Capital · Port · Historic city · Hainan
Haikou
海口
Coconut City on the Qiongzhou Strait
Haikou is the capital of Hainan, on the north coast of the island at the mouth of the Nandu River, facing the mainland across the Qiongzhou Strait. It is the island's main port and administrative centre, known for its arcaded old town, the Five Officials Temple commemorating exiled ministers, and the young volcanoes of the Leiqiong Global Geopark on its outskirts.
Key facts
Overview
Haikou grew as the harbour of Qiongzhou, the old prefectural city a few kilometres inland, and absorbed it when the two were merged in 2002. Its old town was rebuilt in the early twentieth century with arcaded shophouses (骑楼) financed by merchants returning from South-East Asia.
The modern city is the political and commercial centre of the province and the main gateway for traffic from the mainland, with the ferry ports of Xiuying and Xinhai and the train-ferry terminal on the strait.
Names and nicknames
椰城
“Coconut City”
For the coconut palms lining its streets and coast.
History
The harbour at the mouth of the Nandu served the prefectural seat of Qiongzhou from the Song. A fort was built at Haikou in the Ming against pirates. In 1876 Qiongzhou, with Haikou as its port, was opened to foreign trade. The Xiuying Fort was built in the 1890s to defend the harbour. Haikou became the capital of the new province in 1988.
1876
Opened as a treaty port
The port of Qiongzhou at Haikou was opened to foreign trade under the Treaty of Tianjin.
1891
Xiuying Fort
Coastal fort built after the Sino-French War to defend the harbour.
1988
Provincial capital
Haikou became the capital of the new province of Hainan.
2002
Merger with Qiongshan
The historic prefectural city of Qiongshan was incorporated into Haikou.
Landmarks
Street or quarter
Qilou Old Street
骑楼老街
Arcaded shophouses of the early twentieth century along Zhongshan, Boai and Deshengsha roads, with carved facades in mixed styles.
Historic site
Five Officials Temple
五公祠
Memorial temple to five Tang and Song ministers exiled to Hainan, with a neighbouring shrine to Su Shi.
Historic site
Hai Rui's Tomb
海瑞墓
Tomb and memorial garden of the incorruptible Ming official.
Nature
Leiqiong Volcanic Global Geopark
雷琼世界地质公园
Volcanic cones and lava tunnels south-west of the city, with the Ma'anling crater and villages built of lava stone.
Museum
Hainan Museum
海南省博物馆
Provincial museum with Li culture, South China Sea shipwreck finds and the island's history.
Neighbourhoods
Qiongshan
琼山
The old prefectural city, with the Qiongtai Academy and the Confucian temple.
West Coast
西海岸
Seafront parks and beaches west of the centre.
Food
Hainan rice noodles
海南粉
Thin rice noodles with a thick sauce, pickled bamboo shoots, peanuts and beef slices.
Qingbuliang
清补凉
Iced coconut-milk dessert with beans, taro and fruit.
Laoba tea
老爸茶
Teahouses serving tea and small snacks through the afternoon.
Culture
Haikou keeps the culture of the Hainanese-speaking north: Qiong opera, arcaded streets, ancestral halls and the unhurried habit of laoba tea. The Qiongtai Academy and the Five Officials Temple recall the island's role as a place of exile for scholar-officials.
Getting around
- Haikou Meilan International Airport is south-east of the city and has its own station on the round-island high-speed railway.
- Haikou East is the main station for high-speed trains to Sanya; Haikou station, near the strait, receives through trains carried by ferry from the mainland.
- Ferries to Xuwen and Hai'an leave from Xiuying and Xinhai ports.
Day trips
Dongzhaigang mangroves
东寨港红树林
National mangrove reserve and Ramsar site on a bay east of the city, formed after an earthquake in 1605 drowned the coast.
Wenchang
文昌
Coconut coast, arcaded town and the space launch site, south-east of Haikou.
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- Haikou Municipal People's Government — Haikou Municipal People's Government (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Seventh National Population Census communiqués — National Bureau of Statistics of China (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Haikou — Encyclopaedia Britannica (retrieved 27 September 2026)