Major Scenic Sites

1. Dongjiao Coconut Plantation

Known variously as the "Kingdom of Coconuts"，"Golden Seashore"，and "Forest Park over the Sea"，Dongjiao Coconut Plantation is a delightful choice for a holiday visit.

Dongjiao Coconut Plantation is located on the seaside of Dongjiao Town，Wenchang City in Hainan and is most well-known for its broad coconut plantation.There goes a saying that coconuts of Wenchang yield half of those grown in Hainan and the most famous is Dongjiao Coconut Plantation. The plantation is literally a forest with over 500 000 coconut trees including the red，green，well-bred，short，tall and other varieties.

Walking along the shady paths in the forest，special scenic spots provide a feast for the senses. Coconut Bayou，whose scenery is pictured on the famous series of stamps named "Seoshore Scenery"，engenders a peaceful and idyllic feeling of nature.

In the Coconut Park，you'll be inundated in a sea of coconuts of different shapes and sizes，including the uniquely "King Three Branches of Coconuts" named for the grotesquely large branches in the tree. Also noteworthy is Shuiwei Shengniang Miao，a temple for praying to the believed goddess Shuiwei Shengniang to protect the fishermen.

2. Dongahai Harbor Mangrove Natural Reserve Area

Known for the largest and the first mangrove natural reserve area in China,Dongzhai Harbor is located in the northeast of Haikou City with an area of 3 337. 6 hectares(about 8247 acres).It is a typical tropical jungle，and the mangrove tree family can be seen everywhere in the area. Mangrove is a kind of tropical tree that grows in swamps and sends roots down from its branches.

Dongzhai Harbor Mangrove Natural Reserve Area is also called "heaven for birds".About 159 species of birds inhabit the reserve，including many rare migratory birds. So it is not only a national mangrove reserve，but it is also a wetland of international importance especially as a waterfowl habitat.

During the winter，the best season for bird watching in Dongzhai Harbor，tens of thousands of birds turn the area into a wonderland. Because of the nourishment the mangroves provide to the swamp， marine animals prefer to spawn and raise their infants here. Fish,shrimp and shellfish in abundance can fill visitors' stomach freshly and palatably，and provide a substantial feast for the birds.

Apart from the beautiful scenery，there is another natural wonder in Dongzhai Harbor:Villages under the sea. Historical writings say that at midnight on July 13th，1605，a severe earthquake occurred and made 72 villages subside into the sea.Hundreds of years later，the 72 villages have become an amazing underwater sight waiting for visitors to discover their extraordinary story.

3. Holiday Leach

Holiday Beach is a major recreational resort in the west of Haikou City，in Hainan Province. The beach , some six kms (about 3. 7 miles)long , enjoys a wonderful climate(average temperature of 75.2℉，with sparkling waters，waving coconut trees，and plenty of sunshine and blue skies.

The resort has four zones:

Sea Sports:Here，one can enjoy swimming , sail-boarding，kayaking，or just lazing on the beach.

Food and Culture:the Guaniingtai Plaza provides excellent sightseeing and a wide variety of restaurants and bars to satisfy every palate. The International Fishing Club offers high-tech fishing tools and makes you enjoy the happiness of fishing.

The Fun Section:this offers a wide range of family entertainment:the Music Square,a roller-skating course，a Children's Movement Center，the Kingdom of Butterflies，and much more. Especially popular is the World above Water with its water ballet and diving presentations.

Relaxation:Holiday Beach provides accommodation in a relaxing environment:everything from villas and chalets to tents and hammocks is comfortable,clean and safe.

An unusual feature of the Holiday Beach Resort is the“kissing fish”.These fish can live happily in 104℉ water，and they will nibble at your body to provide delightful underwater skin-cleansing care!

4. Nanli Lake

The Nanli Lake is a famous scenic site in Haikou City，Hainan Province，located in Ding'an County，about 40 kilometers (24 .85 miles)far away from Haikou. It covers 46 square kilometers(1 1 367 acres)and the area of the lake is 12. 3 square kilometers(3 039 acres).Here the average water temperature is around 22 (71.6')and the climate is quite good for the body.

It is a large man-made lake. In 1958,the people of Ding`an built the Nanfu Reservoir here. As a result，the water gathered in the valley became today's Nanli Lake and the mountains became the islands in the lake. When mentioning islands， maybe you are not familiar with them. However，the islands in Nanli Lake are so unique. There are 13 islands and five peninsulas in all. The shapes of the islands are varied，such as the square，oblong and round ones. Among them，the largest one covers 39 600 square meters(9. 79 acres)，while the smallest is 3 200 square meters(0. 79 acres).

Furthermore，lush trees and beautiful wild flowers grow on the islands;wild rabbits jump in the bush and birds show the beauty of their voice. Boating on the lake，you might think you are wandering "One-thousand-island Country".And emerald water mingles with the hills to seem like a bright painting，while the islands are the green pearls dotting in this picture.

Additionally，as a scenic site，Nanli Lake provides splendid service of accommodation， catering and entertainment and the facilities are ample，including sumptuous hotels，restaurants，villas，the golf course and some facilities of entertainment above water. Thus，going on a holiday there will not disappoint you.

5. Qiongtai Academy

Qiongtai Academy is located on Wenzhuang Road，in the Qiongshan District of Haikou City. It was initially built in 1705 in memory of Cliu Jun，a famous scholar from the Ming Dynasty. The academy was named Qiongtai because aiu Jun was called "Mr. Qiongtai".At one time，the academy was the supreme institution of Qiongshan. It is now the site of the Qiongshan Teachers' Training School.

The main building of the academy is the "Kuixing Lou Building"."Kuixing" was believed to be the god of examinations and the building was named after Kuixing to“help" the students who trained here to win the imperial examinations. The building is a typical Chinese brick-and-wood structure architecture with two floors. Green tiles，red corridors，carved beams and painted rafters are splendidly set off by the green trees which surround the building.

The events behind the famous story Search the Academy occurred here.Sometime during the Qing Dynasty，a student of the academy fell in love with a maid of local governor. At that time，young people did not have the right to choose their husband or wife. So the governor was very angry after he found out about the relationship. The maid escaped before he could punish her and ran into the academy for help. The governor wanted to search the academy，but the schoolmaster Xie Bao denied his request and sent the maid out of the city during the night. Final1y，the maid and the student married. They lived happily together，and later the student succeeded in the imperial examinations.

6. Tomb of Hai Rui

Tomb of Hai Rui is situated in the western outskirts of Haikou City， 5 kilometers(3. 1 miles)from the civic center. It represents people's esteem towards Hai Rui，an upright and uncorrupted official. It was origi-nally built in 1589 during the Ming Dynasty(1368一1644)，and some of the constructions in the tomb garden remain intact. The tomb garden occupies an area of over 4 000 square meters，and today it is rated as the Key Cultural Relic Preservation of Hainan Province.

Tomb of Hai Rui is a place worthy of a visit because there you can not only view the scenery and constructions，but also know more about Hai Rui.

Going across the Hai Rui Bridge and entering the tomb garden，you will be greeted by the exuberant pines and coconut palms and sweet lotus. Along the path stand stone statues of lions，goats and horses. Walking forward and stepping up three levels of stairs，you can see a stone tortoise carrying a stele on its back.

Thirty meters farther is the tomb area of Hai Rui. In front of it lies an incense burner which is also solemn. On each side stand four 4-meter-high monuments by Hai Rui's disciples and colleagues. Behind those is the tomb of Hai Rui.

7. Wugong Temples

Wugong Temples，are approximately 5 kilometers(about 3.1miles)from the centre of Haikou City，and were originally constructed during the reign of Emperor Wanli in the Ming Dynasty(1368一1644).It was renovated on several occasions during the Qing Dynasty(1644~1911).Now，it is a place known for its sense of peace，tranquility and beauty.

After many years of renovation and development，the existing Wugong Temples are now an attractive ancient architectural complex that include the WugongTemple(Five Officials' Temple)，the Sugong，Hairui and Fubo Temples，and Guanjia Tang(Watching Crop Hall)，and Xuepu Tang(Studying Hall).They cover an area of about 2 800 square meters(about().69 acres).

Wugong Temple is the main part of this building complex and Wugong Temple is considered to be“the No. 1 Building in Hainan" even though it is only a two-storied wooden building. This was constructed to commemorate the five famous officials-Li Deyu，Li Gang，Zhao Ding，Li Guang and Hu Quan who were banished to Hainan during the Tang Dynasty(618一907)and the Song Dynasty(960一1279).

Sugong Temple，located in the east of the Wugong Temple，is another fascinoting destination. Su Dongpo was one of the greatest poets of the Song Dynasty. He dug two springs for the locals when he heard that they were finding it difficult to get water supplies. Hence the local people constructed a temple to commemorate his contribution to their community. One of the springs still exists even to this day.

On the right of the Wugong Temple，there is a peaceful yard where fresh flowers and thriving trees are planted. There are two main buildings here. One，the Xuepu Tang，is the old site where the famous scholar Guo Wanxiang often gave lectures. The other is Wugong Jingshe，which is where the students of the Hainan Province，(at the end of the Qing Dynasty)learned historical works and poems.

Other attractions around the place

Wuzhi Mountain

Wuzhi Mountain(Wuzhi Shan)，located in Wuzhi Shan City,is the highest peak，with an altitude of 1 867m(6 125 feet).In fact this mountain is 343m(1125 feet)higher than Mt. Tai，and has been long regarded as the premier peak of China's five most famous mountains.

Wuzhi Mountain is the symbol of the island. The region has been listed by the International Tourism Organization in recognition of its supreme natural scenery which comprises one of the few natural rain forests surviving in the world today.Wuzhi means five fingers in Chinese and the mountain owes its name to its formation.

The best time for visiting Wuzhi Mountain is between November and April the following year，while the best time for taking a trip down the canyon is from July to October. This area is an ideal place to visit if you want to avoid sunburn while escaping from the cold of more northern climes.

Xixiu Seaside Park

Xixiu Seaside Park used to be Xiuying Bathing Beach，which is a national training base for sailing boats. Next to the Holiday Seaside，Xixiu Seaside Park occupies 100mu，and the coastline is 1 .2km.

According to the plan of the State General Administration of Sports and Haikou municipal government，Xixiu Seaside Park will be built into a multifunctional seaside fit for race，sport，relaxation and entertainment，which contains an international training and competing base for sailing boat，an international yacht dock，a public beach for swimming and water sports，and offers seaside tours and related services.

The tour items at present are:Water Sports Center(including motorboat，sailing boat)，Seaside Service Center(including beach football，beach volleyball and sandy beach arena for entertainment)，Sunshine Theatre，Barbecue Ground and Beer Heaven.