To enjoy water activities, beach suntanning, and ocean waves, you must visit Sanya, a city on the southern end of China’s Hainan Island. It also has been on my bucket list for years. I never went there, but I did some research about the city. Here are some of the results:
The Eastern Hawaii
As you can above in the picture, Sanya is a perfect place for summer fun. Due to its location in the southernmost part of the nation, it is summer all year round. But the best time to visit is from October to April. During this time, the weather is not extremely hot but still hot enough for everyone to go for a swim. Tourists around the world can visit Sanya more comfortably, wearing T-shirts and light clothes, and bathing in the warm sunlight. In late July and September, the place becomes extremely hot with pouring rains and becomes dry afterward. But for College students who need to deal with final exams in April, we tend to don’t have time to visit Sanya because of its perfect weather. That’s when my parents abandoned me and went by themselves.
Some pictures they sent me while I was studying for my exams:
Hainanese Chicken Rice
They told me the first place they went was not the beach but for the local food. Hainanese chicken rice is one of the most famous dishes in Hainan and eating their authentic chicken is a must for the visit. Yes, it is funny that the Chinese never say three sentences without talking about eating. It is because the tradition of asking someone if they have eaten is rooted in Chinese people to show politeness. So anywhere you go around whether it is a family member or a stranger on the street will most likely ask you if you have eaten or not.
The dish itself is based on a traditional Hainanese delicacy called Wenchang chicken. They are fed on peanut bran, coconut, and various other things to preserve their generous fat, flavorful meat, and tendered skin. The chicken is poached and served with seasoned rice, with a side of chili sauce and other garnishes. My parents told me that they went to eat this chicken almost every day. There may be some exaggerations but the chicken does look good!
Coconut Chicken
My family ordered the hotpot version
Another famous dish is called Coconut Chicken. Coconut trees almost can be seen everywhere in Sanya and eventually become a symbol. The essence of Coconut Chicken is from the coconut water. So the taste of it (from my family’s perspective) is sweet, salty, fresh, and largely fragrant coconut flavor. There are more dishes in Hainan, but these two are the ones that my parents recommend because they are looking forward to eating them again.
The Sea of Glass
Wuzhizhou Coral Island was the next stop they went to because they wanted to see the “Sea of Glass”. Wuzhizhou has the best-preserved coral reef in China and it is seen as “the Maldives in China“. From far beyond, people can see the beautiful greenish-blue color of the beach and the moving creatures in the water.
Of course, my parents would not try out flyboarding, it’s my cousin. He told me it was fun but also dizzy. Water activities are not limited to just flyboarding, but also scuba diving, motorboats, aided parachuting, yachts, fishing, rafting, surfing, and much more. Thus, to have the best experience, it is better to know the basics of swimming. But don’t worry, there are always lifeguards and lifejackets in case of accidents. For people who don’t like water activities, Sanya can also be a place for just relaxing, enjoying the weather, and looking at the glamorous view.
2 thoughts on “The Eastern Hawaii”
As someone who has had somewhat authentic Coconut Chicken rooted in Flushing, New York, I can confirm that it is extremely good and definitely worth trying if you ever stumble upon it while ordering at a restaurant. Hainanese Chicken over rice furthermore sounds delicious, the island of Hainan seems like a beautiful place.
Wow, Sanya and the entirety of the Hainan islands sounds amazing! The descriptions of the food sound so enticing (maybe because every day I only eat a handful of cereal for breakfast which I somehow expect for it to last until lunch at around 1-2 pm) and I can tell that there is a lot of culturally enriched food over there! Just the thought alone makes my mouth water! And the seas look so beautiful! My family and I once went to Jamaica for my parent’s 25th anniversary and I was already stunned by the partially greenish-blue hue of the sea, but imagining an entire ocean like that is exhilarating! Now I really want to go!
As someone who has had somewhat authentic Coconut Chicken rooted in Flushing, New York, I can confirm that it is extremely good and definitely worth trying if you ever stumble upon it while ordering at a restaurant. Hainanese Chicken over rice furthermore sounds delicious, the island of Hainan seems like a beautiful place.
Wow, Sanya and the entirety of the Hainan islands sounds amazing! The descriptions of the food sound so enticing (maybe because every day I only eat a handful of cereal for breakfast which I somehow expect for it to last until lunch at around 1-2 pm) and I can tell that there is a lot of culturally enriched food over there! Just the thought alone makes my mouth water! And the seas look so beautiful! My family and I once went to Jamaica for my parent’s 25th anniversary and I was already stunned by the partially greenish-blue hue of the sea, but imagining an entire ocean like that is exhilarating! Now I really want to go!