Tropical Haikou has atmosphere and easy-going charm to spare. Unlike Sanya, Hainan Island's tourist destination of choice, the provincial capital of Haikou remains something of a well-kept secret. Pleasant broad palm-lined streets, French colonial architecture, Tang and Song Dynasty monuments and memorials all make for an attractive backdrop to the everyday hustle and bustle of life in this port, with Han mainland immigrants mixing it up with Li and Miao ethnicities.
Haikou's off-the-beaten-path allure is heightened by the fact that it's an excellent point of departure for explorations of the rest of Hainan. Head east toward Wenchang or southeast to Qionghai and continue down East Hainan's South China Sea beach-laced coastline toward Sanya. Travel south into the heart of the island and the highland peaks of Wuzhi Shan and Qizhi Shan. Try the less-traveled western route toward Dongfang and curling around toward the Jianfeng Ling Forest Reserve. And if you've just come from the south and are headed back to the mainland, Haikou is just a short 30-kilometer ferry trip across the Qiongzhou Strait from Guangdong's port city of Hai'an.
And lest you fall into the mindset that Haikou is a mere way station, we stress that it is a very worthy destination in and of itself. Local attractions include the old colonial quarter, Wugong Ci (Five Officials' Memorial Temple), the old Xiuying Battery sea fort, the Ming-era Hai Rui Mub (Hai Rui's Tomb) and a lovely long sandy beach, among others.
History
The nature of one of Haikou's top historical sites, the Wugong Ci, is a testament to Hainan Island's long past as an imperial backwater so remote from the center of power that it was deemed best suited as a place of punishment and exile. The temple honors five Tang officials who were banished from the mainland for criticizing the government; later, their repuations were rehabilitated and their defiance of authority was held up as models of honor and righteousness.
Today, Haikou sits on the northern tip of an island that has gone from a place no one who was anyone in ancient China wanted to be to China's tropical vacation spot of choice.
Haikou entered the historical record in the 13th century as a military post and port serving the inland capital of Qiongshan. The Ming Dynasty fortified the port, which remained in Qiongshan's shadow until the late 1800s when, following the region's opening to foreign trade in 1876, Haikou quickly grew in importance. A period of relative affluence and growth ensued, as the remaining French colonial facades located in the city's old quarter remind us.
Haikou fell to the Japanese, along with the rest of Hainan, in 1939. Resistance was fierce and persistant, as Chinese communists used the inland regions of the island as a base for insurgent attacks on the occupying forces, and Haikou became a city of agents, sabateurs, spies and violent reprisals. Hainan's guerillas remained after World War II, turning their guns on the Nationalist forces of Chiang Kaishek, which fled to Taiwan just four years after the defeat of the Japanese.
After the communist triumph of 1949, Haikou became an important part of the PRC's plan to transform Hainan's jungles into productive agricultural land. The industrialization of eastern China has left its mark on Haikou, too, though industrial development and modernization remain uneven in the province. Today, the land in the vicinity of Haikou bears the scars of development, yet abundant potential for a more balanced approach that includes tourism holds great hope for a prosperous and greener future.
Climate
Haikou is humid and hot in the summer and slightly less humid and pleasantly balmy in winter. July is the hottest month, seeing average highs in the low-to-mid 30s° C (low-to-mid 90s°F). Summer can be wet, too, with July averaging 210 mm of rainfall (8.2"). It's primarily hot and wet from late May through September, with the Southeast Asian monsoon weather system dominating.
By November, however, the rains begin to let up (85mm/6.9" average precipitation for the month) and the temperatures grow more moderate (average highs of 24°C/76°F). By January, the temperature drops to a positively lovely average high of 20°C/68°F; January is also the driest month, with a mere inch of rainfall on average.
The best time to visit Haikou is from November through mid-May.
Getting Around
Taxi
The base rate for taxis is 10 RMB for the first three kilometers and then 1.8 RMB per additional kilometer (2 RMB per additional kilometer for some relatively new-style taxis).
Tour Bus
There are special tour buses running among the main scenic spots of Haikou. Line A and Line B of the relatively new tour buses named "Xin Mei Lan" can take you to scenic spots like QiongTai Academy, Wugong Temple, Former Residence of Hairui, Wanlu Park, Hairui Park and Xiuying Ancient Emplacement etc.
Car Rental
There are more than a hundred car rental companies in Hainan at present. Bigger companies usually have branches both in Haikou and Sanya; therefore you can rent a car in one place and return it in another place, very convenient. The price is between 200-600 per day.
Before you assign the car rental contract, you'd better check if there is any scratch on the car and mark it on the contract if there is any to avoid trouble. When you refuel the car, make sure of the amount, because usually they won't pay you for extra refueling.
To and From Haikou
Air
Haikou Meilan Airport is located in Meilan Town of Qiongshan City, about 25 km from Haikou. There are domestic flights to Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Chongqing, Hangzhou, Harbin, Chengdu, Hong Kong and Macau etc. and international flights to Bangkok and Singapore as well.
It only takes you about 30 minutes' drive from the airport to downtown Haikou.
Airport buses leave for downtown every 30 minutes from 5:30 a.m. until the last flight arrives for 20 RMB per person. If you take a taxi, it may cost you about 60 RMB.
Railway
Haikou Railway Station is located nearby the seaside, about 20 km from downtown. Trains running between Sanya and Shanghai, Guangzhou, Beijing all take a stopover at Haikou.
Bus
The highway system of Hainan is relatively developed. National highways nos. 223, 224 and 225 and the freeway circling the whole island all run through the province. Located at the intersection of Nanhai Dadao and Longkun Nan Lu, Haikou South Bus Station is the biggest long-distance bus station in Hainan. It connects several main highways and is responsible for the passenger transportation for 11 cities and counties. There are buses to Sanya (about three hours and 20 minutes), Lingshui, Wanning, Qionghai, Anding, Qiongzhong and Wuzhi Shan etc.
Inter-provincial Bus Center is located at No. 10 Haixiu Dadao while the Provincial East Bus Station is located at No. 148 Haifu Lu.
Ferry
There are New Harbor (Xingang) and Xiuying Harbor two ferry terminals in Haikou with more than 40 passenger ferries to the cities along the seaside of the Chinese mainland as well as to Hong Kong daily. New Harbor has both passenger and car ferries mainly from and to Zhanjiang Harbor and Haian Harbor while Xiuying Harbor has ferries from and to Guangzhou, Zhanjiang, Haian, Shekou, Beihai and Hong Kong.
The Haikou ticket office for Xuying Harbor is located at No. 7 Haifu Lu; The ticket center of Xiuying Harbor is at Xiuying Pier on Binhai Dadao; and the Haikou New Harbor Ferry Terminal is located 500 meters north to New Harbor Overpass on Binhai Dadao.