Hainan Island (海南岛)

China's Hainan province consists of Hainan Island and some 200 smaller islands scattered across the archipelagos of Zhongsha, Xisha and Nansha. It is not often visited by tourists, as there is little of interest. The island has always been one of China's poorest and secluded regions, but since it was declared a Special Economic Zone (SEZ), it started booming.

The island is home to indigenous people, including the Hlai, which is the largest ethnic group, composing about 15% of the island's population.

The capital of Haikou is an expensive port town on Hainan's northern coast and offers little of interest. The town of Sanya, at the southern end of the island is a neglected beach resort. Other major cities on Hainan include Wenchang, Qionghai, Wanning, Wuzhishan, Dongfang and Danzhou. The city of Sansha is on the Zhongsha Islands, which are part of Hainan province. The disputed territories of Spratly Islands (Nansha) and Paracel Islands (Xisha) are administered from Sansha, even though many of the Spratly Islands are not even under China's control.

Nearby is Monkey Island, where you can see Guangxi monkeys. It is only a short trip by ferry to the island. The Institute of Tropical Plants is near the town of Danxian and the Nature Reserve for the Protection of the Hainan Deer at Datian. They are both on Hainan Island and well worth a visit. The Autonomous Prefecture capital of Tongzha is also a nice place to visit when you are on the island.

Hainan Island came in the news in April 2001, when an American spy plane had to make an emergency landing there after colliding with a Chinese spy plane. In 2020 the Chinese government announced plans to turn Hainan Island into the world's largest free trade region by 2035.