a disproportionally small land area.
James Shoal (, Zēngmǔ Ànshā), which is presently marked by the PRC, signifies the country's southernmost border. But
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Mal ...
also claims that it is on their continental shelf.
Subdivisions
Hainan Province uses a slightly different administrative system than the other
provinces of China
The provincial level administrative divisions () are the highest-level administrative divisions of China. There are 34 such divisions claimed by the People's Republic of China, classified as 23 provinces (), five autonomous regions, four mu ...
. Most other provinces are divided entirely into
prefecture-level divisions, each of which is then divided entirely into
county
A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
-level divisions. County-level divisions generally do not come directly under the province. In Hainan, nearly all county-level divisions (the eight districts excepted) come directly under the province. This method of division is due to Hainan's relatively sparse population, totaling 9.26 million as of 2017.
Urban areas
Military base
Hainan Island is home to the
People's Liberation Army Navy Hainan Submarine Base and strategic
nuclear submarine naval harbor at
Yalong Bay
Yalong Bay () is a beach located in southeast Sanya, Hainan, China. It is also known as the Yalong Bay National Resort. The eastern part of the bay is occupied by PLA Navy as the East Section of Yulin Naval Base Yulin Naval Base () is the tradi ...
. The naval base is estimated to be high, built into hillsides around a military base. The caverns are capable of hiding up to 20 nuclear submarines from
spy satellites. The harbor houses nuclear ballistic missile submarines and is large enough to accommodate
aircraft carriers. The
U.S. Department of Defense has estimated that China will have five
type 094 submarine
The Type 094 (; Chinese designation: 09- IV; NATO reporting name: Jin class) is a class of ballistic missile submarine developed by China for the People's Liberation Army Navy Submarine Force. The Type 094 succeeds the Type 092 submarine and pr ...
s operational by 2010 with each capable of carrying 12
JL-2 ballistic missiles. Two piers and three smaller ones would be enough to accommodate two
carrier strike groups or
amphibious assault ships.
Economy
Hainan's economy is predominantly agricultural, and more than a half of the island's exports are agricultural products. Hainan's elevation to province-level status (1988), however, was accompanied by its designation as China's largest "
special economic zone", the intent being to hasten the development of the island's plentiful resources. Prior to this, the province had a reputation for being a "
Wild West" area, largely untouched by
industrialization; even today there are relatively few
factories in the province.
Tourism
Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...
plays an important part of Hainan's economy, thanks largely to its tropical beaches and lush forests. The central government has encouraged foreign investment in Hainan and has allowed the island to rely to a large extent on market forces.
Hainan's industrial development largely has been limited to the processing of its mineral and agricultural products, particularly
rubber
Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Thailand, Malaysia, and ...
and
iron ore. Since the 1950s, machinery, farm equipment, and
textiles have been manufactured in the
Haikou area for local consumption. A major constraint on industrial expansion has been an inadequate supply of
electricity
Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as describe ...
. Much of the island's generating capacity is
hydroelectric, and it is subject to seasonal fluctuations in stream and river flows.
In December 2009, the government of China announced that it plans to establish Hainan as an "international tourist destination" by 2020.
This announcement contributed to a surge in the province's economy, with a year-on-year increase in investment of 136.9% in the first three months of 2010. Hainan's real estate sector accounted for more than one third of the province's economic growth.
According to the Statistical Communiqué of National Economic and Social Development of the statistical authority, the
GDP of Hainan Province in 2017 was 446.3 billion
yuan (66.1 billion
US dollars), up by 7.0 percent over the previous year. Of this total, the
value added of the primary industry was 97.9 billion yuan (14.5 billion US dollars), up by 3.6 percent, that of the secondary industry was 99.7 billion yuan (14.8 billion US dollars), up by 2.7 percent and that of the tertiary industry was 248.6 billion yuan (36.8 billion US dollars), up by 10.2 percent. The value added of the primary industry accounted for 21.95 percent of the GDP; that of the secondary industry accounted for 22.34 percent; and that of the tertiary industry accounted for 55.71 percent. The per capita GDP in 2017 was 48,430 yuan (7,173 US dollars).
hinews.cn (2018-01-24)
o
/ref>
Agriculture
Owing to Hainan's tropical climate, paddy rice is cultivated extensively in the northeastern lowlands and in the southern mountain valleys. Leading crops other than rice include coconut, palm oil, sisal, tropical fruits (including pineapple
The pineapple (''Ananas comosus'') is a tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae. The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been cultivated for many centuri ...
s, of which Hainan is China's leading producer), black pepper
Black pepper (''Piper nigrum'') is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, known as a peppercorn, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit is a drupe (stonefruit) which is about in dia ...
, coffee
Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world.
Seeds of ...
, tea, cashews, and sugarcane
Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, perennial grass (in the genus '' Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fibrous stalk ...
.
The hot Hainan yellow lantern chili
The Hainan yellow lantern chili (), also known as the yellow emperor chili () is a member of the ''Capsicum chinense'' species of chili peppers that grows mainly in the southwest and southeast of Hainan Island off the coast of Southern China
...
, a variety similar to the scotch bonnet, is unique to the island, and is grown in the southeast and southwest.
The total tropical crop area of Hainan is 100,000 hectares.
Hainan is a major rubber producer. In the early 20th century Chinese emigrants returning from then British Malaya, introduced rubber trees to the island; after 1950, state farms were developed, and Hainan now produces a substantial amount of China's rubber. Natural rubber is now grown on 246,000 hectares of land. This ranks 6th in the world in harvest area and 5th in terms of output.
Hainan has almost 93,000 hectares of areca palms. The product, the areca nut, is consumed locally and also sent to the mainland. Ninety-five percent of China's production of this nut is produced in Hainan.
Domesticated farm animals comprise mainly goats, cows, water buffalo, chickens, geese and ducks.
Fisheries
Grouper, Spanish mackerel, and tuna constitute the bulk of the catch from offshore fishing grounds. Scallops and pearls are raised in shallow bays and basins for local use and export.
Shrimp production is estimated to have been in 2007, more than 50% of which was exported. Hainan has over 400 hatcheries, most being located between Wenchang and Qionghai.
Tilapia production in 2008 was . The island has an estimated 100,000 local, commercial fish farming families.
Tourism
Hainan Island is often divided into eight regions for tourism purposes: Haikou and area (Haikou, Qiongshan, Ding'an); the Northeast ( Wenchang); the Central East Coast (Qionghai, Ding'an); the South East Coast; the South (Sanya); the West Coast also called the Chinese Riviera The term Chinese Riviera is used for several premier tourist destinations in China:
* Coastal areas in the city of Zhuhai, Guangdong Province.
* The south-eastern coast of Hainan, from Haitang Bay in Sanya
Sanya (; also spelled Samah) is t ...
(Ledong, Dongfang, Xianghsui, Changjiang); the North West (Danzhou
Danzhou () is a prefecture-level city in the northwest of the Chinese island province of Hainan. Although called a "city", Danzhou administers a large area which was called Dan County or Danxian () until 1993. The administrative seat and ur ...
, Lingao, Chengmai); and the Central Highlands (Baisha, Qiongzhong, and Wuzhishan/Tongzha).
Popular tourist destinations include the beaches and resorts in the southern part of the province. Inland is Five Finger Mountain, a scenic area. Tourists also visit the capital of Haikou with area visitor attractions such as Movie Town Haikou
Movie Town Haikou () is an artificial town, movie studios, guest apartments, and administration buildings, approximately 8 km south of Haikou, Hainan, China. The town, located beside Mission Hills Haikou golf resort, was created as a movie ...
and Holiday Beach.
Visa requirements
In 2000, the province initiated a visa-upon-arrival policy for foreign tourist groups. It is available to citizens of twenty-six different countries, and was established in order to attract visitors.
Beginning 1 May 2018, citizens of 59 countries will be able to visit Hainan for 30 days without requiring a visa, provided that they come on a tour via a travel agency. Countries included among the 59 are: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Spain, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, UAE, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Statistics
During 2008, 20.6 million tourists visited Hainan, producing total revenues of 19.23 billion yuan (US$2.81 billion). Of these tourists, 979,800 were from overseas with the largest numbers coming from South Korea, Russia and Japan.
In 2010, the amount of overnight tourists visiting Hainan was 25.87 million, 663,000 of which came from outside China.
During 2011, more than 30 million tourists visited Hainan, mostly from mainland China. Of the 814,600 overseas tourists, 227,600 of them came from Russia, a 53.3 percent a rise year-on-year. Total revenue during that year was 32 billion RMB ($4.3 billion US), up 25 percent from 2010.
In the first quarter of 2012, the Hainan Provincial Tourism Development Commission reports that Hainan received 208,300 overnight visitors, 25 percent of whom came from Russia.
In 2014, Hainan received 50.2 million tourists, 660,000 of whom were from overseas.
During 2015, Hainan received 53 million visitors.
In 2016, over 60 million tourists went to Hainan, up 12.9% from 2015.
During 2018, the province received over 76 million domestic and overseas tourists, a year-on-year increase of 11.8%. Revenue also increased 14.5% compared to the previous year for a total of 95 billion RMB (US$14 billion).
Medical tourism
The government of Hainan is expanding the province's medical tourism
Medical tourism refers to people traveling abroad to obtain medical treatment. In the past, this usually referred to those who traveled from less-developed countries to major medical centers in highly developed countries for treatment unavailable a ...
industry. The provincial government has established the Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone in the Bo'ao
Bo'ao/Boao () is a town located next to the eastern coastal city of Qionghai in Hainan Province, People's Republic of China, near the mouth of the Wanquan River where it discharges into the South China Sea. The town is away from Qionghai, away ...
area. The zone is located six kilometers from the Boao Forum for Asia and covers 20 square kilometers. This was announced at the Boao Forum for Asia
The Boao Forum for Asia (BFA; ), initiated by 25 Asian countries and Australia (increased to 28 in 2006), is a non-profit organisation that hosts high-level forums for leaders from government, business and academia in Asia and other continents ...
in 2011. The State Council has approved the development of Lecheng Island as a medical tourism-themed destination. Lecheng Island is a small island in the Wanquan River about west of the coastal town of Bo'ao on the west coast of the province. Construction on the 20 km2. The zone was begun in December 2014 and will cost a projected 1.5 billion yuan. It was scheduled for completion in 2016 and is the first special zone for medical travel in China. As part of the zone, the Boao Super Hospital opened in 2018.
Historical sites
Haikou is the province's capital and contains interesting historic sites. Also known as Coconut City, Haikou is a major port. The Five Officials Temple (, ) consists of five traditional temples and halls that were built in honor of five officials of the Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) dynasties. These officials were banished to Hainan for periods ranging from 11 days to 11 years for speaking out against what they felt were wrong practices by the emperors. (It is perhaps significant that the establishment of the Five Officials Temple in the late 19th century coincides with a time when China's territorial integrity was under threat, and that several of the officials honored here were exiled for espousing aggressive policies on the recapture of the north of China from the Jurchens during the Southern Song dynasty
The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the res ...
.)
Xiuying Fort was built in 1891 to defend the southeastern corner of China during the Sino-French War. The Xiuying Fort Barbette covers about a third of an acre. Its five large cannons are still intact and viewable at the site.
The Tomb of Hai Rui () is a key national cultural protection site. Hai Rui was a compassionate and popular official of Hainanese origins who lived during the Ming dynasty. He was famous for his lifelong honesty and his willingness to speak out on behalf of local people. In later life, Hai Rui was persecuted and fell out of favor with the emperor. His admirers built the Hai Rui Tomb after his death to commemorate his great works. Construction of the tomb began in 1589.
The Yangpu Ancient Salt Field is a heritage site in Yantian village on Yangpu Peninsula
The Yangpu Peninsula () is a peninsula located in Danzhou, on the northwestern coast of Hainan Province, China. It has a coastline containing many natural harbors. An expressway connects the peninsula to Haikou, the capital of the province, whic ...
. The area comprises more than 1,000 stones, cut flat on top, used to dry seawater to produce salt.
Other attractions and destinations
Hainan Island has a number of beaches, hot springs and other attractions. Some top scenic sites include Yalong bay National Resort; Dadonghai Tourist Resort; Qizhi Shan (Seven Finger Mountain), Nuilin mountain tropical botanical reserve in Lingshui county, Guantang Hot Spring Resort, Shishan Volcanic Garden; the Wanquan River, Baishi Ridge Scenic Zone and Baihua Ridge.
Other attractions in Hainan include:
* Phoenix Island
Phoenix Island (), dubbed the Oriental Dubai, is an artificial archipelago consisting of two landmasses forming an island resort in Sanya, Hainan Province, China.
Description
These islands are located in the southeast part of Sanya Bay. T ...
, an artificial island in Sanya Bay __NOTOC__
Sanya Bay () is one of the five major bays in Sanya City, Hainan Province, China. Located at the southern coast of Hainan, directly south of Sanya city, it has a 22 km beach. It is bordered by a peninsula at the east side. Within t ...
.
* Monkey Island, near the well-known perfume bay or Xiangshui Wan, a popular tourist destination located in Lingshui County, is a state-protected nature reserve for macaques.
* Yalong Bay
Yalong Bay () is a beach located in southeast Sanya, Hainan, China. It is also known as the Yalong Bay National Resort. The eastern part of the bay is occupied by PLA Navy as the East Section of Yulin Naval Base Yulin Naval Base () is the tradi ...
(Crescent Dragon Bay or Yalong Wan), a long beach east of Sanya City.
* Xiangshui Bay Scenic Area, from Sanya Tiandu.
* Luobi Cave
Luobi Cave () is a karst cave under the west face of Yin Ridge () located north east of Lizhigou Town (), from Sanya City, Hainan Province, People's Republic of China.
Features
The entrance to the cave is approximately high and wide. Insid ...
, north of Sanya City.
* Nanshan Temple, a Buddhist cultural area west of Sanya featuring a statue of Guanyin, Buddhist Goddess of Mercy.
* Yanoda is a rainforest area. It is open to visitors with guided walking tours, a zipline, and a waterfall climbing activity.
Yachting
To encourage the international yachting community, new regulations now allow foreign yachts to stay for a total of 183 days each year, with a maximum single stay duration of 30 days. 13 additional ports will be built around the island to accommodate this market.
Free trade zone
On 13 April 2018, Communist Party general secretary Xi Jinping announced a plan to gradually make the island into a pilot free trade zone by 2020, and transform the entire island into a free trade port by 2025. This will involve inviting foreign and multi-national companies to set up their regional and international headquarters in Hainan. Goods and services would be subject to low or even no tariffs. The zone will become China's largest free trade zone, and the first trade port since 1949, when the People's Republic of China was founded. Part of the plan is to establish exchanges in commodities and carbon trading, international energy, and shipping. Emphasis will also be placed on the development of service industries including tourism, the Internet, healthcare, finance, as well as conference and exhibitions hosting.
Since the announcement in April 2018, Hainan had signed 159 contracts with major companies. In September 2018, China National Travel Service Group, China's biggest travel business conglomerate, relocated its headquarters from Beijing to Haikou. In October 2018, Baidu and Hainan signed a deal to built a 10-billion-yuan (US$1.45 billion) eco-village.
In September 2018, a symposium was held in Beijing on foreign investment projects in Hainan. During that gathering, the Hainan government signed contracts with 26 international companies including Globevisa Group, Merlin Entertainments Group, Viacom, Ikea Group, Mapletree Investments, Avis Budget Group, Star Cruises, and Boehringer Ingelheim.
To bring talented workers to Hainan, in November 2018 the Hainan government held a recruitment fair in Beijing in an effort to bring 7,471 people to Hainan to work in government agencies, companies, and other institutions.
Established prior to this announcement, and currently in existence, are the following economic and technological development zones:
* Haikou Free Trade Zone
* Haikou New & Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone
* Yangpu Economic Development Zone
Yángpǔ Economic Development Zone () is an area of the Yangpu Peninsula, Hainan province, China. This zone, covering , p 67 contains a port, oil refinery, petroleum commercial reserve base, power station, and the town of Yangpu. The area, Hain ...
Duty-free program
On 20 April 2011, a pilot duty-free program commenced with the aim of increasing luxury goods purchases. It permits domestic Chinese visitors to claim tax refunds on imported luxury items purchased within the province. The maximum value is set at 5,000 yuan (US$762), with lowered tax rates on purchases over 5,000 yuan. In October 2012, duty limits were raised to 8,000 yuan ($1,273), and became available to both domestic and international tourists.
The total sales of duty-free products for 2012 was 2.4 billion yuan.
The world's largest duty-free shopping complex is scheduled to open in Haitang Bay in August 2014.
During 2018 Spring Festival, Hainan recorded a 25% increase in duty-free revenue, with 450 million yuan ($71 million) in sales. The two duty-free shops, located in Sanya and Haikou, received about 99,000 customers, a 32% gain.
During 2018, the two duty-free shops had sales of more than 10 billion RMB and received 2.88 million customers.
Natural resources
Hainan has commercially exploitable reserves of more than 30 minerals
In geology and mineralogy, a mineral or mineral species is, broadly speaking, a solid chemical compound with a fairly well-defined chemical composition and a specific crystal structure that occurs naturally in pure form.John P. Rafferty, ed ...
. Iron
Iron () is a chemical element with symbol Fe (from la, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, right in ...
, first mined by the Japanese during their occupation of the island in World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, is the most important. Also important are titanium
Titanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. Found in nature only as an oxide, it can be reduced to produce a lustrous transition metal with a silver color, low density, and high strength, resistant to corrosion i ...
, manganese
Manganese is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Mn and atomic number 25. It is a hard, brittle, silvery metal, often found in minerals in combination with iron. Manganese is a transition metal with a multifaceted array of ...
, tungsten, bauxite
Bauxite is a sedimentary rock with a relatively high aluminium content. It is the world's main source of aluminium and gallium. Bauxite consists mostly of the aluminium minerals gibbsite (Al(OH)3), boehmite (γ-AlO(OH)) and diaspore (α-AlO ...
, molybdenum, cobalt
Cobalt is a chemical element with the symbol Co and atomic number 27. As with nickel, cobalt is found in the Earth's crust only in a chemically combined form, save for small deposits found in alloys of natural meteoric iron. The free element, p ...
, copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pink ...
, gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile ...
, and silver
Silver is a chemical element with the symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical ...
. There are large deposits of lignite and oil shale on the island, and significant offshore finds of oil and natural gas
Natural gas (also called fossil gas or simply gas) is a naturally occurring mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons consisting primarily of methane in addition to various smaller amounts of other higher alkanes. Low levels of trace gases like carbon d ...
have been discovered. Virgin forests in the interior mountains contain more than 20 commercially valuable species, including teak and sandalwood
Sandalwood is a class of woods from trees in the genus '' Santalum''. The woods are heavy, yellow, and fine-grained, and, unlike many other aromatic woods, they retain their fragrance for decades. Sandalwood oil is extracted from the woods for ...
.
Real estate market
In 1990, Hainan province was the site of the largest property bust in modern Chinese history With 2009 and the announcement of the Chinese Government's plan to develop the province into a major international tourist location, property sales rose by 73%, creating the possibility of another bubble in Hainan's property market.
Since March 2010, commercial and residential property values in some parts of Hainan have slowed down since the market peaked in February.
In March, average month-on-month transaction prices dropped 12.82% to 12,280 RMB per square meter, with a reduction in volume to , a 19.05% decline. Later in April, prices declined 2.84% to 11,932 yuan per square metre, with a 57.59% decline in volume to . Then in May prices declined a further 29.74% from the previous month to 8,483 yuan per square metre, with a 57.95% decline in volume to . However, property prices in the tourist resort of Sanya remain strong as of January 2011, with prime developments selling at prices of up to 80,000 RMB per square metre.
Data for 2016 data shows that Hainan saw an increase in house sales of 44%. Volume in sales was 129 billion RMB ($18.82 billion) which is a rise of 51.2 percent year-on-year. During that year in November, commercial apartments in Sanya sold for 20,695 RMB per square meter a rise of 15.75% year-on-year. The total amount of Sanya real estate sold during that time was 212,400 square meters.
Out of China's twenty leading real estate developers, eighteen had invested in Hainan during 2016.
In the beginning of 2017, the price for a house in Haikou was approximately 8,000 RMB ($1,170) per square meter and $20,000 RMB ($2,977) per square meter in Sanya.
New 2018 regulations
On 23 April 2018, new rules came into effect regarding home purchases in Hainan. To be able to buy a house, non-Hainan residents must prove that they have a minimum of one family member who has been paying taxes or social security for at least 2 years.
Those non-Hainan residents who wish to purchase a house in Haikou, Sanya and Qionghai must prove that they have a minimum of one family member who has been paying taxes or social security for at least 5 years.
In Wuzhishan, Baoting, Qiongzhong and Baisha (the "central ecological core areas"), houses may only be purchased by local residents.
When non-residents do buy a property, the down payment must be at least 70 per cent. In order to curb speculation, owners may not sell their property for five years after receiving their ownership certificate.
Golf industry
This industry is expanding in Hainan, with numerous courses being constructed, including Mission Hills Haikou, which is one of the largest golf complexes in the world. The golf industry attracts foreign investment and overseas golfers from such countries as Australia, South Korea, and Japan.
Automotive industry
Automotive manufacturing is one of Eight industrial pillar industries. Hainan's automotive output was 39,600 in 2017, down by 41.1 percent over the previous year. Domestic Chinese manufacturer, Haima Automobile has its global headquarters in Haikou.
Foreign trade
As of 2017, the total value of imports and exports of goods reached 70,237 million yuan (10,403 million US dollars). Of which, the value of goods exported was 29,566 million yuan (4,379 million US dollars), the value of goods imported was 40,671 million yuan (6,024 million US dollars).
Asean
ASEAN ( , ), officially the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, is a political and economic union of 10 member states in Southeast Asia, which promotes intergovernmental cooperation and facilitates economic, political, security, milita ...
was Hainan's largest export trade partner in 2017, the value of goods exported to Asean was 12,289 yuan (1,820 million US dollars), accounted for 41.56 per cent of the total value of goods exported. Its second-largest foreign trade partner was Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a List of cities in China, city and Special administrative regions of China, special ...
, the value of goods exported to Hong Kong was 2,966 yuan (439 million US dollars), accounted for 10.03 per cent of that. the 3rd largest partner was EU, the value of goods exported to EU was 2,186 yuan (324 million US dollars), accounted for 7.39 per cent of that.
Transport
Road
Before 1950 there were practically no transport links with the interior of the island. The first roads were built in the early 20th century, but no major road construction was undertaken in the mountains until the 1950s. Parallel north–south roads along the east and west coasts and through the interior of the island constitute most of Hainan's road network.
Hainan is the only province in China that does not have highway toll stations. This is due to the 1994 "fee-to-tax" reform. Instead, road maintenance costs are raised through a 60% tax on fuel.
There are several major highways and expressways linking Haikou on the north coast with Sanya on the south coast. The G224 is 309 kilometers long and runs through the middle of the province. The Hainan Ring Highway has three parts: The G225 is long and is the western part. For most of its length, the G225 runs parallel to the Hainan western ring railway. The G223 is the eastern part, running from Haikou to Sanya. It is 323 kilometers long. The G98 is a 612.8-kilometer-long orbital expressway that encircles the island. Hainan Highway 1
Hainan Highway 1 is a dual-lane highway in Hainan, China that was expected to begin construction in May 2019.
References
{{China National Highways
Transport in Hainan
Roads in Hainan ...
, a new 1,040-km-long scenic highway, will be built around the island, along the coast starting in May 2019.
There are also numerous rural roads within the province. These are typically two-way asphalt roads and connect larger towns. Connecting the thousands of villages to one another and to farms, are concrete roads about 6 meters wide. Many of these were built from roughly from the year 2000 onward, and as of 2019, are still being built.
Bridges
While a bridge connecting Hainan to the Leizhou peninsula on the mainland was planned in the early 2000s it never came to fruition. A bridge or tunnel received continued consideration in 2018, as travel by air or ferry can leave residents and visitors isolated when bad weather sets in.
Air
Hainan Province has two international airports (Haikou Meilan International Airport
Haikou Meilan International Airport is the airport serving Haikou, the capital of Hainan Province, China. It is located southeast of the city center and was opened in 1999, replacing the old Dayingshan Airport located along what is now the ci ...
and Sanya Phoenix International Airport
Sanya Phoenix International Airport is an airport serving the city of Sanya in Hainan, the southernmost province of China. It is located about northwest of the city center.
Sanya Phoenix International Airport is a main airport hub and compr ...
) and two domestic airports ( Qionghai Bo'ao Airport and Danzhou Airport
Danzhou Airport () is an under-construction airport in approximately 25 km northeast of Nada, Danzhou, Hainan
Hainan (, ; ) is the smallest and southernmost province of the People's Republic of China (PRC), consisting of various island ...
, the latter is under construction.)
Rail
Today's Hainan is ringed by standard-gauge railways. Since 2004, a rail ferry
A train ferry is a ship (ferry) designed to carry railway vehicles. Typically, one level of the ship is fitted with railway tracks, and the vessel has a door at the front and/or rear to give access to the wharves. In the United States, train f ...
connects the island's railroad network to Guangdong, mainland China. In 2005, Ministry of Communications allocated 20 million yuan (US$2.4 million) to set up a committee to research and study the possibility of a bridge or tunnel link connecting the island to the mainland. From the ferry terminal, located near Haikou railway station (west of Haikou), freight and passenger trains arriving from the mainland can proceed on the Hainan western ring railway along the island's west coast, via Dongfang to Sanya. This railway line has been developed over several decades, starting with a few short narrow gauge lines constructed during the Japanese occupation in the early 1940s.
There is a high-speed railway ring around the island, formed by the eastern ring and western ring along the island's coast. Both high-speed railways are connected with Haikou and Sanya
Sanya (; also spelled Samah) is the southernmost city on Hainan Island, and one of the four prefecture-level cities of Hainan Province in South China.
According to the 2020 census, the total population of Sanya was 1,031,396 inhabitants, livi ...
. There are 15 stations along the east coast, and 16 stations along the west coast. Trains are designed to travel at on the east ring, and on the west ring. The total length of eastern ring is , while the western ring is . The first eastern ring high-speed train run started on 30 December 2010, and the Hainan western ring high-speed railway
The Hainan western ring high-speed railway (, often abbreviated ) is a high-speed railway operated by China Railway High-speed in Hainan
Hainan (, ; ) is the smallest and southernmost province of the People's Republic of China (PRC), con ...
started its operation in 2015.
Seaports
* Haikou Xiuying Port
Haikou Xiuying Port (), is a seaport located 7 km west of Haikou New Port, in Haikou, Hainan, China.
Xiuying Port will relocate to an area several hundred metres north of South Port, the southern terminus of the Guangdong–Hainan Railway
...
() serves as the main passenger and cargo center.
* Haikou New Port
Haikou New Port () is a seaport in Hainan, China. Formerly known as the Inner Harbour, this port is located on the southern side of the mouth of the Nandu River 7 km east of Haikou Xiuying Port. Prior to around 2016, it was main distribution ...
() opened 1 June 2005
* Macun Port () located in Chengmai County; opened 1 June 2005
* Hainan Strait Port
Hainan (, ; ) is the smallest and southernmost province of the People's Republic of China (PRC), consisting of various islands in the South China Sea. , the largest and most populous island in China,The island of Taiwan, which is slightly ...
* Basuo Port in Dongfang City is a small port on the west coast of Hainan. One of its main cargos is iron ore from the Shilu Mine.
Hainan received 11,000 tons of products via ports November 2010, up 90.1 percent month-on-month. Between January and November 2010, 102,000 tons of products were exported via Hainan, 34,000 tons of which were exported to the US, and 14,000 tons sent to the EU.
Education
The level of primary and secondary education has improved since 1949, but facilities for higher education remain somewhat inadequate.
* Hainan University ()
* Hainan Medical University ()
* Hainan Normal University ()
* Hainan Tropical Ocean University ()
*Qiongtai Normal University ()
* Haikou University of Economics ()
* University of Sanya ()
Culture
As a frontier region celebrated by such exiled poets as Su Dongpo, Hainan acquired an air of mystery and romance. The influx of large numbers of mainlanders after 1950 – particularly in the 1970s, when young Chinese from southern Guangdong were assigned to state farms to help develop Hainan, and in the 1980s, when thousands more came to take advantage of the economic opportunities offered – has perpetuated the frontier atmosphere on the island .
Media
As well as programs from Central China Television
China Central Television (CCTV; ) is a national television broadcaster of China, established in 1958 as a propaganda outlet. Its 50 channels broadcast a variety of programming to more than one billion viewers in six languages. CCTV is oper ...
(CCTV), Hainan has a number of local TV stations including Hainan TV and Haikou TV. The Chinese language ''Nanguo Metropolis Daily
The ''Nanguo Metropolis Daily'' (), also known as ''South China Metropolis Daily'' or ''South China Metropolitan Daily'', is a Haikou-based Chinese language daily newspaper published in Hainan Province, People's Republic of China
China, ...
'', ''Haikou Evening News
The ''Haikou Evening News'' () is a daily Chinese language newspaper published in Haikou
Haikou (; ), also spelled as Hoikow is the capital and most populous city of the Chinese province of Hainan. Haikou city is situated on the northern co ...
'', and ''Hainan Daily
The ''Hainan Daily'' or ''Hainan Ribao'' () is a Chinese language daily newspaper published in Hainan Province , People's Republic of China. Originally the organ of the Hainan Provincial Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (中共海南省� ...
'' newspapers are published in Haikou.
A large film studio is located in the south part of Haikou. Movie Town Haikou
Movie Town Haikou () is an artificial town, movie studios, guest apartments, and administration buildings, approximately 8 km south of Haikou, Hainan, China. The town, located beside Mission Hills Haikou golf resort, was created as a movie ...
comprises several studio buildings and an artificial town used as filming sets and a visitor attraction.
Cuisine
Hainan cuisine is said to be "lighter, with mild seasonings." A lot of local taste is mixed with the Han Chinese taste. Seafood predominates the menu, as shrimp, crab, fish and other sea life are widely available.
Wenchang chicken
Wenchang chicken () is a type of chicken breed and a chicken dish from the Wenchang city area in the island province of Hainan, China.
The Chicken
This variety of small, fleshy free-range chicken is fed coconut and peanut bran. During the last ...
is a dish known throughout the province of Hainan. Although there are many varieties of this dish, the name is usually used to define a type of small, free-range chicken from Wenchang, located on the east coast of the province. As opposed to battery
Battery most often refers to:
* Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power
* Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact
Battery may also refer to:
Energy source
*Automotive battery, a device to provide power t ...
chickens, its meat has more texture and is somewhat drier.
Hainan chicken rice / Coibui is a famous dish in Southeast Asia, particularly Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...
and Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Mal ...
, bearing the region's name. However, while many restaurants use chicken fat to quickly add flavor to the dish, the proper local method is to 'marinate' the rice with chicken soup to add a more full flavor.
Events
Numerous events are hosted or sponsored on the island, including:
* Swatch Girls World Pro China - Annual Elite Women's surfing competition, held at Wanning
* Hainan International Surfing Festival, held annually at Riyue Bay, Wanning
* Miss World beauty pageant is regularly held in the city of Sanya.
* Mission Hills Star Trophy
The Mission Hills Star Trophy is an annual, pro-celebrity golf tournament held in Hainan, China.
It has the largest individual prize purse of any golf tournament in Asia Pacific.
2010 inaugural tournament
This inaugural event was held between Oc ...
is an annual golf tournament that started in 2010.
* Tour of Hainan
The Tour of Hainan is an annual professional road bicycle racing stage race held in Hainan Province, China. The race consists of nine stages and is part of the UCI Asia Tour. The event was first held in 2006. It was made a UCI 2.1 race from 2007 ...
bicycle race
* Hainan Rendez-Vous, an annual four-day event that draws China's ultra high-net-worth individuals to the Chinese Riviera The term Chinese Riviera is used for several premier tourist destinations in China:
* Coastal areas in the city of Zhuhai, Guangdong Province.
* The south-eastern coast of Hainan, from Haitang Bay in Sanya
Sanya (; also spelled Samah) is t ...
-like shores of Hainan
* Ironman triathlon
* Boao Forum for Asia
The Boao Forum for Asia (BFA; ), initiated by 25 Asian countries and Australia (increased to 28 in 2006), is a non-profit organisation that hosts high-level forums for leaders from government, business and academia in Asia and other continents ...
, held in Boao, is an international high-level government, business, and academia forum.
* H1 Hot Air Balloon Challenge is held annually in Haikou. Balloons from across the nation fly over the Qiongzhou Strait from Haikou to a designated location on the mainland in Xunwen County, Guangdong.
Miscellaneous topics
*The novel, '' Red Detachment of Women'', by Liang Xin, was set in Hainan. The novel was first adapted to a feature film in the 1950s, and then a ballet in the 1960s as one of the Eight model plays
In People's Republic of China (1949–), revolutionary operas or model operas (Simplified Chinese: ''yangban xi'', 样板戏) were a series of shows planned and engineered during the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976) by Jiang Qing, the wife o ...
. Most of the people of that time derived their romanticized image of Hainan Island from the scenes in the ballet, particularly that of the vivid forests of coconut trees, the Five Finger Mountain ( Wuzhi Shan), and the Wanquan River.
*Two notable lighthouses are located on Hainan: the Baishamen Lighthouse
Baishamen Lighthouse (), located on Haidian Island, Haikou, in the province of Hainan, China, is the sixth tallest lighthouse in the world, and the second tallest in China. Listed as Baisha Men. Rising from a three-storey hexagonal base, the struct ...
and Mulantou Lighthouse are among the tallest in the world, the latter being the tallest in China.
* 3024 Hainan, named after the province, is an outer main-belt asteroid discovered in 1981.
*'' Hainan Kopi Tales'' is a Singaporean Chinese drama serial set in a famous Hainan coffee shop that explores the Hainanese way of life from the 1960s to the 1980s.
*Hainan Resort is also a multiplayer map in the 2013 video game ''Battlefield 4
''Battlefield 4'' is a 2013 first-person shooter video game developed by DICE and published by Electronic Arts. The game was released in October and November for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, and is th ...
''.
Space center
One of China's satellite launch centers is located in Hainan east of the city of Wenchang. The Wenchang Satellite Launch Center, a facility, is the closest Chinese launch center to the equator. The construction plan was first announced in October 2007. The new launch center began operations on 3 November 2016 with the Long March 5 rocket making its maiden flight
The maiden flight, also known as first flight, of an aircraft is the first occasion on which it leaves the ground under its own power. The same term is also used for the first launch of rockets.
The maiden flight of a new aircraft type is alw ...
.
Notable residents
The poet Su Shi (1036–1101) popularized Hainan's isolation and exoticism when he was exiled there under the Song dynasty
The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the res ...
. The Dongpo Academy was built on the site of the residence where he lived in exile.
Hai Rui (1514–1587) was a famous Chinese official of the Ming dynasty
The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...
. His name has come down in history as a model of honesty and integrity in office.
Chih-Ping Chen
Chih-Ping Chen (陳質平; pinyin: Chēn Zhìpíng) (13 November 1906 – 11 February 1984) was a student activism, student activist, officer (armed forces), military officer, statesman, and diplomat for the Taiwan, Republic of China from the 1920s ...
(1906-1983) was a distinguished diplomat and statesman for the Republic of China, who served to build the Yunnan-Burma Road, and a diplomatic career that spanned four decades.
The most well-known native of Hainan is Chinese-American Methodist
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...
minister turned businessman, Charlie Soong
Charles Jones Soong ( zh, c=宋嘉澍, p=Sòng Jiāshù, w=Sung Chia-shu; October 17, 1861 – May 3, 1918), also known by his courtesy name Soong Yao-ju ( zh, c=宋耀如, p=Sòng Yàorú, w=Sung Yao-ju), was a Chinese businessman who first achi ...
, father of the Shanghai
Shanghai (; , , Standard Chinese, Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four Direct-administered municipalities of China, direct-administered municipalities of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the ...
-born Soong sisters: Soong Ai-ling, wife of H. H. Kung
Kung Hsiang-hsi (; 11 September 1881 – 16 August 1967), often known as Dr. H. H. Kung, was a Chinese banker and politician in the early 20th century. He married Soong Ai-ling, the eldest of the three Soong sisters; the other two married Preside ...
(once China's richest man); Soong Ching-ling, wife of Sun Yat-Sen
Sun Yat-sen (; also known by several other names; 12 November 1866 – 12 March 1925)Singtao daily. Saturday edition. 23 October 2010. section A18. Sun Yat-sen Xinhai revolution 100th anniversary edition . was a Chinese politician who serve ...
; and Soong Mei-ling, wife of former ROC President Chiang Kai-shek.
Wang Feifei (Fei), singer, actress, entertainer and member of girl group Miss A;
Wu Xuanyi
Wu Xuanyi (born January 26, 1995), is a Chinese singer and actress. She began her career in 2016 with debuted as a member of the South Korean girl group WJSN. She later take a hiatus from the group in the first half of 2018 to compete as contes ...
, member of the South Korean-Chinese girl group WJSN
International partnership
Hainan has international relationships with the following places:
See also
* List of islands of China
* Hainan Island incident
The Hainan Island incident occurred on April 1, 2001, when a United States Navy EP-3E ARIES II signals intelligence aircraft and a People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) J-8II interceptor fighter jet collided in mid-air, resulting in an inte ...
* Sanya
Sanya (; also spelled Samah) is the southernmost city on Hainan Island, and one of the four prefecture-level cities of Hainan Province in South China.
According to the 2020 census, the total population of Sanya was 1,031,396 inhabitants, livi ...
Note
References
Further reading
* D'Arcy Brown, Liam (2003). ''Green Dragon, Sombre Warrior: travels to China's extremes''. London: John Murray.
* Edmonds, Richard Louis. "Hainan province and its impact on the geography of China", ''Geography'', Vol. 74, No. 2 (April 1989), pp. 165–169
External links
Hainan Government website (English)
Hainan Government website (Chinese)
at HKTDC
The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is a statutory body established in 1966 as the international marketing dedicated to creating opportunities for Hong Kong's businesses. The organisation has 50 offices around the world, includi ...
Dr Howard M Scott "Hainan"
Resources on the Hainanese in the National Library of Singapore
Learn Hainanese Website
Hainan Province Official English Language Tourism Website
{{Authority control
.
1988 establishments in China
Gulf of Tonkin
Islands of China
Islands of Hainan
Islands of the South China Sea
Provinces of the People's Republic of China
States and territories established in 1988
Territorial disputes of the Republic of China