Hainan set to become global destination

Yachts at berth in Sanya. Hainan is a hotspot for the yachting community from around the world thanks to new regulations that allow foreign boats to stay up to 90 days.[Photo by Huang Yiming/China Daily]

In the city's southwestern area is the province's most famous scenic area Tianya Haijiao - or "the end of the earth". With blue sea, golden beach and cliffs in spectacular shapes, the area is recognized as the best place for newlyweds to take vows because of the famous Chinese saying "lovers cannot be separated even one is at the end of the earth".

Volcano Crater Park in Haikou city offers an enlightening experience to tourists. It is a rare volcanic cluster dating back 10,000 years, where students and enthusiasts see the Earth's evolution firsthand.

The province also has many villages where ancient buildings and traditional ways of life are well kept.

They include Binglang village in Sanya with its authentic culture of the Li ethnic group.

The "stone village" near the Haikou volcanic cluster has buildings made of basalt and offers a slow, otherworldly lifestyle.

The provincial capital of Haikou is famous for its qilou buildings, or shophouses, mostly built by overseas Chinese returning from Southeast Asia some 100 years ago. They have a fusion of European and Asian architecture, as well as Indian and Arabic influences.

Besides a variety of scenic areas, Hainan is now a "paradise for shoppers" because of a grand duty-free shopping mall in Sanya and similar facilities in other cities.

Tan Li, vice-governor of Hainan province, said at the Boao Forum for Asia earlier this month that the city of Sanya plans to build the world's largest duty-free shopping mall near Haitang Bay at a cost of 5 billion yuan ($800 million).