Holiday in Hainan I:China’s Mouth of Sea—Haikou

Hainan, is known as Oriental Hawaii as its unique tourist resources, which is also the world's biggest winter.It's winter now in China, and it's very cold in most area but it's also warm in Hainan. So, a lot of people go to Hainan to enjoy the sunshine and beach. Are you interesting in it? In the article, we will talked about the capital of Hainan province.

                                                                    Chapter One


                         China’s Mouth of Sea—Haikou

Haikou, at the North of Hainan Island, is the capital of Hainan Province in China, which means   “Mouth of the Sea”. It is located on the Nandu River, at the southern bank of the Qiongzhou Strait, facing the mainland's Leizhou Peninsula. 

Centenary Bridge

Haikou is a tropical city with the colorful tropical temptation. The natural scenic sites make Haikou become a resort for travelers on holiday. Parks, temples, mountains and reserves will tell you a landscape Haikou. You can spend a leisure time by losing yourself in this charming city. --The typical sight of the city are the lined coconut trees along the street and the colorful neon light shining at the dark blue sky at night. 

What’s the real fun in Haikou? Follow my steps below to enjoy and find out the funs in Haikou. Come on now!

Fun in Haikou 1: Xinglong Tropical Botanical Garden

Xinglong Tropical Botanical Garden

Hainan Island lies in the tropical climate zone, Xinglong Tropical Botanical Garden which is located in Wuning City of Hainan Island can be a good place to get touch with this exotic experience. It was built in 1957 and covers an area of 0.4 square kilometers. It possesses more than 1200 plant species such as coffee, pepper, cocoa, and dragon trees. 

Xinglong Tropical Botanical Garden is regarded as a hot destination and furthermore dedicated to issues related to botany and environmental protection in cooperation with agricultural authorities in China. Featuring tropical monsoon climate all year round, Xinglong Tropical Botanical Garden is suitable for tourism and thus evaluated as AAAA-class tourism spot and model of agricultural tourism. The garden is developed and managed by the Tropical Spice and Beverage Crops Research Institute of China Institute of Tropical Agriculture.

Featuring all sorts of plants, including coffee, pepper, cocoa, durians, mangosteen, Antiaris Toxicaria, Xinglong Tropical Botanical Garden domesticates tropical plants around the world and thus embodies a harmonious picture with plants. Besides, a canteen is accessible to provide visitors many sorts of beverages produced by the Garden itself.

Xinglong Tropical Botanical Garden is nearly perfect for plants to grow. Now the botanic garden does not o­nly play the role of an important agricultural base, but also a famous tourism resort. It really deserves the name of "tropical plants encyclopedia". It is o­ne of the most popular tourists attractions on Hainan Island.

Fun in Haikou 2: Mt. Wuzhi National Reserve

The Mt. Wuzhi (Five Fingers Mountain) is one of the symbols in Hainan Island. Located at the center of beautiful place, Mt. Wuzhi (Five Fingers Mountain) National Reserve, which takes Mt. Wuzhi as its main scenic spot enjoys an international fame.

Mt. Wuzhi National Reserve

As the highest mountain in Hannan Island, the peaks are waving like saw-tooth and the shape is like five fingers, this is how the Wuzhi Mountain (Five Fingers Mountain in Chinese) got its name. Meanwhile Mt. Wuzhi is also the kingdom of precious animals and birds. There are various animals such as reptiles, birds and animals. When visitors travel Mt. Wuzhi, you will see animals come out to look for food or play with each other now and then.

When climb up along the mountain roads, the cloud and mist make this mountain as a fairyland. This is one of the features of the Mt. Wuzhi. If you climb to the top of the Mt. Wuzhi, the cloud and mist is much thicker as if you were in the space. Looking down, you can see the green waves are all under your eyes and water is connected with the sky. These are all too beautiful to be absorbed all at once. 

Fun in Haikou 3: Dongjiao Coconut Plantation

Dongjiao Coconut Plantation

Dongjiao Coconut Plantation is about twenty-minute's ferry from Qinglan Habour. There are about 500,000 various kinds of coconut trees planted at here. Together with the winding footpath, small huts, sunshine and the sandy beach, all things create a picture of tropical marine world, making people fell relax and refresh. Visitors can have great fun here including enjoying the delicious seafood in the restaurants at the shore, trying different kinds of beach and doing sea sports with friends or just have a stroll along the footpath. If it happens to be a breezy day, the leaves of coconut trees will let out a sound of pleasing.

The local people say, “Wenchang produces half of the coconuts in Hainan while Dongjiao produces half of the coconuts in Wenchang.” Over 500,000 coconut trees of many different varieties grow in Dongjiao. With its thick and flourishing trees, beautiful scenery and clean water, it is a natural swimming spot, suitable for different kinds of a beach sports and maritime activities. 

Among other attractions and facilities are the Coconut Park, a tourist quay, and a couple of seaside holiday resorts and seafood restaurants. The shallow water along the coast produces precious aquatic products including lobsters, prawns, rockfishes and abalones. The charm of Dongjiao Coconut Plantation lies in its tropical coconut culture.

Fun in Haikou 4: Hairui Tomb

Located in the Yabin village, Xiuying district of Haikou city, Hairui Tomb is the key national cultural protection unit, as well as one of the "Eight Sceneries" of Haikou. It has become a famous place of interest known as "Yue Dong Zheng Qi" (the integrity and upright). Hairui, the famous official in Ming dynasty, was born in Qiongshan and was known as "Hai Qingtian" (which means incorruptible official).

Hairui Tomb

The tomb was built in 1589 and it is said that when people was carrying Hairui's coffin, suddenly the rope broke, and then people considered that this should be the very place where Hairui himself had chosen to be his place. Hairui Tomb has an area of 7.4 acre and all the architectures around this tomb form a solemn, simple and unsophisticated style. In the middle, there is a high honorific archway on which written four eye-striking scarlet Chinese characters "Yue Dong Zheng Qi". The grave path was paved with granites and there are three memorials on the way. 

On the sides of the path leading to the tomb, there stands stone statue shaped like sheep, horses, lions, tortures, and human beings. Hairui Tomb was completely built by granites, with a round top, six-angled base, a height of 3 meters, and a reducing size from up to down, thus it looks like an ancient bell. All kinds of evergreen trees were planted around the cemetery, such as coconut trees, pines, and cypresses. Hairui Cultural Exhibit Hall is also in the cemetery for visitors to look at with reverence.

--Dream to enjoy your leisure time by the sides of sea? Why not go to Haikou? It will fulfill all your fantastic of seaside life!