0 Travel destinations: The East Coast, Hainan Province, China

The East Coast of Hainan Province is a wonderful place to spend a week or two when you are travelling through China and are in need of some relaxing time. Picture palm lined beaches, bays that stretch as far as the eye can see, and beautiful headlands and you are at the East Coast. Although the towns are not as exciting as the beaches, they are still wonderful places to visit.

About 60km south of Wencheng, Qionghai is the famous place where the first Chinese communist cell was formed back in 1924. Carry on south for about 50km is Wanning and then another 23km to Xinglong. This is the home to more than 20,000 Chinese-Vietnamese and Chinese from overseas (especially from Indonesia or Malaysia) who established the Xinglong Overseas Chinese Farm (Xinglong Huaqiao Cun) where they have now settled. You will find these Chinese dressing up in Southeast Asia costumes and show visitors a range of different tropical agricultural techniques, including coffee – Xinglong coffee is famous throughout China as well as being the transsexual capital of China.

Shimei Bay (Shimei Wan) is the first place you should start when arriving in Hainan’s East Coast. This is a beautiful stretch of coast that still remains unscarred by commercialization that you get in the Sanya area. This beautiful beach is lined with palm trees and is mostly deserted so most of the time you have this gorgeous beach all to yourself.

Shimei town is largely undeveloped but this will not always be the case, so enjoy it while you can. Shimei Bay is also a great place to surf; you can see some local and expat surfers catching the waves but the chances are that you will only see fishermen. However, as surfing becomes more popular in China, Shimei Bay is set to become the best place to go.

Lingshui and Monkey Island are other great places on the East Coast. Lingshui itself is the oldest settlement on Hainan but visitors really come here to visit Monkey Island, the home of a number of Guangxi monkeys. There is a government wildlife research centre here to observe them and this is a great place to relax and enjoy yourself.

The monkeys here are very tame and will want you to feed them snacks of peanuts which you can buy. Just remember to keep your cameras and your valuables safe at all times – these monkeys think that they are photographers!

Detail: Travel destinations: The East Coast, Hainan Province, China

0 Travel destinations: Wuzhishan, Hainan Island, China

Wuzhishan is located in the hills of Hainan Island, the smallest of China’s provinces. Surrounded by lush green vegetation, Wuzhishan is one of the most prettiest and genuine of Hainan’s cities since most others are designed primarily for tourists.

Until recently, Wuzhishan was called Tongshi or Tongzha but was renamed Wuzhishan after the nearby famous mountain, Wuzhi Shan. Wuzhishan is the smallest city on the island, the capital of the Li and Miao Autonomous Prefecture in the 1980s. The government believed that it would give the Li and the Miao ethnic groups (two of the official 56 ethnicities in China) more control over themselves. However, this did not work and most local politicians became more corrupt than the Han Chinese politicians in the area!

Wuzhishan was established in the curve of the Nansheng River. You get into the city by the main road, Haiyu Lu, over a bridge and then turning west after the bus station. Be well aware that there is no Bank of China here, only the China Construction Bank but there are ATMs here so you can get money out.

The cultural sights here are relatively few here. Pay a visit to the National Museum of Hainan (Minzu Bowuguan) where you can admire and learn more about the Li and Miao ethnic groups from the island. There are also some interesting Cultural Revolution propaganda objects here but there are no English captions. This can be a little frustrating if you can’t read Chinese, but if you take a trip over to the university nearby, you can ask one of the students studying English if they would like a job as a guide. They can then improve their English and show you around Wuzhishan.

They might even take you to Jia Jia Shao Kao Yuan, a vibrant place to go to in the evenings, as well as the market to pick up some souvenirs and Jiefang Lu. If you do consider asking an English student as a guide, make sure that you know where you are going and clarify if any payment is to be made – you should at least pay for their travel costs, transport, food and drink.

There is not much here to do but relax and get away from the hustle and bustle of China’s busy cities. This lack of things to do is one of Wuzhishan’s charms. There are a number of smaller communities in the area that you can visit and explore to your heart’s delight. This is a place where you can learn more about the different ethnic groups in the area and their rich and valuable heritage.

Detail: Travel destinations: Wuzhishan, Hainan Island, China

0 Travel destinations: The East Coast, Hainan Province, China

The East Coast of Hainan Province is a wonderful place to spend a week or two when you are travelling through China and are in need of some relaxing time. Picture palm lined beaches, bays that stretch as far as the eye can see, and beautiful headlands and you are at the East Coast. Although the towns are not as exciting as the beaches, they are still wonderful places to visit.

About 60km south of Wencheng, Qionghai is the famous place where the first Chinese communist cell was formed back in 1924. Carry on south for about 50km is Wanning and then another 23km to Xinglong. This is the home to more than 20,000 Chinese-Vietnamese and Chinese from overseas (especially from Indonesia or Malaysia) who established the Xinglong Overseas Chinese Farm (Xinglong Huaqiao Cun) where they have now settled. You will find these Chinese dressing up in Southeast Asia costumes and show visitors a range of different tropical agricultural techniques, including coffee – Xinglong coffee is famous throughout China as well as being the transsexual capital of China.

Shimei Bay (Shimei Wan) is the first place you should start when arriving in Hainan’s East Coast. This is a beautiful stretch of coast that still remains unscarred by commercialization that you get in the Sanya area. This beautiful beach is lined with palm trees and is mostly deserted so most of the time you have this gorgeous beach all to yourself.

Shimei town is largely undeveloped but this will not always be the case, so enjoy it while you can. Shimei Bay is also a great place to surf; you can see some local and expat surfers catching the waves but the chances are that you will only see fishermen. However, as surfing becomes more popular in China, Shimei Bay is set to become the best place to go.

Lingshui and Monkey Island are other great places on the East Coast. Lingshui itself is the oldest settlement on Hainan but visitors really come here to visit Monkey Island, the home of a number of Guangxi monkeys. There is a government wildlife research centre here to observe them and this is a great place to relax and enjoy yourself.

The monkeys here are very tame and will want you to feed them snacks of peanuts which you can buy. Just remember to keep your cameras and your valuables safe at all times – these monkeys think that they are photographers!

Detail: Travel destinations: The East Coast, Hainan Province, China

0 Travel destinations: Wuzhishan, Hainan Island, China

Wuzhishan is located in the hills of Hainan Island, the smallest of China’s provinces. Surrounded by lush green vegetation, Wuzhishan is one of the most prettiest and genuine of Hainan’s cities since most others are designed primarily for tourists.

Until recently, Wuzhishan was called Tongshi or Tongzha but was renamed Wuzhishan after the nearby famous mountain, Wuzhi Shan. Wuzhishan is the smallest city on the island, the capital of the Li and Miao Autonomous Prefecture in the 1980s. The government believed that it would give the Li and the Miao ethnic groups (two of the official 56 ethnicities in China) more control over themselves. However, this did not work and most local politicians became more corrupt than the Han Chinese politicians in the area!

Wuzhishan was established in the curve of the Nansheng River. You get into the city by the main road, Haiyu Lu, over a bridge and then turning west after the bus station. Be well aware that there is no Bank of China here, only the China Construction Bank but there are ATMs here so you can get money out.

The cultural sights here are relatively few here. Pay a visit to the National Museum of Hainan (Minzu Bowuguan) where you can admire and learn more about the Li and Miao ethnic groups from the island. There are also some interesting Cultural Revolution propaganda objects here but there are no English captions. This can be a little frustrating if you can’t read Chinese, but if you take a trip over to the university nearby, you can ask one of the students studying English if they would like a job as a guide. They can then improve their English and show you around Wuzhishan.

They might even take you to Jia Jia Shao Kao Yuan, a vibrant place to go to in the evenings, as well as the market to pick up some souvenirs and Jiefang Lu. If you do consider asking an English student as a guide, make sure that you know where you are going and clarify if any payment is to be made – you should at least pay for their travel costs, transport, food and drink.

There is not much here to do but relax and get away from the hustle and bustle of China’s busy cities. This lack of things to do is one of Wuzhishan’s charms. There are a number of smaller communities in the area that you can visit and explore to your heart’s delight. This is a place where you can learn more about the different ethnic groups in the area and their rich and valuable heritage.

Detail: Travel destinations: Wuzhishan, Hainan Island, China