Haitang District 海棠区

Setting and landscape

The district is a long, narrow strip running north to south, with mountains in the northwest and flat river-built land and coastal plain in the southeast; the Ganshiling nature reserve (甘什岭自然保护区) occupies the west. It has 21.8 kilometres of sea coast and 22 kilometres of lagoon shore. Of its 16 rivers, the Tengqiao River (藤桥河) and its western branch are the largest. The climate is a tropical maritime monsoon, and the rainy season from May to October brings 90 percent of the year's rain. On clear days the sea is transparent to 25 to 30 metres.

What to see

Wuzhizhou Island (蜈支洲岛), known as "China's Maldives", is described by the district government as China's best diving spot, with colourful coral on the seabed. The Atlantis Sanya Aquaventure Waterpark (三亚亚特兰蒂斯水世界) belongs to the Atlantis Sanya resort hotel. Queen's Bay (皇后湾), a small bay at the south end of Haitang Bay, is known to surfers.

Coconut Island (椰子洲岛) is a cluster of 17 natural islets where the Tengqiao River's eastern and western branches meet. The Rice Paddy National Park (水稻国家公园) mixes rice-farming displays with life-size dinosaur models, 323 of them across 277 species. The Nantian hot spring (南田温泉) has an average water temperature of 57°C. Sanya International Duty-Free City (三亚国际免税城) is also in the district.

History and local customs

Haitang was one of four districts created when the State Council abolished six of Sanya's towns and replaced them with districts in 2014. Li (黎族) communities live in the villages of Shengchang (升昌), Wanpo (湾坡), Qingtian (青田), Tielu (铁炉), Beishan (北山) and Haifeng (海丰). Each year the district marks the Li "Sanyuesan" festival (三月三) on the third day of the third lunar month with the bamboo-pole dance (打柴舞), fire-making by drilling wood, brocade-weaving contests and rice-wine brewing demonstrations.

Getting oriented

The district lies 28 kilometres from central Sanya and 45 kilometres from Sanya Phoenix International Airport. It borders Yingzhou town (英州镇) in Lingshui Li Autonomous County (陵水黎族自治县) to the east, Jiyang District (吉阳区) and the Yalong Bay area to the west, and Baoting Li and Miao Autonomous County (保亭黎族苗族自治县) to the north. The Hainan ring expressway, the Shanhai expressway and National Road 223 pass through.

Highlights

• Wuzhizhou Island 蜈支洲岛: Offshore island promoted by the district for diving over coral.
• Atlantis Sanya Aquaventure Waterpark 三亚亚特兰蒂斯水世界: Waterpark of the Atlantis Sanya resort hotel.
• Coconut Island 椰子洲岛: Seventeen natural islets where the two branches of the Tengqiao River meet.
• Rice Paddy National Park 水稻国家公园: Rice-farming park with 323 life-size dinosaur models.
• Nantian hot spring 南田温泉: Natural spring averaging 57°C.