With rich and diverse cultural resources, Hainan boasts many human elements with distinctive local characteristics, apart from the features of oriental traditional culture. Ethnic customs, marine culture and historical stories in Qiongzhou are just like the numerous cultural pearls scattered all over the island or preserved in the museum, which highlight the context of Hainan island culture.

Visitors can go deep into the hinterland of the rainforest valley to explore the ethnic imprint of the Li and Miao compatriots, or wander along the old streets to experience the culture of Nanyang, and also can go fishing at a remote port or village.

 A unique Hainan with Nanyang characteristics

Wenchang Puqian Old Street.

From Puqian town in Wenchang city, the northern part of Hainan Island, to the ancient Yacheng town of Sanya in the south, you can see many Nanyang-style arcades, the residential house with a mix of Chinese and Western architectual characteristics, well preserved by the Hainanese who once ventured to Nanyang and later returned to the hometown in the last century.

The buildings along Haikou Qilou Old Street were initially formed in the 1920s and 1940s. The oldest four-storey building was built in the Nansong Dynasty and has a history of more than 600 years. Along the both sides of the Deshengsha Road, Wenming East Road, Zhongshan Road, Bo'ai Road and Jiefang Road in Haikou are blocks of Nanyang-style buildings with arcades and colonnades, which are built at the end of the 19th century. Today, it is already a good place to experience the culture of overseas Chinese in Hainan.

Haikou Qilou old street.

In addition to Haikou Qilou Old Street and Wenchang Puqian Old Street, visitors can also experience the unique culture of overseas Chinese in the large houses in the countryside. The most famous one is the Cai's old house in Boao, which is known as the “first house of Hainan Overseas Chinese Township”. This large house with green bricks and coloful walls is stylish and unique, which shows the ingenious fusion of Chinese and Western cultures.

Recommended itinerary

Haikou Qilou Old Street→Hainan Museum→Lei Qiong Global Geopark→East Harbour National Nature Reserve→Wenchang Puqian Old Street→Wenchang Haosheng Aerospace Village→Wenchang Satellite Launch Center→Qionghai Tanmen Towns→Chnia (Hainan) Museum of the South China Sea→Qionghai Boao East Culture Park→Qionghai Cai House→Ding’an Wenbi Mountain and Pangu Culture Tourist Area