CHINA: New Hainan Highway Around Island To Grow Tourism

China's southern province of Hainan will start building a scenic highway around the island in the first half of 2019 to boost tourism, according to the provincial transport department.

Linking 12 cities and counties in Hainan, the main line of the highway will stretch 1,040 kilometers and will be built with consideration for plants and cultural landscapes protection.

The highway will provide tourists with ocean views on about one-fifth of the dual-lane highway, along which a total of 46 tourism stations to be built, according to the construction plan.

The highway is also to be constructed with a series of high-tech means, such as 5G technology, GPS positioning and big data, to realize the aim of building a modern and smart road with intelligent management and real-time monitoring.

The construction of the highway will help Hainan build a sightseeing belt around the island to further boost local tourism development, according to the plan.

Overseas tourists' arrival to Hainan Province has reached about 1.1 million in the first 11 months of the year, up 12.6 percent year-on-year, reaching a historical peak, according to the provincial tourism department.

The province aims to attract two million overseas tourists by 2020, according to a three-year action plan.


Tourism Observer

CHINA: Enjoy Hainan Cuisine Less Spicy Or Oily

Hainan cuisine, or Hainanese cuisine, is derived from the cooking styles of the peoples of Hainan Province in China.

The food is lighter, less oily, and more mildly seasoned than that of the Chinese mainland.

Seafood predominates the menu, as shrimp, crab, and freshwater and ocean fish are widely available.

Congee, mantou and baozi are eaten for breakfast, with a noodle dish also being widely eaten.

This consists of fine, vermicelli-type noodles with various toppings and gravy.

Along with lunch and dinner, late night outdoor barbecue dishes are also served.

Dongshan lamb - This dish comes from Wanning.

The distinctive taste of mutton is noticeably absent from the dish.

The meat, actually goat, is served tender and soft, after being stewed, roasted or braised in coconut milk.

Hele crab - Hele crab originated from Hele Town near Wanning, located on the southeastern shores of Hainan.

The yellow meat of the crab has an oily texture and a strong aroma.

It is usually served with ginger and garlic in vinegar, after being steamed.

Jiaji duck - Originating from Qionghai by the Wanquan River, Jiaji duck is made from steamed or boiled duck that was previously force-fed a blend of cereal and bean curd three times daily.

Wenchang chicken - This dish, originating in Wenchang, is made from a certain type of free range chicken.

The chicken is boiled and then cut into pieces.

It is then eaten by dipping the pieces in a mixture of spices, including chopped ginger and salt.

The chicken skin is typically yellow, with an oily appearance.

Hainanese chicken rice - Also known as Hainan chicken rice, this dish is popular in Southeast Asian countries like Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.

The dish contains the chicken and rice cooked with chicken soup instead of plain water.

Hainan rice noodles - This dish is common in Hainan.

Rice noodles are served at room temperature with various toppings, most commonly tahini and roasted peanuts, or a thick meat gravy with thin strips of bamboo.

Hainan-style hot pot - Hainan-style hot pot is normally served in a small wok with a sterno flame underneath. This dish consists of a prepared broth containing pieces of meat.

At the time of serving, the meat is not fully cooked.

Diners need to wait for approximately 15 minutes before it is ready to eat.

Items supplied to be cooked in this type of hot pot include: mushrooms, thin slices of beef, lettuce and other green vegetables.

This dish varies in different parts of Hainan.

Lingao suckling pork - This dish is from Lingao County.

Young pigs weighing approximately 10 kg are either roasted, sauteed, barbecued or steamed.

The meat is served when the skin is crisp.

Wanquan river carp - This dish is made from one of three species of carp that live in the Wanquan River, known locally as the Xijing, Phoenix Tailed and Quan.

It is prepared in a variety of ways, with steaming and stewing being the most popular.

Wenquan goose - A hybrid species of goose is used for this dish.

They are fattened on a mixture that includes bran and silage.



Tourism Observer

CHINA: China Launches Cruise Ship To Boost Tourism

China is all set to launch a new cruise ship in the disputed South China Sea's (SCS) islands in December to promote tourism, media report said on Saturday.

Nanhai Zhi Meng, the new cruise ship with a capacity of 893 people, will start its maiden voyage in late December from Sanya to the Yongle Islands which are administered by China's newly-built city in the South China Sea called Sansha in Hainan province.

The cruise ship, owned by the Nanhai Cruises company, has finished a trial voyage and has seen hot ticket sales since booking opened in late November. The trip will take four days, mainly visiting the islands of Yinyu, Quanfu and Yagong in the Xisha (Paracel) Islands, the report said.

The ship is scheduled to make the voyage four to six times each month. The Paracel Islands also claimed by Vietnam are a cluster of islets, sandbanks and reefs southeast of Hainan Island and famous for their unusual scenery and ecosystem.

Sansha city on Yongxing, one of the Xisha islands, was founded in July 2012 by China to extend its writ over the area. The city envisages tourism as its economic engine and administers three island groups - Xisha, Zhongsha and Nansha - along with surrounding waters in the South China Sea, it said.

Another cruise ship owned by the Hainan Strait Shipping company has offered cruises along the route since it opened in April 2013. So far, 23,000 tourists have taken the tour.

The new ship is expected to attract more tourists to Sansha, it said. China's claims over the resource-rich South China Sea is contested by the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.