Longhua District 龙华区

What to see

Zhongshan subdistrict (中山街道) is Haikou's old town. Jiefang Road (解放路), Bo'ai South Road (博爱南路), Xinhua South Road (新华南路), Deshengsha Road (得胜沙路) and Zhongshan Road (中山路) are century-old qilou (骑楼) arcade streets in Nanyang style, chosen among the first ten Famous Historic and Cultural Streets of China; the plaque was unveiled on Deshengsha Road on 13 June 2009. The subdistrict also holds the Tianhou Temple (天后宫), the Guandi Temple (关帝庙), the Madame Xian Temple (冼太夫人庙), the Zhongshan Memorial Hall (中山纪念堂) and the site of the first congress of the Communist Party's Qiongya organisation (中共琼崖一大旧址).

Wanlü Park (万绿园), in the Jinmao (金贸) business quarter, is described by the district as the city's largest public leisure ground. Jinniuling Park (金牛岭公园) covers 102 hectares and contains the cemetery for those killed in the campaign to take Hainan Island. The Xiuying Fort (秀英古炮台) is counted among the four great forts of the late Qing. The Tomb of Hai Rui (海瑞墓), the Ming official honoured as "Hai Qingtian", was completed in 1589 and became a national key protected site in 1996; behind its stone archway, a stone-paved path lined with stone animals and figures leads to a bell-shaped granite mound.

Zuntan (遵谭镇) has the site of the Zhuya commandery seat (珠崖郡治遗址), Tang and Song tomb groups and old academies. Longquan (龙泉镇) has the Hanxiang Academy (翰香书院) and a memorial garden to the Tang chancellor Wei Zhiyi (韦执宜). Longqiao (龙桥镇) is home to the Mission Hills (观澜湖) golf resort and Feng Xiaogang Film Commune (冯小刚电影公社).

Setting and landscape

The district has about 8 km of coast and lies mostly below 100 metres. Volcanic rock and loose Quaternary deposits cover much of it: a stepped coastal plain in the north, a lava tableland in the west, and terraces along the Nandu River in the east and south. The climate is tropical monsoon, with typhoons common in autumn and an average temperature of 24.3°C.

History

The name draws on a local legend of dragons rising at Haikou, and many towns, villages and channels here carry the character for dragon. The area came under Qiongshan County (琼山县) in 627 and passed to Guangdong in 1370. Longhua District was created on 16 October 2002, when the former city of Qiongshan and Haikou's old districts were merged and redrawn.

Getting oriented

Meilan (美兰区) and Qiongshan (琼山区) lie to the east and Xiuying (秀英区) to the west. Haikou East railway station (海口火车东站) is in Chengxi town (城西镇).

Highlights

• Haikou Qilou Old Streets 骑楼老街: Century-old Nanyang-style arcade streets, listed among the first ten Famous Historic and Cultural Streets of China.
• Tomb of Hai Rui 海瑞墓: Ming official's tomb completed in 1589, a national key protected site since 1996.
• Xiuying Fort 秀英古炮台: Counted among the four great forts of the late Qing.
• Wanlü Park 万绿园: Park described by the district as Haikou's largest public leisure ground.
• Jinniuling Park 金牛岭公园: 102-hectare park with the Hainan Island campaign martyrs' cemetery.