Hainan Island – Hawaii of China

Hainan is an island province of China and the nation’s southernmost point. It’s known for its tropical climate, beach resorts and forested, mountainous interior. The southern city of Sanya has many beaches that range from 22km-long Sanya Bay to crescent Yalong Bay and its luxury hotels. Outside Sanya, the hilly hiking trails of Yanoda Rainforest Cultural Tourism Zone pass over suspension bridges and by waterfalls.

Hainan’s climate is tropical, characterized by hot and humid summers, with mild, pleasant winters. Temperatures usually range from 24-35°C in the summer, and 19-25°C in the winter. Today, it is undergoing heavy tourist-oriented development with various international hotel chains establishing resorts, especially in the Sanya area. These days, many wealthy Chinese from the northern provinces own second homes in Hainan, where they move to in the winter to escape the bitter cold that characterises much of northern China. It has been popular with Russian tourists for decades. Now it is being promoted as “China’s Hawaii”. The entire island has been declared a Special Economic Zone.