Haikou (Hainanese Hai How, pronounced "High How"), is the largest city and major administrative, business, and cultural centre of Hainan. Although pleasant enough with its palm-lined streets, Haikou is in some ways a rather nondescript sort of city.
However, it does have an undiscovered old-style colonial quarter with bustling streets and lots of little shops selling all kinds of things. There is also a bar street for those who enjoy imbibing in a Western-style atmosphere.
Haikou is the site of Hainan University and other institutes of higher learning, which give it a slightly more intellectual atmosphere than the rest of Hainan.
Haikou has now absorbed the neighbouring city of Qiongshan. Haikou is a sister city of Darwin, Australia and of Perth in the UK.
General
Tropical China - Haikou (Femalefirst.co.uk): An excellent rundown on Haikou, its atmosphere and its attractions. Written from an intelligent and interesting point of view, and in terms that non-Chinese can understand. Definitely the first page to look at.
The Government of Haikou City has a tourist site with information on transportation and accommodation, a map of sights, as well as entertainment, etc. Sections of the site include:
Transportation - quite a useful page:
* Sea Transportation (Major Passenger Ports and Ticket Offices, with phone numbers, Routes of Passenger Liners in Xingang Port, Routes and Ships);
* Road Transportation (Travel Bus Ticket Offices, Buses from Haikou to Other Provinces, Buses from East Haikou Station, Buses from West Haikou Station, with phone numbers)
* Rail Transportation (Train Ticket Offices, with telephone numbers)
* Airlines (Airline Ticket Offices, with telephone numbers).
Accommodation - A List of Star-rating Hotels in Haikou, with addresses and phone numbers.
Shopping - features "Bustling Shopping Streets with Fair and Faithful Peddlers", "Addresses and Directory of Major Stores".
Flavours - Native Flavors, Tender Boiled Wenchang Chicken, Jiaji Duck, Dongshan Lamb, Hele Crab, and Native Snacks -- just the usual rundown, no names or addresses of restaurants.
Entertainment - "Catering Entertainment and Recreation Facilities", "A List of Recreation, Leisure, and Sports Facilities", including Museums, Beauty Salons, Saunas, Massage, Recreation, Sports, Cafes, Music Bars, Tea Houses, Bars, Discos, and Cinemas.
Products - Hainan Coffee, Hainan Peppers, Four Famous Traditional Chinese Midicines, Tropical Fruits, Aquatic Products, Baisha Green Tea, and Freshwater Pearls.Haikou translated from the Chinese - information dates back to 1988!
Haikou sights
Wugong Temple (Temple of the Five Officials)Wugong Temple (Five Officials' Temple) (Travel China Guide). Background information on the temple and its history.
Wugong Temple (China Travel Tour Guide) Chinglish, describing loving details like: 'The crooked roof, black tilt, red pillar, and the green trees add pleasure to each other'.Wugong Temple Brief but helpful.
Five Ministers Memorial Tower (Chinaetravel): Brief, with photo.
Temple of the Five Dignitaries; Wugongci (Planetware): Pretty brief, no photo.
Memorial Temple of Five Lords (china.org.cn): Nice introduction, but rather at odds with the facts (especially this sentence, which is completely incorrect: 'The group is comprised of temples, gardens and the houses of five famous ministers of the Tang and Song dynasties').
Temple of the Su Shi / Monastery of the Golden Millet; Sugong Ci / Jinsu An (Planetware): Also inside the Wugong Temple. This kind of article is useful as it helps disentangle the disparate elements that have been brought together on one site.
Temple of the Two Dignitaries; Ergongci (Planetware): Located inside the Wugong Temple. Brief.Tomb of Hai Rui (a Ming-dynasty official widely admired for his uprightness).
China Guide: Hai Rui Tomb: a fairly detailed explanation of the tomb as well as events in Hai Rui's life, including "Hai Rui Dismissed from Office" and "Hai Rui rebuked the Emperor".
Tomb of Hai Rui (Travel China Guide): Good length, detailed information and background, with photos. Also at this site, Tomb of Hai Rui: Brief text, three photos.
Tomb of Hairui (China Travel Tour Guide) Chinglish but nice and reasonably detailed. Explains why Hai Rui was buried in this particular spot.
Tomb of Hai Rui (China.org.cn) Gives usual factual background, no photo.
Tomb of Hai Rui (China Planner): Very brief, very poor photo.
Tomb of Hai Rui; Hai Rui Mu (Planetware): Brief, mentions Cultural Revolution afternote, no photo.Qiongtai Academy
Qiongtai Academy (China Travel)
Ma'anling Crater (Shisan Volcanic Cluster Geopark)
National volcanic geopark opens in Hainan -- photos and story about the Shisan Volcanic Cluster Geopark -- has a good aerial photo of the volcano (Chinese government site).
Novel park provides exciting experience (about the new Geopark, China Daily, March 2006)
Volcanoes tell story of earth's evolution (People's Daily, March 2006): About the Shisan Geopark.
Volcanic Crater also mentioned here (magazine article)Red Forest Nature Reserve ahem, a slight mistranslation, refers to the Mangrove Forest Reserve at Yanfeng.
New tropical bird park in Ding'an (a little distant, going South along the Central Mountain Route).
Holiday Beach (Ctrip) Brief and reasonably informative, with photo.
