About Haikou
Haikou, also known as "Coconut City," is the capital city of Hainan Province. It is the province's political, economic, technological, and cultural center and main transportation hub.
Haikou is a coastal city on Hainan Island’s northern coast. It stretches along a winding coastline from east to west, forming a charming, vibrant urban “gallery.”
Haikou, located on the north coast of Hainan Island, covers a land area of 2,296.82 km² and a sea area of 791 km². The city encompasses four (county-level) districts—Xiuying, Longhua, Qiongshan, and Meilan. These four districts are divided into 21 subdistricts, 22 towns, 208 communities, 248 administrative villages, three agricultural reclamation settlements, as well as four key Hainan Free Trade Port zones—Haikou Integrated Free Trade Zone, Haikou National High-tech Industrial Development Zone, Haikou Jiangdong New Area, and Haikou Fullsing Internet Industrial Park.
As of the end of 2023, Haikou had a permanent population of 3,001,600.
Haikou has an excellent ecological environment, with its air quality consistently ranking among the best in key cities nationwide. The average annual temperature here is 24.3 °C, the average yearly precipitation is 2,067 millimeters, and the forest coverage rate has reached 38.47%.
A fulcrum city in the Belt and Road Initiative construction and the core area of Hainan Free Trade Port construction
Business Environment
Economic Statistics
Solid Economic Foundation
In 2023, Haikou contributed over 1/3 of the provincial GDP, 1/3 of fixed assets investment, and reached an economic dominance level of 31.3% despite occupying only 1/10 of Hainan Island's land area
- 1/3
- population
- 3+ million residents
- 1/3
- GDP
- 213.48 billion yuan
- 80%
- of new market entities
- More than 780,000 units
- 1/3
- fixed assets investment
- 115.54 billion yuan
- 1/3
- public budget revenue
- 55.32 billion yuan
- 80%
- of newly acquired talent
- 26,000 people
- 9 preparation projects for special customs operations completed before the end of 2023
- 27 types of "first transactions" for the Hainan Free Trade Port handled efficiently
- Steady progress made on implementing the two-tiered import-export management system and pilot import & export policies
- Imports worth 1.07 billion yuan made under the three "zero-tariff" import lists, resulting in tax exemptions of 0.25 billion yuan
- 31.4%
- Growth in Cargo Imports & Exports
- 59.27 billion yuan
- 32.6%
- Growth in Service Imports & Exports
- 15.63 billion yuan
- 22.2%
- New Foreign Investment Count
- 667 market entities
- 86
- New registered projects
- 44%
- Paid-up foreign capital 44% of provincial total
- 2.378
- US $2.378 billion in foreign investment
Education
Haikou has 275 primary and secondary schools of all types, including renowned institutions such as Harrow School and Dulwich College. The affiliated schools of Peking University, Renmin University, Shanghai World Foreign Language Academy, and Beijing Normal University have been introduced in recent years. These schools, which bring together most of the high-quality educational resources across Hainan Province, form a high-quality, top-to-bottom “all-round talent” cultivation system.
Healthcare
Haikou is home to 1,480 medical and healthcare institutions of various levels, including most of Hainan’s key Grade-A tertiary hospitals, such as Hainan Provincial People’s Hospital, the First Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, Hainan Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Haikou People’s Hospital, Haikou Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Hainan Eye Hospital, and Hainan Modern Women’s and Children’s Hospital. It has also introduced domestic high-quality medical institutions, such as Shanghai Sixth People’s Hospital and Children’s Hospital of Fudan University.
Shopping
Shopping in Haikou is incredibly convenient. The city boasts the world’s largest standalone duty-free shop—CDF-Haikou International Duty-Free City—and other popular duty-free shopping centers like the CDF shop at Mova Mall, Haikou Meilan Airport Duty-free Shop, GDF Plaza, and TIMESDF Haikou Mission Hills Duty Free Town. Other major malls and retail districts in Haikou can cater to your everyday shopping needs, such as Mova Mall, Wanda Plaza, Wuyue Plaza, Grand Shopping Center, the Guomao shopping district (where The Mixc, N Times Square, Friendship Sunshine City, and Shangbang Parkway City are located), Nanbei Fruit Wholesale Market, and Fishery Wharf Wholesale Seafood Market. You can easily find exquisite souvenirs and local delicacies at Dongmen Market and along Shuixiangkou in the Qilou Historical Quarter.
Dining and Entertainment
Haikou has developed 19 distinctive night markets and 85 “15-minute city” areas. The city boasts a wide variety of cuisines, featuring both local Hainan delicacies and specialties from all over China. Freshly caught seafood, along with unique selenium-rich fruits and vegetables, are readily available in Haikou. The most authentic cuisine can be found in local snack shops and traditional tea houses tucked away in the streets and alleys of the city.
Haikou is a city that never sleeps. Life in this vibrant coastal city is not only found in the bustling streets during the day but also in the bright lights at night. Haikou's Bund area, at the foot of Century Bridge’s southern approach, has a wide range of bars, specialty restaurants, and night markets. Trendy themed shows and street performances happen all the time, entertaining the great number of locals and tourists who are drawn to the area every day.
Natural Environment
Haikou is blessed with a favorable natural environment and a tropical marine climate, with an average annual temperature of 24.3 °C and annual rainfall of 2,067 mm. It embraces its greenery, with a forest coverage rate of 38.47%, a greening rate of 42.7% in built-up areas, and a per-capita green public area of 12.5 m². Its air quality consistently ranks among the best in key cities nationwide. Haikou was recognized as one of the first International Wetland Cities by the United Nations International Convention on Wetlands Organization in 2018, and the Haikou Wetland Protection and Restoration Project was awarded the 2020 Paulson Prize for Sustainability (Nature Stewardship).
Tourism
Haikou is a coastal city that integrates leisure consumption, eco-living, and healthcare tourism. Nestled by various rivers and the South China Sea, Haikou has distinct geographic advantages when it comes to tourism. It boasts a wealth of tourism resources, including picturesque coastal bays and inviting attractions such as the Wormhole Library, Sky Mountain recreational area, and Dongpo Old Wharf. It is endowed with valuable ecological tourism resources, such as wetlands, mangroves, hot springs, volcanic geology, and tropical wildlife. The city boasts historical and cultural attractions like the Qilou Historical Quarter, Qiongtai Fudi (Blessed Land), Wugong Ci (Temple of the Five Lords), and Hai Rui Cultural Park. In addition, Haikou offers renowned resort destinations like Mission Hills Resort, Fangyuan International Art House, Shili Chunfeng, and other rural attractions for wellness and recreation and can host large-scale performances and major events.
Accommodation
Haikou boasts a lavish array of hotels suiting all tastes and budgets. Many seaside resorts are distributed along Haikou Bay and the West Coast area, providing visitors with the opportunity to experience the beautiful coastal scenery of Haikou. There are a total of 40 star-rated tourist hotels in the city, including 17 esteemed international brands such as Hilton, Marriott, Intercontinental, Shangri-La, Ritz-Carlton, Renaissance, Sheraton, Langham, Pullman, Sofitel, and Westin. This prestigious collection constitutes 31.1% of the total number of star-rated tourist hotels in Hainan and are the preferred choice for large exhibitions, performances, business, and sports activities. Themed homestays and guesthouses with unique and distinctive styles are scattered around scenic areas and are most comfortable bases from which tourists can savor their leisurely and slow-paced exploration of this charming city.