Current Time in Xiuying, China

Xiuying is the westernmost district of Haikou, the capital of Hainan Province, on the northern coast of China's largest tropical island. It faces the Qiongzhou Strait, the narrow channel that separates Hainan from the Leizhou Peninsula on the mainland, and stretches inland across a landscape of coastal plain, coconut plantations and old volcanic country. The climate is tropical monsoon, warm throughout the year, humid in summer and subject to typhoons in the late season, while winters are mild enough to attract large numbers of visitors from northern China.

Several hundred thousand people live in the district, which forms part of a city of well over two million. Xiuying is above all a place of movement and connection. Its harbour handles the ferries that carry passengers, vehicles and even entire trains across the strait to Hai an in Guangdong, and Haikou West Railway Station is the terminus of the rail line linked to the mainland by ferry as well as a stop on the high speed loop that circles the island.

The area has a long history as the maritime gateway to Hainan. The most striking historical monument is the Xiuying Fort, a coastal battery built at the end of the nineteenth century during the late Qing period, whose vaulted tunnels and heavy German made guns are among the best preserved defences of their kind in southern China and are now open as a museum. The surrounding streets recall the era when Haikou was a treaty port trading with Southeast Asia, and returning overseas Chinese have shaped much of the district's modern character.

Xiuying contains one of Hainan's most unusual natural attractions, the Haikou Volcanic Cluster Global Geopark at Shishan, a landscape of dormant craters, lava tubes and villages built entirely from black basalt blocks. Visitors can climb into the mouth of the Ma an crater and walk through caves formed by flowing lava, and the surrounding hamlets preserve traditional stone houses and ancient banyan trees. Along the coast, Holiday Beach is the city's main urban seaside strip, with palm shaded promenades, seafood restaurants and evening markets.

Daily life is thoroughly tropical. Coconut water is sold on every corner, the Hainanese kitchen is known throughout China for its chicken rice and its clear soups, and old fashioned teahouses serve as social centres where residents linger for hours. The district also has large shopping centres, an exhibition complex and expanding residential development linked to Hainan's status as a free trade port.

Transport within Haikou is provided by buses, a suburban rail loop and taxis, while Meilan International Airport lies on the other side of the city with connections across China and to Southeast Asia.

Universities and research institutes elsewhere in Haikou serve the district's students, with strengths in tropical agriculture, marine science and tourism management.

Xiuying is important as Hainan's link to the mainland and appealing for its volcanic scenery, its coastal forts and its relaxed island atmosphere.