Get to know Lingao County
Photo adjustments
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.
- Administrative area
- County · 县
- Part of
- Hainan
- Chinese name
- 临高县
- Local areas
- County guide
Area & population
- Area in the source
- 1,317.00 km²
- Population · 1999
- 399,057
Source: cited geographic source, as of the dates shown.
History
A county was first set up here in 607, named Pishan (毗善县) after Mount Piye (毗耶山), where its seat stood. Under the Tang it was renamed Fuluo (富罗) and then Linji (临机), after a seaside village, and in 713 it received the name Lingao. In the early Southern Song the seat moved to its present site. From 1958 to 1961 Lingao was merged with Chengmai as Jinjiang County (金江县).
What to see
Hainan Liberation Park (海南解放公园), on the northern coast, marks one of the main landing points of the People's Liberation Army's 1950 crossing to take Hainan Island. Its memorials include the Rexue Fengbei (热血丰碑) monument, a museum of the crossing, a century-old lighthouse and memorials to the dead of the 40th and 43rd Armies; it became a 4A scenic area in 2022.
The county government also lists the Confucius Temple (孔庙), the former home of Wang Zuo (王佐故居), a temple to Lady Xian (冼太夫人庙), the Guyin waterfall (古银瀑布), the Caiqiao mangroves (彩桥红树林) and the former Qiongxi reception headquarters for the 1950 landing, a 2A site. Dongying (东英镇) holds the title of international slow city, the first coastal one in China.
Two stage and song traditions stand out. Lingao lilimei (临高哩哩美), a fishermen's song said to date from the Southern Song Shaoxing period, grew from the calls of women selling fish and is on the national intangible heritage list. Lingao puppet theatre puts actors and puppets on stage together, sung in the Lingao language.
Food and local products
Lingao roast suckling pig (临高烤乳猪) uses a pig of about twelve or thirteen jin, split and seasoned, roasted slowly over charcoal while it is turned and brushed with peanut oil so the skin crisps without blistering. Duowen water spinach (多文空心菜) grows in natural spring water, and Toushen village (头神村) in Duowen (多文镇) is known for it; the county government says it was once a Qing tribute and does not easily turn black when cooked. Lingao chive cakes (韭菜饼), called "jade cakes", are fried with minced pork or fresh shrimp and dipped in rice vinegar, garlic, Hainan chilli sauce and sugar. Seafood from Maniao (马袅) and Xinying (新盈) is also well known.
Highlights
- Hainan Liberation Park 海南解放公园: 1950 landing site with memorials and a century-old lighthouse; 4A since 2022.
- Lingao Confucius Temple 临高文庙: Listed among the county's sights as the Confucius Temple.
- Lingao lilimei 临高哩哩美: Fishermen's song on the national intangible heritage list.
- Lingao roast suckling pig 临高烤乳猪: Charcoal-roasted, brushed with peanut oil.
- Duowen water spinach 多文空心菜: Grown in spring water; once a Qing tribute.
Sources for this guide
临高县概况 - 临高县人民政府 · Lingao County People's Government
历史沿革 - 临高县人民政府 · Lingao County People's Government
海南解放公园被认定为国家4A级旅游景区 - 临高县人民政府 · Lingao County People's Government
临高烤乳猪 - 临高县人民政府 · Lingao County People's Government
多文空心菜 - 临高县人民政府 · Lingao County People's Government
韭菜饼 - 临高县人民政府 · Lingao County People's Government
临高县 - 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 Lingao County
Core places to explore, with English and Chinese names.
Places to explore around Lingao County
A rocky shore on a bright day: a large grey boulder stack rising from the beach at the centre, dark rock ledges in the foreground, tourists in shirts and hats on the sand and rocks, a coconut lying on the beach at the lower right, and the sea and a blue sky with a low band of cloud behind.Hainan Liberation Park海南解放公园
Hainan Liberation Park occupies the coastal landscape of Lingao Cape, one of the landing areas used in the 1950 campaign. Memorial sculpture and the landing-history museum explain that event, while the shore and lighthouse place…
Read the place guide →
Lingao Confucius Temple · 临高文庙Lingao Confucius Temple临高文庙
Lingao’s Confucian temple stands beside the Wenlan River in the county town. Its ceremonial halls and courtyards reflect the connection between education, examinations and the public honouring of Confucius. Look at the…
Read the place guide →
Lingao Cape · 临高角Lingao Cape临高角
Lingao Cape is a headland on Hainan’s northwestern coast, where an open-sea landscape meets memorials to the 1950 landing during the battle for Hainan.
Read the place guide →Local life & food
Lingao County local specialties
临高县特色美食 · 8 specialties to discover
Lingao roast suckling pig 临高烤乳猪AI illustration · AI 示意图
The skin is brittle and richly roasted, while the small animal's meat is tender. Fat adds richness without requiring a heavy sauce.
Source ↗Read the dish guide →
Lingao Rice Noodles 临高粉
Lingao Rice Noodles (临高粉) are a street snack from Lingao (临高) distinguished by an unusually wide choice of toppings.
Read the dish guide →Photo adjustments
EXIF orientation normalized; resized without changing aspect ratio; converted to WebP. No subject edits.
Duowen Stir-Fried Water Spinach with Meat 多文空心菜炒肉
Duowen Stir-Fried Water Spinach with Meat (多文空心菜炒肉) pairs pork with water spinach from Duowen town (多文镇) in Lingao County (临高县), Hainan.
Read the dish guide →Photo adjustments
EXIF orientation normalized; resized without changing aspect ratio; converted to WebP. No subject edits.
Xinying Clay-Oven Roast Chicken 新盈土窑烤鸡AI illustration · AI 示意图（仅供参考，非实拍）
Xinying Clay-Oven Roast Chicken (新盈土窑烤鸡) is chicken wrapped in foil and buried in the hot, broken earth of a small kiln built from clods of earth.
Read the dish guide →
Lingao Chive Pancakes 临高韭菜饼AI illustration · AI 示意图（仅供参考，非实拍）
Lingao Chive Pancakes (临高韭菜饼) are round, fried rice-flour cakes with chives, sold at street stalls in Lingao (临高). Some versions include beef or small sea shrimp.
Read the dish guide →
Lingao Rice Dumplings 临高粽子Reference photo of a similar dish · 同类菜品参考照片
Lingao Rice Dumplings (临高粽子) include several local fillings and shapes. In Xinying (新盈), the dumplings combine glutinous rice with meat whose lean portions stay springy, while fat blends with the rice’s sticky texture and sweetness.
Read the dish guide →
Photo adjustments
Full frame retained; EXIF orientation normalized, proportionally resized to at most 800 pixels and converted to WebP. No generated pixels or subject changes. Cards may crop the display.
Grilled Sand Worms 烤沙虫AI illustration · AI 示意图（仅供参考，非实拍）
Grilled Sand Worms (烤沙虫) is listed among the local specialties of Lingao County, Hainan. 烤 describes roasting or grilling.
Read the dish guide →
Maniao Seafood 马袅海鲜AI illustration · AI 示意图（仅供参考，非实拍）
Maniao Seafood (马袅海鲜) is the catch of Maniao (马袅镇), one of the fishing towns of Lingao County (临高县) in Hainan, cooked in the county's plain style, mostly by steaming.
Read the dish guide →More dishes from across Hainan are in the Hainan food guide.
Plan your visit
Getting there
Search for 临高县 in a map app to find stations and your accommodation.
Where to stay →Build your route
Hainan Liberation Park and Lingao Confucius Temple are about 10 km apart in a straight line. 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 临高县 — Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photo: Hainan Liberation Park · STW932 · CC BY-SA 4.0. Full frame retained; proportionally resized and converted to WebP. No retouching or changes to the photographed subject. Card displays may crop the view.
Photo: Lingao Confucius Temple · Source photographer · License not provided. EXIF orientation normalized; resized without changing aspect ratio; converted to WebP. No subject edits.
Photo: Lingao Cape · Source photographer · License not provided. EXIF orientation normalized; resized without changing aspect ratio; converted to WebP. No subject edits.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Pins mark approximate centres, not entrances or boundaries.