Qionghai & Bo'ao
Hot springs, a sandbar between river and sea, an old fishing port and coffee that came back from Malaysia.
| Hotel | 4 nights Holiday Inn Resort Qionghai Guantang, 25 thermal pools |
| Light | Sunrise approx. 06:40 · sunset approx. 18:00 |
| Getting around | Didi: Bo'ao, Tanmen, Lecheng approx. 30–40 min each |
| Monday | Museum in Tanmen closed |
What this section is about
Qionghai is the area where Hainan tells the most about its own history. This is where people came back from Southeast Asia bringing their coffee, where fishermen sailed to distant reefs with handwritten sea books, and where a women's company was formed that later became famous as a ballet.
Add to that two places where you understand today's Hainan better than in any mall: Bo'ao, where a fishing village became a world stage, and Lecheng, where China is trying out new rules for medicine. And every evening the hot springs of Guantang are waiting.
Getting around Qionghai
The hotel is in the Guantang hot-spring area on the edge of Qionghai. From there almost everything is 30 to 40 minutes by Didi: Bo'ao, the sandbar, Lecheng and Tanmen harbour. The town centre, Jiaji, is a quarter of an hour away.
There are buses, but the sights are scattered and connections are slow. For this section Didi is the most relaxed option, and the trips are short enough that you're back in the thermal pool every evening.
- Museum of the South China Sea in Tanmen: closed on Mondays, free admission, ticket with passport — register in advance; the hotel can help.
- For Bo'ao take the combined ticket with the boat to Yudai sandbar, ideally in advance on Trip.com.
- Pack swimwear for the hot springs.
- Install a translation app with a camera function — the exhibitions in Qionghai are almost entirely in Chinese.
Turquoise = blue hour · Gold = golden hour · Light = harsh midday light
Day by day
The village of returnees from Southeast Asia. A Malaysian-style coffee, roasted with butter and sugar.
One of China's best-known surf beaches. From November the north-east monsoon brings the waves.
25 pools in the grounds, most beautiful at dusk when the steam rises.
The conference centre of the “Asian Davos” — above all the pier for the boat to the sandbar.
Sea on the left, lagoon on the right. The colours are clearest in the morning. Don't swim on the sea side.
In the morning, when the boats are unloaded. Don't buy coral or tortoiseshell.
The 800-year-old wreck from the Paracel Islands, whale skeletons, the life of the fishermen. Free, ticket with passport.
Arcade houses, lantern makers, old teahouses. Partridge tea for a few yuan.
One of Hainan's four famous dishes, in its place of origin.
A stroll through Jiaji, town and everyday life — without a ticket and without hurry.
Optional, a few minutes from the hotel: how a brief episode became a ballet and a state myth.
Coconut groves and rice fields by bike, until the golden hour around 16:45.