Haikou 🔥

Key data

Items shown in Chinese are kept from the original Chinese source; no English name is available yet.

Landmarks

City Overview

• Haikou is a city in Hainan, offering local culture, cuisine and everyday Chinese life.

History

• History: Haikou's history is closely tied to shipping across the Qiongzhou Strait. In the Song Dynasty, Haikou Port was established; in the Ming Dynasty, the walled town of Haikou Fort was built, making it the northern gateway to Hainan Island. After the port opened in the late Qing Dynasty, many overseas Chinese returned from Southeast Asia to buy property, leaving behind extensive arcade buildings in the Nanyang style. In the mid-20th century, Haikou was made a city and became the provincial capital, and development accelerated after Hainan became a province in 1988. Entering the 21st century, Haikou has seized opportunities from the free trade port initiative, notably speeding up urban construction and opening to the outside world; the planning and construction of the Qiongzhou Strait railway ferry and a cross-sea link have made Haikou's hub status increasingly prominent.

Culture

• Culture: The Haikou dialect is mainly Hainanese, with Minnan influences. Its cuisine blends Southeast Asian and island flavors; the laoba tea (old dad tea) culture is Haikou's unique symbol of slow living, and dishes such as Wenchang chicken, qingbuliang (coconut dessert soup) and coconut rice are highly popular. Haikou Qilou Old Street preserves a century-old Southeast Asian-style arcade building complex; folk customs such as gongqi and Junpo Festival are simple and lively, and Qiong opera is still sung today. Maritime civilization and overseas Chinese culture intertwine, giving the Coconut City an open and unhurried character; tropical fruit feasts and seafood night markets are the most pleasant way to spend a summer night in the Coconut City.

Science & Technology

• Technology: Haikou relies on universities and research institutions such as Hainan University to cultivate local talent, and in recent years has used free trade port policies to attract domestic and international research forces to settle here. Tropical agricultural technology, the marine economy, and biomedicine are distinctive fields, and the Haikou National High-tech Zone has gathered a group of high-tech enterprises. New business forms such as the digital economy and offshore trade are growing rapidly, urban intelligence and green, low-carbon development are advancing in tandem, and the innovation ecosystem is gradually improving.

Economy

• Economy: Haikou's 2025 GDP reached 256.285 billion yuan, making it Hainan's economic core city. Tourism, modern services, and high-tech industries are key pillars, with the duty-free shopping economy especially prominent. Tropical high-efficiency agriculture leverages the unique climate, with products like coconuts and pepper renowned nationwide. Haikou Port is Hainan's main gateway for external exchanges, and the Free Trade Port construction continues to release policy benefits, attracting a growing concentration of investment and talent.

Climate