Get to know Qiongshan District
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- Administrative area
- District · 市辖区
- Part of
- Haikou
- Chinese name
- 琼山区
- Local areas
- District guide
Area & population
- Area in the source
- 928.62 km²
- Population · 2002
- 360,000
Source: cited geographic source, as of the dates shown.
History
Qiongshan county was carved out of Shecheng county in 627, under the Tang. It took its name from a hill called Qiongshan in what is now the Xinmin area of Jiazi town (甲子镇), whose soil and stones were white and smooth like jade. The county became a city in January 1994, the year it was named a national historic and cultural city, and on 1 January 2003 it was merged into Haikou as a district. A Haikou conservation plan approved by the Hainan provincial government in 2025 marks out the Fucheng traditional-architecture historic block, covering 108.71 hectares.
What to see
The Temple of the Five Lords (五公祠), on Haifu Road (海府路), honours five officials banished to Hainan under the Tang and Song: Li Deyu (李德裕), Li Gang (李纲), Zhao Ding (赵鼎), Li Guang (李光) and Hu Quan (胡铨). The "First Tower of Hainan" (海南第一楼), built in 1889 to honour the five, gave the temple its name. Within the grounds, the Su Gong Shrine (苏公祠) marks the poet Su Dongpo (苏东坡), who was exiled to Hainan in 1097 and showed local people where to dig two springs, and the Two Fubo Shrine (两伏波祠) remembers two Han-dynasty generals.
Other national protected sites in the district include the Zhuyaling city site (珠崖岭城址), the former residence of Qiu Jun (丘濬故居), the Hou family compound (琼山侯家大院) and the site where the Qiongya Red Army was reorganised at Yunlong (琼崖工农红军云龙改编旧址). The Fucheng drum tower (府城鼓楼) and the Kuixing Pavilion of Qiongtai Academy (琼台书院奎星楼) are on the provincial list, and the former residence of Hai Rui (海瑞故居) on the city list. Hainan Museum (海南省博物馆) and the Qiongtai Academy Museum (琼台书院博物馆) are also in Qiongshan.
Food and local customs
The district's heritage list includes the craft of making Hainan rice noodles (海南粉), qingbuliang (清补凉), jiandui (煎堆) and coconut chicken (椰子鸡), along with the Hainan custom of laoba tea (老爸茶). At the Lantern Festival, Fucheng holds a flower-exchange fair (府城元宵换花节): locals once swapped incense sticks for luck, and since 1984 they swap flowers, now a courting ritual for young people. In the second lunar month villages hold Junpo festival (军坡节) rites for ancestors and historical figures.
Getting oriented
Qiongshan borders Meilan District to the north and east, Wenchang (文昌市) to the east, Ding'an County (定安县) to the south and Longhua District to the west. It is Haikou's only district without a coastline and without a railway station, though the Hainan ring high-speed railway crosses it. Meilan International Airport lies 13.4 kilometres from Fucheng.
Highlights
- Temple of the Five Lords 五公祠: Shrine complex for five Tang and Song officials exiled to Hainan; First Tower of Hainan built 1889; national protected site.
- Former Residence of Qiu Jun 丘濬故居: National protected site in Qiongshan.
- Hainan Museum 海南省博物馆: Listed by the district among its main cultural venues.
- Fucheng Lantern Festival flower exchange 府城元宵换花节: Incense-swapping custom that turned into a flower exchange in 1984.
- Hainan rice noodles 海南粉: Cooking craft on the district's intangible-heritage list.
Sources for this guide
区情_海口市琼山区人民政府 · Qiongshan District People's Government, Haikou
历史文化_历史文化_海口市琼山区人民政府 · Qiongshan District People's Government, Haikou
历史文化_历史文化_海口市琼山区人民政府 · Qiongshan District People's Government, Haikou
琼山区 - 维基百科，自由的百科全书 · Wikipedia (Chinese) · CC BY-SA 4.0
五公祠 - 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 2026-09-24.
Explore Qiongshan District
Core places to explore, with English and Chinese names.
Places to explore around Qiongshan District
Statues of the five officials at the Temple of the Five Lords, Haikou, Hainan.Temple of the Five Lords五公祠
The Temple of the Five Lords is a memorial complex in Haikou dedicated to officials exiled to Hainan during the Tang and Song periods. Statues of the five men give the principal hall its focus, while the surrounding palms, lily…
Read the place guide →
The entrance building of Hainan Museum, Qiongshan District, Haikou · 海口市琼山区海南省博物馆入口建筑 Source-recorded photograph date: 2012-01-07.Hainan Museum海南省博物馆
Hainan Museum connects the island’s history with the South China Sea through archaeology, maritime displays and regional craft collections. Its history galleries include bronze objects and evidence of local settlement, while the…
Read the place guide →Plan your visit
Getting there
Qiongshan District covers the centre of Haikou. Search for 琼山区 in a map app to find stations and your accommodation.
Where to stay →Build your route
Temple of the Five Lords and Hainan Museum are about 2 km apart in a straight line. The linked place guides have entrance and visit details.
Continue with Haikou →More in Haikou
Sources & geographic information
Administrative names and parent areas: Official geographic directory · Reference date 2026-09-06.
Some facts checked against 琼山区 — Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Some facts checked against 五公祠 — Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photo: Temple of the Five Lords · Rolfmueller · CC BY-SA 3.0. Proportionally resized and converted to WebP without cropping, retouching or changing the photographed subject.
Photo: Hainan Museum · Anna Frodesiak · CC0. 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.