Hainan is the smallest province located in the southernmost of China. The province has more than 2 hundred islands scattering around, with Hainan Island the largest island. Besides being the largest in the province, Hainan Island is also the largest island under the administration of People Republic of China. Having an area of approximately 34,000 square kilometers, the island is about the size of Belgium and slightly smaller than Taiwan. Hainan Island is located in the south of Guangdong Province, separated only by the narrow Qiongzhou Strait.

Once used as a place to exile failed officials of Tang and Song Dynasties, Hainan Island nowadays is a popular tourist destination in southern China. The island is famous for its beautiful beaches as well as its greenery. Its capital Haikou, also known as Coconut City, is located in the northern part of the island. The city is known for having the 5th best air quality out of a total of 160 cities worldwide from a survey conducted by United Nations environmental department.

If you like long stretching sandy beaches, then you should not miss out on Sanya Bay. The landscape there is so beautiful that it features on the Chinese 2 Yuan bill. There is this place, which is located 24 kilometers to the west of Sanya, is claimed to be the place where water meets the sky. This place is called Tianyahaijiao. There are a lot of peculiar stones with different shapes and sizes here. Among the most famous are the Rocks of Sun and Moon, the Rocks of Tianyahaijiao and the Rock of Nantianyizhu.

Those who like nature may consider going to Wuzhishan Mountain (or Five-Finger Mountain), the highest mountain on Hainan Island. The areas around the mountain are inhabited by minority Li. In the south of island, there is this temple called Nan Shan Temple which houses the largest Buddha statue in the world. There is also a Monkey Island located on the south coast of Hainan Island which is a protected nature reserve for macaque monkeys.

There are just so many things to do and see in Hainan Island. See it for yourself in the following promotional video of Sanya.


Sanya, Hainan Island