Dubbed the "Hawaii of China," this tropical island is a good place to eat seafood and to escape the winter. Today, the government is promoting it as a tourist destination
and an industrial zone.
On the other hand, it's developing some great resorts. Hainan's largest city,
Haikou, is on the north coast. It has an ancient temple complex nearby, a large night market and some of the best hotels on the island. In villages (suburbs, really) near Haikou, you can see small temples with distinctive religious carvings on the doorways. The major resort area is at Yalong Bay, where deluxe developments are springing up on the beautiful beach.
Another worthwhile stop is Tongza (Tongshi), a hill town about 40 mi/70 km north of Yalong Bay. It has an interesting market, a good museum (island-history displays) and a unique mix of Chinese, Miao and Han people.
In the countryside, you'll find small thatched-roof villages and the Guangdong Provincial Deer Farm, which sells medicinal wine made from antler marrow taken from the local deer. We also suggest taking the ferry to visit End of the Earth Beach, a boulder-strewn, sandy beach popular with Chinese tourists. 300 mi/485 km southwest of Hong Kong.
