Colorful Life in Hainan

Where to go?

1. Fenjiezhou Island

Fenjiezhou Island is a national 5A scenic zone in Lingshui county. Home to a number of rare wild animals and plants, it is also called the Sleeping Beauty Island for what it looks like from afar. Sylvia Earle, a US marine biologist who was called "Her Deepness" and "Queen of the Ocean", dived in the waters off the island in October 2012, when she was 77.

Besides a range of marine recreational programs, the island has the only sightseeing submarine in China, which is 18.6-meters long and can accommodate 46 people.

2. Yanoda Rain Forest

The Yanoda Rain Forest Cultural Tourism Zone is a national 5A tourism destination and a model base for the cultural industry. Its recreational programs, including a 600-meter rope slide through the forest, have attracted lots of adventurous tourists.

3. Binlang Valley Cultural Tourism Zone

Hainan has built more than 10 tourist spots featuring the primitive cultures of the Li and Miao ethnic groups, including the Binglang Valley Cultural Tourism Zone in Baoting county, a national 4A tourism destination. More and more tourists are impressed by the amazing natural landscape, the ancient ethnic culture and traditional handicrafts in the zone. The scenic zone receives 1.2 million visitors annually, according to statistics.

4. Hot springs

Hainan boasts many hot springs, which are a legacy of the volcanic activity that shaped the island long ago. The spring water is rich in minerals that help improve bathers' health conditions. The province has developed some 40 hot spring resorts, including the Mission Hills resort in Haikou, the Guantang resort in Qionghai, the Xinglong resort in Wanning, the Nantian resort in Sanya, and the Qixianling resort in Baoting.

Where to stay?

1. Luxury hotels

Five-star hotels in Hainan are concentrated in such areas as Yalong Bay in Sanya, Qingshui Bay in Lingshui and the west coast of Haikou. Sanya is clustered with well-known five-star hotels, including the InterContinental, Marriott and Hilton brands.

What to eat?

Wenchang Chicken, Dongshan Mutton, Hele Crab and Jiaji Duck are the four famous traditional dishes of Hainan. Steamed seafood delicacies with sauces made of chili, soy sauce and sesame will also stimulate the appetite of tourists.

How to get there?

Hainan has two airports, in Haikou and Sanya. Direct flights between Haikou and Bangkok in Thailand, Singapore and Seoul in South Korea operate from the Haikou Meilan International Airport. Direct flights to Taipei and Hong Kong also operate from both airports. Hainan will open 11 new international flights, including the first regular flights to Western Europe.

Traffic in Hainan:

Tourists can access all tourist spots in Hainan through the 613-kilometer G98 highway that runs around the island. High-speed railways also operate connecting Haikou, Wenchang, Qionghai, Wanning Lingshui and Sanya.

The west line of the railways, which is expected to be completed by the end of this year, will make the high-speed railways on Hainan a loop line.

Visa-free policy:

Tourists from the following 23 countries who are traveling with a tour group of five or more people organized by a travel agency based in Hainan may travel in Hainan visa-free for up to 15 days: Australia, Austria, Britain, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, the Philippines, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, the Ukraine, and the United States. Groups of two or more people from Germany, South Korea, and Russia whose travel arrangements were made by a Hainan travel agency may travel visa-free for periods of up to 21 days.

(China Daily 03/28/2015 page7)