Hainan

Author: Huang Xuejian
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-03-01
Features: "Tibetan Antelope Self-Guided Travel" has always been renowned for its practical information and simple travel values. All routes in "Tibetan Antelope Self-Guided Travel" are personally experienced and explored by the author, with standardized formats tailored to the needs and desires of self-guided travelers. Beautiful scenic photos and numerous hand-drawn maps ensure you not only want to go but also know how to get there. The perspective of this book shifts from the solemn land to the sea, arriving in Hainan. Hainan's "Tianya Haijiao" is a place that evokes a sense of eternal timelessness. Although everything there consists of the sea—pure, ever-renewing sea—travel in Hainan is essentially about walking along the coastline, collecting tropical scenery and fruits, or gazing up and down as the sun sets lower and the waves grow quieter, with the space for the mind to roam ever-expanding. If you are a success, Hainan can provide an environment to enjoy a luxurious life; if you are an ordinary person, Hainan can offer affordable sightseeing opportunities; if you seek an alternative perfection, Hainan remains a virgin land for you to fully unleash your imagination. This book is for those who are willing to enjoy life in their own way. The people of Hainan do not wear a dazzling halo, nor do they boast about its mountains, rivers, or local customs. Everything about Hainan is deeply rooted in thousands of years of desolation and abandonment. Although Hainan is not just about the sea, even if all the seas in the country are combined, they cannot match its vastness, purity, and uniqueness. Haikou is not entirely the window of Hainan, just as Haikou people are not always originally from Hainan. Standing on Jiajia Beach, you will see the city appear as if in a mirage, with everything it reveals being utterly real. Bright lights, bustling streets, and the comings and goings are what any modern city should have, but Haikou is unique to Hainan. It conveys the most important message: this isolated island in the South China Sea is unwilling and has no intention of disconnecting from modern life. Along Hainan's long coastline, the places where one can sightsee and vacation are at their peak in Sanya, known as China's "Tianya Haijiao." The value of this place lies in its ability to create an atmosphere where one is willing to discover joy within themselves. Even if you do nothing there, you will find it an enjoyable experience. The famous dazzling sunlight makes any dark things automatically disappear, and past worries and trivialities fade away, allowing everything to start anew. Whether it is the unbreakable love of two people or the endless solitude of one, this end of the earth will embrace and accommodate it all. Do not think that Sanya has revealed the full meaning of the sea. There is another place—Xisha—that guides you to discover what beauty truly is. Its suffocating beauty bursts forth suddenly from a dreamlike state. There are also places in Hainan that most people are too lazy to visit, such as Shuiquan Bay, which is like a pastoral poem, with beauty that can only be found in computer-generated landscape paintings. The west coast railway line, where half is sea and half is orchards, allows you to discover and harvest a self you have never had before amidst desert-like wilderness and abundant fruits. Dongjiao Coconut Forest is a place where one can quiet the mind and reflect. Covering most of Hainan, the coconut trees provide shade for eating and drinking, serve as windbreaks and sand-fixing structures, and are also a treasure trove for tourists and locals alike. You should also stay in the coconut groves by the sea, hang your own rope bed, bask in the sun during the day and stargaze at night, savoring the sunset and coconut breeze, forgetting the passage of time. Unfortunately, you can no longer find the beautiful scene of a row of curved coconut trees stretching toward the sea in old movies and calendars. Economic prosperity has brought wealth but also destroyed the ecology. It is hoped that in the future, we will not repeat the mistakes of careless travel. The highway is not a place for seeking the unusual. The indigenous ethnic minorities have long entered modernity, and even traces are hard to find. However, in the so-called "ethnic villages," you will discover standardized, commercialized enthusiasm, songs, dances, and crafts. The primitive-looking Li brocade remains a rare souvenir. Of course, Hainan's handicrafts are not limited to these, and there are many other things worth taking home. The small island of Hainan will not easily make you lose your way. The crisscrossing road network and the various private transportation options will bring you unexpected convenience and excitement. Before the establishment of the province, the three defense highways in Hainan were already renowned in the mainland. Adding to the two newly built ring highways, you can reach any part of the island in just a few hours. Like other places, Hainan is full of scenery, but it is not a place where every scenic spot must be visited. This book simply aims to tell you some differences in the environment and atmosphere among the various landscapes, so that you can choose based on your preferences. After all, no matter how much time you have, you cannot exhaust all the scenery. When traveling to Hainan, do not just think about the great rewards of traveling ten thousand miles and reading ten thousand books. Instead, focus on the fact that you can spend a period of time there that you truly want to.