Major Economic Indicators (2010)
Located north of the Hainan Province on Hainan Island, Haikou is the capital city of the province. It is the political, cultural and economic center of Hainan as well as the provincial transport hub. Due to the abundance of coconuts in this city, it has been dubbed the ‘Coconut City’.
Haikou has a tropical climate, with an average annual temperature of 23.8°C and an annual rainfall of 1664 mm. Tropical storms hit Haikou during autumn every year, contributing much of the heavy downpours.
There is no bridge or tunnel between Hainan and its nearest neighbor, Guangdong. In Xuwen County, located at the southern tip of Guangdong, trains are divided into several segments, loaded onto ships and transferred to Haikou Xiuying Port. The port is located north of Haikou and 27 km south of Xuwen. Automobiles are also transported by this method. Haikou Meilan International Airport is China’s nineteenth largest airport.
Haikou was originally the port of Qiongshan, the ancient administrative capital of Hainan Island. It became a military post in the thirteenth century. After Qiongshan was opened to foreign trade under the Treaty of Tianjin (1858), Haikou began to rival the old administrative city in terms of economic developement.
Haikou is located by the coast of South China, and has been influenced by the Matzu Culture, which was promoted by the local officials during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Later, when Haikou became one of the trade ports in South China, merchants increased the popularity of the Matzu Culture. Presently, there are many sites for Matzu cultural activities.
Haikou has many historical sites. The Wugong Temple (The Five Official's Temple), the Tomb of Hai Rui and the Xiuying Emplacement are the most famous, reminding people of the city’s historical importance.
Seafood is one of Haikou’s main attractions. However, there are other well known local dishes such as Wenchang Chicken, Dongshan Mutton, Jiaji Duck and Hele Crab. Due to its climate, Haikou also has an abundance of fresh local fruits such as mangoes, pineapples, jackfruits, coconuts, carambola, betelnuts, pawpaw, longan, lychee, loquat, nase berry as well as passion fruit.
By the end of 2010, Haikou had 2 state-level development zones.
National Model City for Environmental Protection (2000)-Ministry of Environmental Protection
International Garden City (2002)-International Park Association
National Excellence in Tourism (1999)-National Tourism Administration
