Hainan Museum 海南省博物馆

About Hainan Museum

Its history galleries include bronze objects and evidence of local settlement, while the marine interpretation places ports, fishing and sea travel in a wider island context.

The craft sections reward close looking: coconut carving, shell carving and local woodwork show contrasting materials and techniques. Huanghuali furniture offers another way to examine carved decoration. Choose a history or maritime gallery first, then a craft collection, rather than trying to absorb every display in one circuit.

Hainan Museum was established in 1984 and later moved to its permanent site in the Hainan Cultural Park, reopening there on 15 November 2008. It is one of three major public buildings built together along Guoxing Avenue (国兴大道), alongside Hainan Library and the Hainan Centre for the Performing Arts. In 2012 it was rated a first-tier national museum (国家一级博物馆) by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage.

The museum's first phase covers about 18,000 square metres, with roughly 8,000 square metres of exhibition space across ten halls presenting Hainan's history, ethnic-minority culture, intangible cultural heritage and cultural relics, with a collection of more than 1,000 items. A planned second phase, covering 7,000 square metres, is to house the Huaguangjiao One shipwreck for restoration and display, along with about 10,000 pieces of porcelain and other relics relating to South China Sea history, the maritime Silk Road and geopolitics, as well as marine organisms and mineral specimens.

What to look for

• History and maritime galleries connect archaeological objects with the island’s coastal setting.
• Traditional craft displays include coconut and shell carving.
• Huanghuali furniture provides examples of detailed local wood carving.

The surrounding area

Northern city base for arcaded streets and an urban introduction to island food.

Location & getting there

Getting to Hainan Museum

The museum’s own transport page gives 76 Guoxing Avenue, Qiongshan district, Haikou. The named public-transport stop is Provincial Museum (省博物馆站). Use this current address rather than the older number 68 found in some travel listings.