Haikou, the capital city of China’s Hainan Province, features the most beautiful scenic promenades, blue skies, jade seas, sunshine, sandy beaches and coconut palms. The city’s intoxicating beauty has led to Hainan’s recognition as an island of health and longevity.
Tourism officials from Haikou, the provincial capital of Hainan and China’s top destination for island tourism, have hosted a special seminar, “A Night for Haikou,” at the Howard Johnson New Port Resort to introduce the city’s distinct and celebrated landscape, culture and culinary traditions. The event is part of the city’s ambitious campaign to introduce Haikou and Hainan to the world.
From seafood and fruits to chicken and lamb, the cuisine of Haikou is famous for highlighting the original flavors of the fresh ingredients. Tourists should sample the “big four”: Wenchang chicken, Jiaji duck, Dongshan lamb and Hele crab. And, to further explore the Haikou lifestyle, one can try the local snacks such as Hainan rice noodles and Ching bo leung (an herbal healing soup).
Haikou is home to dozens of volcanoes from the Quaternary period, which allowing visitors to spend more time outside at Haikou Volcanic Cluster Global Geopark during the less torrid season. The highest volcanic cone is Mount Maanling Crater, one of the best-preserved dormant craters in the world. Sitting by the volcanoes is a village built during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), where the road is paved by volcanic rocks and ancient houses are side-by-side with modern buildings, creating a harmonious view of past and present. The Tanfengyang Wetlands are also part of Haikou’s volcanic landform, where tourists can observe more than 300 plant species and 50 bird species during the seasonal migrants return. The protected flora and fauna features water fern, the red junglefowl and greater coucal.
