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  Hainan is the smallest and southernmost province of China, consisting of various islands in the South China Sea. Hainan Island, separated from Guangdong's Leizhou Peninsula by the Qiongzhou Strait, is the largest island under PRC control (Taiwan, which is slightly larger, is also claimed but not controlled by the PRC) and makes up the majority of the province. Located in the tropical area at the southern end of China, this place is warm all year round and has no winter. Besides, it boasts soft beaches and beautiful tropical scenery, which make it a famous holiday resort in China. The capital Haikou City is situated in northern part of the island. It is the political, economic, cultural and transportation center of the whole province. The other prefecture-level city of the province is Sanya, which is a hot destination for tourism.

 Hainan History

In ancient China, Hainan Island was a savage land, and few people lived there. The government officials who did something wrong or displeased the emperor would be relegated to this island. It should be a thing of sadness to be relegated to this savage island, but when the unlucky officials went there, they came to realize that it was actually a blessing to settle there. For example, the most famous poet in the Song Dynasty (960-1279), Su Dongpo, was once relegated there, and this enchanting island really cast a spell over him. He left a lot of poems there, which highly praise the beauty of Hainan Island. He believed that it would be a happy thing to rest there after death, because the scenery there was the best he had ever seen.

 So we arrived at one of the most beautiful cities in China – Sanya. After a delicious meal in the local restaurant.

A chef preparing a dish from snake.

  We began our Sanya tour from the famous scenic spot – Nanshan Temple. The Guanyin of Nanshan is a 108-metre (354 ft) statue of the bodhisattva Guanyin, sited on the south coast of China's island province Hainan near the Nanshan Temple of Sanya. The statue has three aspects: one side faces inland and the other two face the South China Sea, to represent blessing and protection by Guanyin of China and the whole world. One aspect depicts Guanyin cradling a sutra in the left hand and gesturing the Vitarka Mudra with the right; the second with her palms crossed, holding a string of prayer beads; and the third holding a lotus. This is currently the fourteenth tallest statue in the world (many of which are Buddhist statues) and the tallest statue of Guanyin in the world.

  In the evening we got dinner typical turtle soup is either made from a live turtle.

We had a joyful day by touring around the city attractions, the prosperous commercial streets, the local and characteristics restaurant and the special snack streets. Although we felt tired after one-day city trip in Haikou, we were still excited because we had a memorable day in this tropical city.

All Photos from Hainan