Florence Sun

Lush with green trees and blue water, Hainan is the second-largest island in China and is rich in tropical and subtropical fruits and plants. Its typical South China scenery and its many historic sites make it a very attractive vacation spot.

On Hainan, there are so many important moments during a trip that inevitably some fail to be caught on film. Before the memories fade away, here are some written notes to help those moments endure.

Color

Hot yellow sun, clear blue water, white sand beaches and tall green mountains are everywhere. The island of Hainan is truly a tropical paradise with seemingly endless sun and fun-filled activities.

The Yalong and Sanya bays are located in the city of Sanya on the southern end of the island. They are regarded as two of the best beaches in China. At these beaches, you can enjoy the same latitude and similar weather conditions as Hawaii, but you don't even need to leave the country.

The water is clear, and it can reflect the blue sky. Playing in the water with the tropical fish swimming around, you are awash in the beautiful waves. The Yalong Bay Sea Shell Museum and Butterfly Park at the Yalong Bay National Resort add more bright hues to the natural palette. The museum is the first comprehensive sea shell museum in China and the Butterfly Park is a natural garden-style scenic spot. The two smoothly blend butterfly appreciation and shopping amenities into one glorious harmony.

Feel the romance

Just over 20 kilometers away from Sanya, at the very southern tip of the island, is Tianya Haijiao, where the vast surface of the blue sea is studded with weird-shaped reefs and stone inscriptions, such as "The Earth's End," "Sea Corner," and "Pillar of Southern Heaven." A romantic feel permeates the air at Tianya Haijiao and many sweethearts like to make their oath of love to each other at this site. Its name is inspired by a Chinese poem describing the unchanged melody of a lifelong love.

From Tianya Haijiao far out into the sea, a wide expanse of water shimmers under the warm sunshine as dazzling, silvery waves and cotton-soft clouds mingle with white sails as they dance across the horizon.

Aroma in Xinglong

Xinlong's natural mineral springs have been famous for centuries. The mineral water is now piped directly into hotel rooms at a regulated temperature. The Xinglong Hot Springs are located in the Xinglong Overseas Chinese Village on the eastern outskirts of Wanning City. There are over a dozen springs with flowing hot mineral water.

China is not recognized as a coffee growing region, but the locally grown coffee has been rated by international travelers as comparable to the finest coffees of Brazil and Columbia. A favorite pastime is sipping a fresh cup of coffee while relaxing in a hot spring. The coffee grown in this area is well-known throughout China and provides an interesting change of taste in the world's largest tea-consuming country. The nearby Indonesian Village is a great destination to experience Indonesian singing, dancing, snake acts and a complimentary cup of the local sweetened Xinglong coffee. If you buy anything to bring back home from this trip, don't miss out on Xinglong Coffee and green vanilla tea produced here.

After a cup of coffee, head to where every inch of the ground is green and every small field explodes with growth -- the Xinglong Tropical Botanical Garden. Located in the Xinglong Overseas Chinese Village, it is famous for the beauty of its masterfully composed streams and landscape. The garden is not only a place for sightseeing and recreation but also an established center for scientific research. The garden houses many varieties of rare plants, some of which are close to extinction.

Taste seafood in Lingshui

Situated on the Nanwan Peninsula, Lingshui County has the only nature reserve and habitat for monkeys in China. There are about 1,000 tame, though rascally, macaque monkeys living on the Monkey Island near Xincun.

For seafood, "the village on the water" will offer you the best crab and shrimp dishes over anywhere on the island. While savoring the best of fresh seafood, you will have many a good chuckle watching the monkeys frolicking by threes or fives, chasing one another and scrambling for food.

Travel tips

There are over a dozen flights from Shenzhen to Haikou, capital city of Hainan, every day. The flight takes about one hour and costs 690 yuan (US$83) per person.

Flights are also available from Shenzhen to Sanya City. The ticket is about 790 yuan per person.

Visitors can also go to Haikou City by ferries. On each Monday, Wednesday and Friday, there is a ferry leaving Shenzhen's Shekou Ferry Terminal for Haikou at 5 PM. The ferry arrives at Haikou at 11 AM the next day. There are four classes of ferry tickets, and the prices range from 210 yuan to 458 yuan.

Visitors should take sunglasses, swimming suits, towels and sun lotion. As Hainan is warm all year long, take with you summer clothes.

Two new hot destinations, Wuzhizhou Island and West Island, are highly recommended.

 (Shenzhen Daily February 16, 2005)