Qilou Old Street 骑楼老街
A 2-km stretch of early 20th-century arcade shophouses built by Hainanese merchants who returned from Southeast Asia. The covered colonnades — blending European Baroque, Art Deco, and Nanyang (South Seas) Chinese styles — create a streetscape unique in China, reflecting the diaspora heritage of Hainan's trading culture.
Haikou Volcanic Cluster Geopark 海口火山群地质公园
A UNESCO Global Geopark preserving 40+ volcanic craters, the most recent erupting 13,000 years ago. The largest crater — Ma'anling — is 222 metres wide and 90 metres deep, its rim overgrown with tropical forest. Villages built from porous volcanic basalt dot the surrounding lava fields.
Wugongci (Five Officials Temple) 五公祠
A memorial to five Tang and Song dynasty officials exiled to Hainan for political dissent — including the great poet Su Dongpo. The temple complex, set in a tropical garden of royal palms and frangipani, tells the story of how China's most brilliant minds turned exile into literary triumph.
Cultural Highlights
🍜 Signature Dish: Hainan Qingbu Liang (海南清补凉) — A chilled dessert soup of coconut milk, red dates, lotus seeds, lily bulb, dried longan, and tapioca — Haikou's essential refreshment in the tropical heat. Every stall has its own variation, and locals debate recipes with the passion reserved for religion and football.
🎨 Artifact: Volcanic Stone Carvings (火山石雕) — Villages surrounding Haikou's volcanoes have carved porous basalt into door lintels, window frames, and guardian figures for centuries. The volcanic stone — lightweight, weather-resistant, and deeply textured — lends a unique character to Hainan's traditional architecture.
🎵 Music: Li Nose Flute (黎族鼻箫) — A slender bamboo flute played with the breath of one nostril. The soft, ethereal tone — said to mimic forest bird calls — is traditionally used by young Li men to serenade their beloved under moonlit coconut palms.