May 18 marks the International Museum Day. Museums are bridges that arch between the shores of the past, the present, and the future, and give us views overlooking the long river of history.

South China's island province of Hainan currently boasts 40 museums — including 18 state-owned museums and 22 privately owned museums — that hold a total of 184,991 items, 4,205 of which are classified as precious cultural relics.

Recently, 'museum fever' has been running rampant in Hainan, and more and more people are becoming museum lovers. There are hundreds of exhibitions held every year at different museums and memorial halls in Hainan, which rack up an annual average of 3 million visits in total.

Hainan Museum

The Hainan Museum's exhibits take visitors through many worlds of discovery through South China Sea culture, Hainan history, traditional handicrafts, the food culture of the island, local ethnic minority cultures, Hainan performing arts, and precious yellow rosewood.

Visitors view ancient glassware on display at the "Lustrous Translucent Glass - Ancient Glass Art Along the Silk Road" exhibition in the Hainan Museum, which is scheduled to continue through July 20. [Photo: Hainan Daily]

The Yellow Rosewood and Aloewood Study Room Exhibition of the Hainan Museum is scheduled to continue through Mar. 1, 2024. [Photo: Hainan Daily]

Address: #68 Guoxing Ave., Haikou

Hours: 9:00-17:00, Tues-Sun

China (Hainan) Museum of the South China Sea

The China (Hainan) Museum of the South China Sea is a national first-class museum as well as a national 4A attraction. This museum holds over 90,000 culturally significant items, mainly in the areas of South China Sea travel culture, South China Sea history, historic records, and other related objects.

  

The China Underwater Archaeology and South China Sea Underwater Cultural Relic Protection Hall.

The "Tang Dynasty Maritime Silk Road Changsha Kiln Porcelain Exhibition", held in cooperation with the Hunan Museum, opened at the museum on May 18, and will run through August 26. Photo shows a white-glazed red and green painted single-handled ewer on display as part of the exhibition.

On May 18, the museum also launched an exhibition featuring small shellfish specimens from the museum's collection. This exhibition will remain open through June 18. Photo shows a seashell collected in the western waters of the South China Sea on display at the museum.

Address: Next to Tanmen Fishing Port (9 km. from the venue of the Boao Forum for Asia)

Hours: 9:00-17:00 Tues-Sun

Hainan Provincial Museum of Nationalities

[Photo: Sha Xiaofeng/Hinews]

The Hainan Provincial Museum of Nationalities is a comprehensive museum that mainly collects and displays items related to the history of Hainan and the cultural relics of the Li, Miao, and Hui peoples, as well as carries out studies into the traditional cultures of the many diverse people groups of the island.

One of the most treasured cultural relics in the museum is the Li Dragon Quilt, which measures 188 cm. long and 124 cm. wide. The Dragon Quilt is recognized as the most skillfully made brocade handicraft of the Li people. Dragon Quilts were historically sent as tribute to the courts of emperors.

The exquisite pattern of the Dragon Quilt

[Photo: Hainan Daily]

Address: #5 Taifei Rd., Wuzhishan

Hours: 9:00-17:30, Tues-Sun

Hainan Railway Museum

The Hainan Railway Museum displays the 40+ year-long development history of the Hainan railway through a wide variety of valuable cultural relics such as photographs and objects.

The last steam locomotive to operate on the Hainan railway

[Photo: Chen Weidong/Hinews]

 The "Mei-ling" train car, named after famous passenger Soong Mei-ling

 [Photo: Chen Weidong/Hinews]

Address: South Binhai Rd., Basuo Town, Dongfang

Hours: 8:30 AM -12:30, 14:30 PM - 17:00 PM, Tues-Sun

Hainan Coconut Carving Exhibition Center

 [Photo: Liu Yang/Hinews]

There are over one thousand examples of carved coconuts in this museum, with the majority carved by Fu Shiqiong, a Hainan Province Intangible Cultural Heritage Coconut Carving Craft Representative.

Wenchang Chicken, a work of carved coconut

[Photo: Yuan Chen/Hainan Daily]

According to historical records, the art of carving coconuts in Hainan dates back to the year 847 in the Tang Dynasty period. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, carved Hainan coconuts were often sent to the imperial court as tribute.

Address: Next to Hangtian Ave., Dongjiao Town, Wenchang

Hours: 9:00-17:30 daily

Sanya Natural History Museum

The Sanya Natural History Museum is the only museum of its kind in Hainan, and chiefly exhibits dinosaur fossils. The museum holds around 2,000 items, including 800 items classified as national treasures, many of which cannot be seen elsewhere in China or even in the world.

One of the treasures of the museum: the Sanya Pterosaur

Address: Inside Dongtian Park, Yazhou District, Sanya

Hours: 7:30-18:30 daily