Get to know Wenchang
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- Administrative area
- County-level city · 县级市
- Part of
- Hainan
- Chinese name
- 文昌市
- Local areas
- County-level city guide
Area & population
- Area in the source
- 2,403.00 km²
- Population · 2010
- 537,428
Source: cited geographic source, as of the dates shown.
Setting and landscape
The coast has 40 bays, among them the deep-water harbour of Mulan (木兰港), and 43 islands lie offshore. The annual mean temperature is 23.9°C and the city has no frost all year.
History
The city traces its origins to Zibei County (紫贝县), created in 110 BC under Emperor Wu of Han, and counts itself among the three ancient counties of Hainan. In 627, under Emperor Taizong of Tang, Pingchang (平昌) was renamed Wenchang County and placed under Yazhou (崖州). The county became a city in 1995, with Wencheng town (文城镇) as its centre.
More than 1.2 million people of Wenchang origin live in over 60 countries and regions, and the city is known as a home of overseas Chinese. The city government quotes a local saying about imperial examination success: "three jinshi within one li, eight juren within seven li" (一里三进士，七里八举人). Every township and village holds volleyball matches at festivals, and the boys' team of Wenchang Middle School (文昌中学) won the national "Zhenxing Zhonghua Cup" (振兴中华杯) school title three times in a row.
What to see
The city government lists Tonggu Ridge (铜鼓岭), known as the "first peak of eastern Hainan", the Stone Park (石头公园), the Qizhou Islands (七洲列岛) and the mangroves of Bamen Bay (八门湾), called a "forest park on the sea".
Historic sights include the Confucian Temple (孔庙) with more than 600 years of history, Shibahang village (十八行村) in Huiwen (会文), a Chinese Historic and Cultural Village kept intact for nearly 300 years, the ancestral home of the Soong family (宋氏祖居) and the arcade street of Puqian (铺前) built in the Republican era. Wenchang is also the site of the space launch centre that the city government describes as China's largest open, low-latitude coastal launch site.
Food and local products
Wenchang chicken (文昌鸡) is ranked by the city government first among Hainan's four famous dishes. Wenchang coconut (文昌椰子) holds a Ministry of Agriculture geographical-indication certification, and the city grows about 45 per cent of Hainan's coconuts by area and output. Zaopo vinegar (糟粕醋), a traditional snack of Puqian town, has rice as its main raw material; Xinhua photographed zaopo vinegar noodles being made and a zaopo vinegar hotpot being eaten at a Puqian restaurant that specialises in it.
Highlights
- Tonggu Ridge 铜鼓岭: Known as the first peak of eastern Hainan.
- Bamen Bay mangroves 八门湾红树林: Called a forest park on the sea by the city government.
- Shibahang village 十八行村: Chinese Historic and Cultural Village in Huiwen, intact for nearly 300 years.
- Soong family ancestral home 宋氏祖居: Listed by the city government among Wenchang's sights.
- Wenchang chicken 文昌鸡: Ranked first among Hainan's four famous dishes by the city government.
- Zaopo vinegar 糟粕醋: Traditional Puqian snack with rice as its main raw material, served as noodles or hotpot.
Sources for this guide
文昌市简介_文昌市人民政府网 · Wenchang Municipal People's Government
历史沿革_文昌市人民政府网 · Wenchang Municipal People's Government
海南文昌：糟粕醋“酿”出特色产业-新华网 · Xinhua
Original English written from the listed sources and checked sentence by sentence against quoted extracts by a separate reviewer. Updated 2026-09-25.
Explore Wenchang
Core places to explore, with English and Chinese names.
Places to explore around Wenchang
AI illustration · AI 示意图（仅供参考，非该地点实拍）Tonggu Ridge铜鼓岭
Tonggu Ridge rises above Longlou and gives an elevated view of Wenchang’s curved coastline, especially the sweep of Moon Bay. The appeal combines coastal forest, rocky hill scenery and wide sea views. Admission needs particular…
Read the place guide →
A path through the coconut palms at Dongjiao Coconut Grove, Wenchang · 文昌东郊椰林，林间小道 Source-recorded photograph date: 2 December 2013 (original upload date).Dongjiao Coconut Grove东郊椰林
Dongjiao Coconut Grove is a coastal landscape of coconut palms in Wenchang’s Dongjiao area. Winding footpaths pass through the trees towards small buildings and the sandy shore. Its appeal is the repeated pattern of trunks, the…
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Wenchang Confucian Temple · 文昌孔庙Wenchang Confucian Temple文昌孔庙
Wenchang Confucian Temple is arranged along a symmetrical central axis in Wencheng. A semicircular Pan Pool and the Zhuangyuan Bridge create the approach to the principal courtyard. Beyond Dacheng Gate, the timber-framed Dacheng…
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Bamen Bay Mangrove Forest · 八门湾红树林Bamen Bay Mangrove Forest八门湾红树林
Bamen Bay is Wenchang’s estuary landscape, where rivers meet the sheltered waters around Qinglan and mangroves fringe villages and channels. Its greenway was developed to connect wetland scenery with local settlements, making it…
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Ancestral Home of Song Qingling (宋庆龄祖居), Wenchang. Photograph: "海南国际旅游岛——宋庆龄祖居景观（东北向） - panoramio".Ancestral Home of Song Qingling宋庆龄祖居
The Song family ancestral home at Guluyuan explains the Hainan roots of a family central to modern Chinese history. The courtyard house is associated with Song Qingling’s paternal family and her father Song Yaoru, who was born…
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Arcaded street buildings in Wenchang old town. Photograph date recorded by the source: 2014-09-29 20:31:56.Wenchang文昌
Wenchang brings together overseas-Chinese heritage, coconut-growing coast and the newer space industry. Wencheng’s urban centre provides food and transport, while Qinglan and Dongjiao belong to a coastal excursion; Longlou and…
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A Long March 5 rocket lifting off from the Wenchang Space Launch Site · 长征五号运载火箭在文昌航天发射场发射升空 Source-recorded photograph date: 2020-07-24.Wenchang Space Launch Site文昌航天发射场
Wenchang’s launch site is an active space facility near Longlou, best experienced by ordinary visitors through authorised tours or permitted public viewing areas. A rocket launch can be watched from parts of the coast when…
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A narrow paved street of two- and three-storey arcaded shophouses in grey weathered stucco with arched windows and louvred shutters and shopfronts (阿三時裝, 90M服裝店); scooters and a black saloon stand in the street, a woman in a pink top walks past, and a deeply shadowed colonnade runs down the left side.Wennan Old Street文南老街
Wennan Old Street is an arcade-lined commercial street in Wenchang, associated with the city’s overseas Chinese connections.
Read the place guide →
AI illustration · AI 示意图（仅供参考，非该地点实拍）Wenchang Stone Park石头公园
Wenchang Stone Park occupies a rocky coastal landscape around Longlou and the Tongguling area.
Read the place guide →
Public Space-Science Visits in Wenchang · 航天科普公开参观点Public Space-Science Visits in Wenchang航天科普公开参观点
Wenchang’s Longlou area offers publicly advertised space-science visits alongside the much larger working launch facilities.
Read the place guide →Local life & food
Wenchang local specialties
文昌市特色美食 · 9 specialties to discover
Baoluo noodles 抱罗粉AI illustration · AI 示意图
The noodles have a fuller bite than very fine vermicelli, and the topping can combine savory, sweet and lightly sour notes.
Source ↗Read the dish guide →
Wenchang chicken 文昌鸡
The meat is firm yet tender, with supple skin and a clear chicken taste. The method emphasizes the bird's texture more than a heavy sauce.
Source ↗Read the dish guide →
Photo adjustments
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Puqian Wine-Lees Vinegar Broth 铺前糟粕醋
Puqian Wine-Lees Vinegar Broth (铺前糟粕醋) is a sour, lightly spicy broth from Puqian (铺前镇) in Wenchang (文昌), at the northern tip of Hainan, made from vinegar fermented out of the lees left after brewing rice wine.
Read the dish guide →Photo adjustments
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Jinshan Beef Jerky 锦山牛肉干
Jinshan Beef Jerky (锦山牛肉干) is a dried beef snack from Jinshan (锦山) town in Wenchang (文昌), Hainan, dark with a red tinge, firm in texture and sweet and savoury.
Read the dish guide →Photo adjustments
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Dongge Rice Dumplings in Ginger Syrup 东阁粿仔
Dongge Rice Dumplings in Ginger Syrup (东阁粿仔) are small dumplings of finely ground rice, round in the middle with pointed ends, served in a thick syrup of ginger and sugar with crushed peanuts and mashed coconut on top.
Read the dish guide →Photo adjustments
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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 →
Chongxing Pork Jerky 重兴赤烧AI illustration · AI 示意图（仅供参考，非实拍）
Chongxing Pork Jerky (重兴赤烧) is a dried and then fried pork jerky from Chongxing (重兴), a town in Wenchang (文昌), Hainan, where it is known locally as chishao.
Read the dish guide →
Wenchang Coconut Sticky Rice Cakes 文昌按粑AI illustration · AI 示意图（仅供参考，非实拍）
Wenchang Coconut Sticky Rice Cakes (文昌按粑) are small boiled discs of glutinous rice dough rolled in a sweet filling of fresh grated coconut, brown sugar, peanut and sesame.
Read the dish guide →More dishes from across Hainan are in the Hainan food guide.
Plan your visit
Getting there
Search for 文昌市 in a map app to find stations and your accommodation.
Where to stay →Build your route
Tonggu Ridge and Dongjiao Coconut Grove are about 20 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.
Photo: Dongjiao Coconut Grove · 川号子 · CC BY 3.0. Full frame retained; proportionally resized and converted to WebP. No retouching or changes to the photographed subject. Card displays may crop the view.
Photo: Wenchang Confucian Temple · Pbdragonwang · CC BY-SA 3.0. EXIF orientation normalized; resized without changing aspect ratio; converted to WebP. No subject edits.
Photo: Bamen Bay Mangrove Forest · Source photographer · License not provided. EXIF orientation normalized; resized without changing aspect ratio; converted to WebP. No subject edits.
Photo: Ancestral Home of Song Qingling · 川号子 · CC BY 3.0. Full frame retained; EXIF orientation normalized, proportionally resized to at most 800 pixels and converted to WebP. No generated pixels or subject changes. Cards may crop the display.
Photo: Wenchang · 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.
Photo: Wenchang Space Launch Site · 中新网 · 中国新闻社 · 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.
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Photo: Wennan Old Street · 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.
Photo: Public Space-Science Visits in Wenchang · Source photographer · License not provided. EXIF orientation normalized; resized without changing aspect ratio; converted to WebP. No subject edits.
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