Get to know Baoting Li and Miao Autonomous County
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- Administrative area
- Autonomous county · 自治县
- Part of
- Hainan
- Chinese name
- 保亭黎族苗族自治县
- Local areas
- Autonomous county guide
Area & population
- Area in the source
- 1,153.24 km²
- Population · 2020
- 168,000
- Administrative seat
- Baocheng Town
Source: cited geographic source, as of the dates shown.
Setting and landscape
Baoting has a tropical monsoon climate, with long summers, no winter, an average annual temperature of 24.9°C and 2,153 mm of rain a year. Wuzhi Mountain to the north keeps out cold air, and large areas of tropical rainforest survive on Qixian Ridge (七仙岭).
Natural features named by the county government include the Qixianling hot spring (七仙岭温泉), a self-flowing spring reaching 95°C; the Xianlong cave at Maogan (毛感仙龙溶洞), a karst cave 23 km long; and the Xian'an stone forest at Maogan (毛感仙安石林), 600 mu (about 40 hectares) of tropical karst.
History
The county name goes back to the Ming-era Baoting office (宝停司), which the Qing turned into the Baoting garrison (宝亭营). Baoting was set up as a county in 1935 and became a Li and Miao autonomous county in 1987. The Li and Miao are the long-settled peoples of the county.
What to see
Li and Miao folk culture and rainforest hot springs are the county's main attractions. Two scenic areas hold the national 5A grade: the Yanoda Rainforest Cultural Tourism Area (呀诺达雨林文化旅游区) and the Binglanggu Li and Miao Cultural Heritage Park (槟榔谷黎苗文化旅游区). Qixian Ridge Hot Spring National Forest Park (七仙岭温泉国家森林公园) and the Shenyu Island resort (神玉岛旅游度假区) are rated 4A.
The county government names four Li crafts on the national intangible-heritage list: making fire by drilling wood, spinning, dyeing, weaving and embroidery, bark-cloth making, and traditional bamboo and wooden instruments. The textile craft (黎族纺染织绣技艺) went onto UNESCO's urgent-safeguarding list in October 2009 and moved to the Representative List in 2024.
Food and local products
Several Baoting products carry geographical-indication status: Baoting rambutan (保亭红毛丹), Shiling chicken (保亭什玲鸡), Qixianling mangosteen (七仙岭山竹), Shanlan rice (保亭山兰米) and shuzaicai (保亭树仔菜), a vegetable. The county government calls Baoting the best place in China for growing rambutan and names its sanyuehong (三月红) lychee as the earliest to ripen.
Getting oriented
The Shanhai Expressway (山海高速) and National Highways 224 and 361 pass through the county.
Highlights
- Yanoda Rainforest Cultural Tourism Area 呀诺达雨林文化旅游区: National 5A scenic area in the county's rainforest.
- Binglanggu Li and Miao Cultural Heritage Park 槟榔谷黎苗文化旅游区: National 5A scenic area built around Li and Miao culture.
- Qixian Ridge 七仙岭: Holds large areas of tropical rainforest.
- Li textile craft 黎族纺染织绣技艺: On UNESCO's urgent-safeguarding list from 2009, moved to the Representative List in 2024.
- Baoting rambutan 保亭红毛丹: Geographical-indication fruit of the county.
Sources for this guide
走进保亭--保亭概况 -- 保亭黎族苗族自治县人民政府 · Baoting Li and Miao Autonomous County People's Government
保亭黎族苗族自治县 - 维基百科，自由的百科全书 · Wikipedia (Chinese) · CC BY-SA 4.0
Original English written from the listed sources and checked sentence by sentence against quoted extracts by a separate reviewer. Updated 2026-09-25.
Explore Baoting Li and Miao Autonomous County
Core places to explore, with English and Chinese names.
Places to explore around Baoting Li and Miao Autonomous County
Binglanggu Li and Miao Cultural Heritage Park · 槟榔谷黎苗文化旅游区Binglanggu Li and Miao Cultural Heritage Park槟榔谷黎苗文化旅游区
Binglanggu in Baoting presents Li and Miao cultural heritage, with particular attention to crafts and performance traditions.
Read the place guide →
Yanoda Rainforest Cultural Tourism Area · 呀诺达雨林文化旅游区Yanoda Rainforest Cultural Tourism Area呀诺达雨林文化旅游区
Yanoda is a managed rainforest visitor attraction in Sandao, Baoting County, inland from Sanya.
Read the place guide →The jagged granite peaks of Qixian Ridge rising above rainforest in Baoting, Hainan · 海南保亭七仙岭花岗岩尖峰，山下为热带雨林 Source-recorded photograph date: 2009-09-05.Qixian Ridge七仙岭
Qixian Ridge is recognised by seven steep granite peaks above Baoting’s forest and hot-spring landscape. The rainforest paths, buttress roots and changing views on the ascent are as important as the summit silhouette. Choose the…
Read the place guide →Local life & food
Baoting Li and Miao Autonomous County local specialties
保亭黎族苗族自治县特色美食 · 8 specialties to discover
Li-Style Bamboo Tube Rice 黎家竹筒饭AI illustration · AI 示意图（仅供参考，非实拍）
Li-Style Bamboo Tube Rice (黎家竹筒饭) is rice cooked inside a length of fresh bamboo over a charcoal fire, a traditional food of the Li (黎族) people of Hainan.
Read the dish guide →
Shanlan Upland Rice 山兰米饭AI illustration · AI 示意图（仅供参考，非实拍）
Shanlan Upland Rice (山兰米饭) is rice cooked from Shanlan (山兰, also written 山栏), the dry-land hill rice of the Li people (黎族) of Hainan.
Read the dish guide →
Miao Three-Colour Sticky Rice 苗家三色饭
Miao Three-Colour Sticky Rice (苗家三色饭) is a festival food made in Miao (苗族) villages in Hainan: Shanlan glutinous rice (山兰糯米) coloured red, yellow and black with plant juices, steamed, mixed with coconut milk and wrapped in a palm leaf.
Read the dish guide →Photo adjustments
EXIF orientation normalized; resized without changing aspect ratio; converted to WebP. No subject edits.
Shiling Chicken 什玲鸡AI illustration · AI 示意图（仅供参考，非实拍）
Shiling Chicken (什玲鸡) is a local chicken breed from Shiling Town (什玲镇) in Baoting Li and Miao Autonomous County (保亭黎族苗族自治县), Hainan, and the dish cooked from it.
Read the dish guide →
Baoting Rambutan Glutinous Rice Balls 保亭红毛丹糯米糍AI illustration · AI 示意图（仅供参考，非实拍）
Baoting Rambutan Glutinous Rice Balls (保亭红毛丹糯米糍) is listed among the local specialties of Baoting Li and Miao Autonomous County, Hainan. The name includes 糯米 (glutinous rice).
Read the dish guide →
Wujiao Pork 五脚猪
Wujiao Pork (五脚猪) is the meat of the Wuzhishan pig (五指山猪), a small native breed from the Wuzhishan (五指山) mountain area of central Hainan.
Read the dish guide →Photo adjustments
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Li Fermented Fish and Rice 黎家鱼茶
Li Fermented Fish and Rice (黎家鱼茶), known in Hainan as yucha, is a Li (黎族) dish of raw fish mixed with cooked rice and salt and left to ferment in a sealed jar.
Source ↗Read the dish guide →Photo adjustments
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Wild Vegetable Banquet 野菜宴AI illustration · AI 示意图（仅供参考，非实拍）
Wild Vegetable Banquet (野菜宴) is listed among the local specialties of Baoting Li and Miao Autonomous County, Hainan. It is grouped here with tofu & vegetable dishes; retain the complete Chinese name when comparing local menus.
Read the dish guide →More dishes from across Hainan are in the Hainan food guide.
Plan your visit
Getting there
Search for 保亭黎族苗族自治县 in a map app to find stations and your accommodation.
Where to stay →Build your route
Binglanggu Li and Miao Cultural Heritage Park and Yanoda Rainforest Cultural Tourism Area are both listed here. The linked place guides have entrance and visit details.
Continue with Hainan →More in Hainan
Sources & geographic information
Administrative names and parent areas: Official geographic directory · Reference date 2026-09-06.
Some facts checked against 保亭黎族苗族自治县 — Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photo: Binglanggu Li and Miao Cultural Heritage Park · Source photographer · License not provided. EXIF orientation normalized; resized without changing aspect ratio; converted to WebP. No subject edits.
Photo: Yanoda Rainforest Cultural Tourism Area · caoyadong · CC BY-SA 3.0. EXIF orientation normalized; resized without changing aspect ratio; converted to WebP. No subject edits.
Photo: Qixian Ridge · Anna Frodesiak · Public domain. Full frame retained; resized proportionally to a maximum dimension of 960 pixels and converted to WebP quality 88. No crop, retouch, generated elements, or subject alteration. Final website rendition: full frame retained, proportionally resized to at most 720 pixels and converted to WebP. No additional retouching or subject alteration. Card displays may crop the view.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Pins mark approximate centres, not entrances or boundaries.