Haikou, Administrative capital in northern Hainan, China.
Haikou is the administrative capital in northern Hainan, situated where the Nandu River flows into the South China Sea. The city divides into four urban districts with residential neighborhoods, commercial streets, and parks running along the coast.
The settlement grew as a trading post in the 13th century and opened to international trade in 1858 through a treaty with Western powers. It became the provincial capital in 1988 when Hainan was established as a separate province.
The name translates as "sea mouth" and points to its position where the river meets the ocean, visible from the older waterfront districts. Locals gather in covered arcades along the streets, sipping tea and playing cards beneath the shade of low roofs.
Meilan International Airport sits about 25 kilometers east of the city center and links the city to the rest of China and international destinations. Buses run frequently across all districts, and rental bicycles are available at many street corners.
Old lava flows in the geopark formed underground caves visitors can walk through today, their walls still showing the imprints of long-cooled magma rivers. Some of these caves sit just meters below fields where farmers grow vegetables.
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