Get to know Dongfang
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- Administrative area
- County-level city · 县级市
- Part of
- Hainan
- Chinese name
- 东方市
- Local areas
- County-level city guide
Area & population
- Area in the source
- 2,256.00 km²
- Administrative seat
- Basuo
Source: cited geographic source, as of the dates shown.
Setting and landscape
The land runs from desert grassland on the western shore to monsoon rain forest in the eastern hills. Yulinzhou (鱼鳞洲) holds the westernmost cape of Hainan Island, with a lighthouse, a beach, wind turbines and sunsets over the sea. The city holds the Daguangba (大广坝) hydropower station and reserves for Eld's deer (坡鹿) at Datian (大田镇), rain forest at Mihouling (狝猴岭) and black-faced spoonbills at Sigeng (四更镇).
History
A county called Jiulong (九龙县) was set up here in 110 BC, and in 607 it became Gan'en County (感恩县). Dongfang County was split off in 1952 with its seat at Dongfang village in Donghe (东河镇), which gave the city its name; the seat moved to Basuo port in 1959. It became Dongfang Li Autonomous County in 1987 and a city in 1997. Local speech is varied: it includes the Changgan variety of Hainanese Min (昌感片闽语), the Cun language (村话), the Meifu dialect of Li (美孚方言) and, in Basuo, the Basuo Junhua (八所军话).
What to see
The Rongcun site (荣村遗址) at Sigeng, also called Fulongyuan (付龙园遗址), was found in 1986 and listed by the province in 1994; its layers run from the late Neolithic to the Southern and Northern dynasties. The city government describes it as one of the earliest places on Hainan with evidence of human settlement.
The old city of Zhenzhou (镇州故城) was founded in 1107 and abolished in 1111: a square of rammed-earth walls 200 metres on each side, with a moat and north, east and south gates. About 1.5 kilometres away, on Yushan (虞山) above the Dongfang River (东方河), a cliff inscription reading "大元军马到此" ("the Yuan army reached here") is dated 1294.
Baicha village (白查村) in Jiangbian (江边乡) keeps 87 boat-shaped houses, the traditional Li dwelling, including granaries on stone footings and seven longgui (隆闺), small houses where young men and women court. The Ma Fubo Well (马伏波井) at Shisuo (十所村), provincially listed in 2015, carries a legend about the Han general Ma Yuan (马援); the legend dates from the Qing Qianlong reign. The city government notes that the histories do not record Ma Yuan in Hainan and identifies it as a well beside the Danan post station (大南驿) on the official road used since the Tang and Song.
Food and local products
Farms grow mangoes, bananas, cassava, sugarcane and rubber, and the coast produces sea salt and seafood.
Highlights
- Yulinzhou 鱼鳞洲: Westernmost cape of Hainan Island, with a lighthouse and beach.
- Baicha village 白查村: 87 Li boat-shaped houses, granaries and longgui.
- Zhenzhou old city 镇州故城: Rammed-earth city of 1107-1111, 200 m square.
- Yushan inscription 虞山石刻: Cliff inscription dated 1294 marking a Yuan army march.
- Rongcun site 荣村遗址: Neolithic to Southern and Northern dynasties layers; provincial listing 1994.
Sources for this guide
这个国庆，古迹文化遗址游线路指南更新了！一定有你还没去过的点~ · Dongfang Municipal People's Government
东方市 - 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 Dongfang
Core places to explore, with English and Chinese names.
Places to explore around Dongfang
Yulinzhou · 鱼鳞洲Yulinzhou鱼鳞洲
Yulinzhou is Dongfang’s distinctive rocky seaside landmark, where a lighthouse stands above the coast near Basuo. The combination of rock, beach and offshore wind gives the scene a different character from Hainan’s heavily…
Read the place guide →
Baicha Village · 白查村Baicha Village白查村
Baicha preserves a group of traditional Li boat-shaped houses in Dongfang’s inland countryside. The curved thatched roofs and timber construction are the reason to come, especially after seeing Li material culture in a museum…
Read the place guide →
The former Hainan Railway Company headquarters, now home to the Hainan Railway Museum, Dongfang · 海南铁路博物馆（原海南铁路总公司大楼），东方市 Source-recorded photograph date: 2023-05-01 11:14:56.Hainan Railway Museum海南铁路博物馆
Hainan Railway Museum occupies a former railway-company compound in Basuo, Dongfang. The historic office building and preserved rolling stock connect the island’s railway story with the transport of minerals and the upheavals of…
Read the place guide →Local life & food
Dongfang local specialties
东方市特色美食 · 8 specialties to discover
Sigeng Roast Suckling Pig 四更烤乳猪
Sigeng Roast Suckling Pig (四更烤乳猪) is the charcoal-roasted suckling pig of Dongfang (东方), Hainan, named after Sigeng town (四更镇) in the city, where the piglets come from.
Read the dish guide →
Photo adjustments
EXIF orientation normalized; resized without changing aspect ratio; converted to WebP. No subject edits.
Dongfang Fish Braised with Sour Melon 东方酸瓜焖鱼AI illustration · AI 示意图（仅供参考，非实拍）
Dongfang Fish Braised with Sour Melon (东方酸瓜焖鱼) is a dish from Dongfang (东方) in which fish is braised with sour melon, a pickled melon that Dongfang people regard as their own ingredient.
Read the dish guide →
Yulinzhou Seafood 鱼鳞洲海鲜AI illustration · AI 示意图（仅供参考，非实拍）
Yulinzhou Seafood (鱼鳞洲海鲜) is listed among the local specialties of Dongfang, Hainan. The name includes 海鲜 (seafood), 鱼 (fish).
Read the dish guide →
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 Fermented Wine Rice 山兰酒饭AI illustration · AI 示意图（仅供参考，非实拍）
Shanlan Fermented Wine Rice (山兰酒饭) is listed among the local specialties of Dongfang, Hainan. The term 酒 points to an alcoholic or fermented drink.
Read the dish guide →
Fish Cooked with Sour Bamboo Shoots 酸笋煮鱼
Fish Cooked with Sour Bamboo Shoots (酸笋煮鱼) is listed among the local specialties of Dongfang, Hainan. The name includes 鱼 (fish), 笋 (bamboo shoots).
Read the dish guide →Photo adjustments
EXIF orientation normalized; resized without changing aspect ratio; converted to WebP. No subject edits.
Dongfang Grilled Fish 东方烤鱼AI illustration · AI 示意图（仅供参考，非实拍）
Dongfang Grilled Fish (东方烤鱼) is listed among the local specialties of Dongfang, Hainan. The name includes 鱼 (fish). 烤 describes roasting or grilling.
Read the dish guide →
Coconut rice 椰子饭AI illustration · AI 示意图
The rice is dense and softly chewy, with a gentle coconut fragrance and sweetness; a thin layer of coconut flesh may add bite.
Source ↗Read the dish guide →More dishes from across Hainan are in the Hainan food guide.
Plan your visit
Getting there
Search for 东方市 in a map app to find stations and your accommodation.
Where to stay →Build your route
Yulinzhou and Baicha Village are about 40 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 东方市 — Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photo: Yulinzhou · Source photographer · License not provided. EXIF orientation normalized; resized without changing aspect ratio; converted to WebP. No subject edits.
Photo: Baicha Village · Source photographer · License not provided. EXIF orientation normalized; resized without changing aspect ratio; converted to WebP. No subject edits.
Photo: Hainan Railway Museum · Lhzss8 · CC BY 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.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Pins mark approximate centres, not entrances or boundaries.