Palm trees, sandy beaches, coral reefs, and luxury resorts amid dramatic scenery are the images of tropical getaways the world over, but few people outside the Middle Kingdom know that China—land of booming cities, powerhouse industries, and more than a billion people—also offers these same ingredients for a delicious escape from everyday life. Blue skies, clean air, green rainforest, and relaxed attitude, not to mention culinary assets, are seeing Sanya, on Hainan Island’s south coast, on the rise as a destination for those in the know.
Sanya is China’s southern-most point, bathed by the blues of the South China Sea that laps at the verdant shores of Vietnam and the Philippines on the same latitude. There is a perpetual feeling of languid relaxation in the air. For visitors, that is; hotel staff, on the other hand, work hard to ensure their guests are well looked after.
Hainan Island is the traditional home of the Li and the Miao peoples, whose traditional lifestyles are on display at Bing Lang Gu, the official name of which is Ganza Ridge Hainan Indigenous Culture Tourism Zone, located in Baoting Ganza Ridge Natural Protection area about 28km north of Sanya. The carnival-like atmosphere that stereotyped such cultural attractions in the past has been greatly toned down in recent years; in fact, people actually live here in Bing Lang Gu, so it is not an amusement park by any means. The variety of displays showcase traditional arts and crafts such as weaving and tattooing, still vividly visible on the female elders of the Li.
On the grounds of Bing Lang Gu’s immense property is a 1.2-kilometre series of stairs and walkways following the waterfalls flowing through the dense greenery and dramatic landscape. The descent is easy compared to the climb up—especially if it is done in the waterfall itself. As if hiking up a mountain is not strenuous enough—or maybe because it IS so strenuous—adventurous climbers replace a stream of perspiration with a stream of mountain-clean water and hoist themselves up a section of the mountainside in the waterfall, enjoying a refreshing splash in the rapids while on the ascent.
If you visit only one attraction on Hainan, make it Guanyin. The sight of a statue rising 108 metres above the sea is a stirring vision. Built of titanium to withstand the strongest of winds and seas, the statue of Guanyin is one of the most majestic representations of the Buddha in all China; that it sits on a breathtakingly beautiful site on Little Moon Bay only adds to the spiritual effect. The official designation of the area in which the statue is located is Sanya Nanshan Cultural Tourism Zone, but don’t let the bureaucratic name turn you off.
After a hard day’s activities, respite may be found at the serene Narada Resort and Spa Qixian Mount near the town of Baoting. Narada is a five-star property set in a beautiful location where green is the colour of choice for the native rainforest that gives a sense of physical and spiritual isolation from the worries of the world. The big attraction here are the curative powers of the natural hot springs, which may be enjoyed in private spas on the decks of villas looking over the dramatic ravines and mountains that create a classic Chinese landscape straight off a scroll painting. Though luxury here is five-star high, prices are three-star low.
One of the island’s best-kept secrets is its scuba diving. Coral reefs in China? Yes, they are here in their colourful glory, along with tropical fish and a variety of other sea life—except sharks, which makes novice divers less worried about their undersea encounters. A favourite dive spot is Wuzhizhou Island, just off the coast of Hainan, where there is an established dive centre and an abundance of underwater sights to be seen. Wuzhizhou is also a fine place for hiking.
Those same novices would do well to stay at Mangrove Tree Resort. It has its own six-metre-deep diving pool for scuba instruction before newly certified divers head into the big blue sea. Diving is only one of the many activities offered at this resort on Yalong Bay, Sanya’s most exclusive beach area where only a few privileged hotels are located right on the sand. Mangrove Tree is one of them.
For total relaxation, end the day at Tian Ying massage centre, Sanya’s most famous. Open every night until 2am to accommodate late-socialising locals, the very popular Tian Ying is staffed by a battalion of massage therapists who administer treatments with utmost conviction.
Where is the gay in all this? Back in Perth, of course. Didn’t I say it was a delicious escape from everyday life?
MORE INFORMATION
The easiest way to Sanya from Perth is with Cathay Pacific via Hong Kong.
www.cathaypacific.com
Hainan Tourism’s Australian office arranges everything for visitors, from hotels to transport and tours. Visitors in groups of five or more travelling together are exempt from the need for a visa when arrangements are made through Hainan Tourism.
www.visithainan.com.au
Robert La Bua
