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Hai Nan
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Hainan (abbreviated as Qiong), located at China’s southernmost tip, is the country’s only tropical island province, its largest provincial-level Special Economic Zone, and the only provincial Free Trade Port. With a land area of 35,400 sq km and a sea area of approximately 2 million sq km, it administers four prefecture-level cities — Haikou, Sanya, Sansha, and Danzhou — and has a permanent population of about 10.48 million.
Hainan was established as a province and SEZ in 1988; the China (Hainan) Pilot Free Trade Zone was approved in 2018, and the Master Plan for the Hainan Free Trade Port was released in 2020, positioning the island as a flagship of China’s new-era opening-up.
As an international tourism and consumption center, Hainan received 97.21 million visitors in 2024, up 8% year-on-year and a record high, with total tourist spending reaching RMB 204.014 billion (+12.5%) and inbound visitors surging 115.6% to 1.11 million.
Hainan is also China’s most open province for medical services. The Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone, uniquely approved by the State Council, enjoys four special policies — licensed medical treatment, licensed research, licensed operations, and licensed international medical exchange — making it the primary fast-track channel for innovative global drugs and devices to enter China.
We noticed that countless international patients urgently need a trustworthy local team who truly understands China’s medical system. Therefore, we gathered professional medical talents, rooted in China’s medical industry, and built JoyfulMedical. We are not a cold intermediary; we are the bridge between global patients and China’s high-quality medical resources.
10.48
Permanent resident population(million)
35,400
Land area (square kilometers)
0.794
Total GDP (trillion/RMB)
4
Prefecture-level cities
- Local core medical strengths
Hainan: China’s Most Open Medical Hub
Leveraging the Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone and Free Trade Port policies, Hainan is emerging as China’s most open medical hub and a leading international medical tourism destination.
By end-2024, the province had 6,270 medical and health institutions, including 547 hospitals, 61,411 beds, 89,172 health professionals, and 33,067 licensed (assistant) physicians.
Hainan has about 15–20 tertiary Class A (3A) hospitals, with Haikou and Sanya as the two core clusters and Boao Lecheng as the distinctive growth pole.
Hainan’s unique advantage lies in the convergence of four strengths: licensed medical access at Boao Lecheng (latest international drugs/devices), zero-tariff imports under FTP policies, a tropical island climate ideal for wellness and rehabilitation, and fast-growing medical tourism from Russia, Central Asia, and Southeast Asia.
TCM service trade and international wellness tourism are becoming new highlights.
15–20
3A Hospitals
450+
Licensed Imported Drugs/Devices
410,600
Medical Tourist Visits
89,172
Health Professionals
Boao Lecheng Policy Special Zone
Licensed Medical Treatment / Innovative Drugs & Devices
Approved by the State Council in February 2013, Boao Lecheng is China’s only national-level international medical tourism pilot zone, with four special policies: licensed medical treatment, licensed research, licensed operations, and licensed international medical exchange.
Patients can access imported drugs and devices approved abroad but not yet in mainland China.
In December 2024, Hainan issued the FTP Zero-Tariff Imported Drugs & Devices Measures, exempting roughly 3% import tariff and 13% import VAT.
Thirty-six medical institutions are operating, with seven leading specialties: rare diseases, oncology, ophthalmology, ENT, reproductive medicine, health screening, and medical aesthetics.
Boao Super Hospital is led by Academician Li Lanjuan with 21 academician/expert teams.
International Wellness & Medical Tourism
Tropical Climate / Rehabilitation / Medical Tourism
Hainan is China’s only tropical island province, with average annual temperatures of 22–26°C, over 98% good-air-quality days, and forest coverage above 60% — China’s premier winter escape and wellness destination.
Combining tropical climate, hot springs, coastline, and the Boao Lecheng medical zone, Hainan has built an integrated medical-wellness-tourism system, particularly in cardiovascular and oncology rehabilitation, anti-aging, medical aesthetics, reproductive medicine, and chronic-disease management.
Visa-free entry for 59 countries, 144-hour transit visa exemption, and 77 international air routes facilitated a 115.6% surge in inbound visitors in 2024.
Tropical Medicine & Public Health
Tropical Infectious Diseases / Medical Research
Hainan Medical University, the Hainan Provincial CDC, and the Second Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University have deep expertise in tropical infectious diseases, vector-borne diseases (dengue, malaria, chikungunya), HFMD, and imported infectious disease control.
The School of Tropical Medicine at Hainan Medical University is a key national base for tropical medicine education and research, hosting the Key Laboratory of Tropical Translational Medicine (Ministry of Education) and the Hainan Branch of the National Center for Tropical Diseases Research, supporting FTP public health security and Belt & Road tropical-medicine cooperation.
Traditional Chinese Medicine Service Trade
Acupuncture / TCM Rehabilitation / Chronic-Condition Management
Hainan is a national TCM service export base with rich southern medicinal herb resources (areca nut, alpinia, amomum, morinda).
The Hainan Provincial Hospital of TCM and Sanya TCM Hospital provide international TCM services — acupuncture, tuina, TCM rehabilitation, and chronic-condition management — popular among patients from Russia, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, and Europe.
Sanya TCM Hospital has become a well-known brand for international TCM tourism.
Hainan is integrating TCM services with Boao Lecheng’s licensed policies and wellness tourism, pioneering models such as TCM-plus-global-innovative-drugs and TCM-plus-anti-aging.
- List of key medical institutions
Boao Super Hospital
Opened in March 2018 in the Boao Lecheng Pilot Zone, Boao Super Hospital is a mixed-ownership general hospital enjoying the State Council’s nine special policies, led by Academician Li Lanjuan, a leading infectious-disease expert.
It pioneered the “1+X” shared hospital model — one shared platform plus multiple specialty clinical centers — attracting 21 academician/expert teams including Li Lanjuan, Wang Chen, Ning Guang, and Zhang Zhiyuan.
Patients can access the latest global drugs and devices. Phase I has 150 beds with 64/128-slice CT, 3.0T MRI, and other advanced equipment.
- No. 6 Kangxiang Road, Boao Lecheng Intl. Medical Tourism Pilot Zone, Qionghai, Hainan
First Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University
Founded in 1973, the First Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University is one of Hainan’s strongest 3A general hospitals, integrating care, teaching, research, prevention, and rehabilitation.
It is a key provincial center for complex, acute, and critical cases, with multiple national key clinical specialties.
It leads the province in reproductive medicine, emergency medicine, neurology, cardiology, oncology, and hepatobiliary surgery, and serves as Hainan Medical University’s core teaching hospital and a national standardized residency training base.
- No. 31 Longhua Road, Longhua District, Haikou, Hainan
Key Speclalties
Hainan General Hospital
Originating from the Haikou Gospel Hospital founded by American missionaries in 1881, Hainan General Hospital is the cradle of modern medicine in Hainan and the province’s largest and strongest provincial 3A general hospital (also Hainan Hospital of Hainan Medical University).
It has over 4,500 staff, 3,000 beds at the main campus and 1,000 planned at the Mission Hills campus, with 6 national key specialties, 8 provincial key disciplines, and 32 provincial key specialties.
It excels in hepatology, cardiovascular and neurovascular intervention, medical imaging, urologic endoscopy, geriatrics, and rehabilitation, earning an A+ in the 2022 national public hospital performance review.
- No. 19 Xiuhua Road, Xiuying District, Haikou, Hainan
Key Speclalties
Boao Evergrande International Hospital
Opened in February 2018 in Boao Lecheng, Boao Evergrande International Hospital is a tertiary oncology specialty hospital built to JCI standards, with 223 inpatient beds and 424 rehabilitation beds.
It was designed and operated with guidance from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a principal teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School, introducing MDT care and world-class equipment including PET-CT, large-bore CT, TrueBeam linear accelerator, and proton therapy.
Leveraging Lecheng’s special policies, it provides international-level cancer screening, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation with access to the latest global anti-cancer drugs and devices.
- Boao Lecheng Intl. Medical Tourism Pilot Zone, Qionghai, Hainan
Hainan Hospital of Chinese PLA General Hospital (301 Hainan)
Located in Haitang Bay, Sanya, the Hainan Hospital of the Chinese PLA General Hospital (301 Hainan) is a large modern 3A general hospital integrating medical care, healthcare, research, and teaching — a flagship for healthcare in the South China Sea region.
Its distinctive circular campus is directly supported by the academician teams and clinical resources of the Beijing-based PLA General Hospital.
It excels in cardiology, orthopedics, neurosurgery, geriatrics, and critical care, undertaking central healthcare, military-civilian medical support on the island, and international medical tourism services.
- Jianglin Road, Haitang District, Sanya, Hainan
Key Speclalties
Sanya Central Hospital (Hainan Third People’s Hospital)
Founded in 1962 as the Hainan State Farms Sanya Hospital, Sanya Central Hospital is one of Hainan’s first five national 3A hospitals and the diagnostic and treatment center for complex critical diseases in southern Hainan.
It is a National Health Commission Advanced Stroke Center, national chest pain center, international emergency rescue network hospital, southern Hainan infectious disease center, and critical maternal care center, serving about 4 million people in Sanya and southern Hainan.
It leads the region in neurology, cardiology, neurosurgery, critical care, and infectious diseases.
- No. 115 Jiefang 4th Road, Tianya District, Sanya, Hainan
Key Speclalties
- Local cultural characteristics
Li & Miao Ethnic Culture of Hainan
Hainan has a long and diverse cultural history. Since its incorporation into the Chinese empire during the Han dynasty, the island has been a key node of the Maritime Silk Road.
The Li people are Hainan’s earliest inhabitants, joined by the Miao from the Ming dynasty onward, along with Hui and Han communities, forming a distinctive tropical-island ethnic culture.
The traditional Li textile techniques (spinning, dyeing, weaving, and embroidering) were inscribed on UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding in 2009.
Hainan’s culture blends maritime, revolutionary, overseas-Chinese, and Special Economic Zone heritages, shaping an open, inclusive, and pioneering spirit.
Li Brocade
The traditional Li textile techniques of spinning, dyeing, weaving, and embroidering are Hainan’s most iconic intangible cultural heritage, inscribed by UNESCO in 2009.
Made from cotton and hemp on back-strap looms, Li brocades feature human, dragon, frog, and geometric patterns in vivid colors, hailed as a living fossil of Chinese textile history.
Hainan Coconut Carving
Hainan coconut carving dates to the Tang dynasty, using coconut shells and wood through dozens of carving, inlay, and assembly steps to create elegant vessels once presented as imperial tribute.
It was inscribed on China’s National Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2008 and is a hallmark of Hainan craftsmanship.
Junpo Festival
The Junpo Festival is the most important folk festival in northern Hainan (especially Haikou and Wenchang), honoring Lady Xian with over 1,300 years of history.
Held in the second lunar month, it features grand military-style parades, deity processions, spear rituals, dragon and lion dances, and was inscribed on the national intangible heritage list in 2008
Maritime Silk Road
Hainan was a key transit and supply node on the ancient Maritime Silk Road, with numerous heritage sites in Sanya, Wenchang, and Qionghai.
Nanhai shipwrecks such as the Huaguang Reef I have yielded large quantities of export porcelain and coins, testifying to Hainan’s historic role as a maritime hub.
Today it is a strategic pivot of the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road.
Hainan Spirit
The courage to explore is the driving force, daring to lead is the aspirational pursuit, and diligent hard work is the guarantee of success.
- Famous tourist attractions
Yalong Bay, Sanya
A 7.5-km crescent-shaped bay in southeastern Sanya with snow-white sand and crystal-clear water, acclaimed as the “No. 1 Bay under Heaven.”
It is China’s most famous tropical beach resort, home to numerous international five-star hotels.
Tianya Haijiao (Edge of the Sky)
Sanya’s iconic scenic area where turquoise sea, green hills, white sand, and giant boulders converge.
Rocks inscribed with Tianya (edge of sky), Haijiao (end of sea), and Nantian Yizhu embody the Chinese romantic imagination.
It was rated a national 5A scenic area in 2024.
Nanshan Temple & Guanyin of the Sea
Located in Sanya’s Nanshan Cultural Tourism Zone, Nanshan Temple is the southernmost Buddhist temple in China.
The 108-meter three-sided Guanyin statue rising from the sea is the world’s tallest white-robed Guanyin and a Hainan landmark within a 5A scenic area.
Wuzhizhou Island
A tropical islet in Haitang Bay, northern Sanya, with underwater visibility up to 27 meters — China’s premier diving and water-sports destination, known as “China’s No. 1 Diving Base.”
Its pristine coral reefs and tropical fish have earned it the nickname “China’s Maldives.”
Boao Forum for Asia Venue
Located in Boao Town, Qionghai, this is the permanent venue of the Boao Forum for Asia, which annually gathers Asian and global political, business, and academic leaders as one of China’s most influential multilateral diplomacy platforms.
The site integrates rivers, lakes, and sea; the Jade Belt Beach holds a Guinness record as the narrowest strip separating river and sea.
Haikou Arcade Old Street
Haikou’s most distinctive historic district, whose arcade (qilou) buildings were constructed from the late Qing to early Republican periods, blending Nanyang (Southeast Asian), European, and Lingnan styles.
Built largely by returned overseas Chinese, it was named a China Historic and Cultural Street in 2009, embodying Haikou’s memory and Nanyang heritage.
- Distinctive local cuisine
Wenchang Chicken — The Foremost of Hainan’s Four Famous Dishes
Hainan cuisine (Qiong cuisine) is celebrated for its light, fresh flavors, original tastes, and creative use of coconut milk and tropical ingredients — one of China’s most distinctive regional cuisines beyond the eight major traditions.
The “Four Famous Hainan Dishes” — Wenchang Chicken, Jiaji Duck, Dongshan Goat, and Hele Crab — have been renowned since the Ming and Qing dynasties.
Wenchang Chicken is the origin of Hainanese chicken rice, which spread with Hainanese migrants to Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand to become a Southeast Asian national dish.
Local snacks such as qingbuliang, Baoluo noodles, coconut rice, Hainan noodles, and coconut chicken also leave visitors with unforgettable tropical flavor memories.
Wenchang Chicken
The foremost of Hainan’s four famous dishes, using free-range chickens from Tanniu Town, Wenchang.
Traditionally poached (white-cut), it features golden crispy skin, tender meat, and fragrant bones, served with garlic-soy and calamansi dipping sauces — a festive banquet staple and the origin of Hainanese chicken rice.
Jiaji Duck
From Jiaji Town, Qionghai, also known as the “Muscovy duck” brought back by Hainanese overseas Chinese from Southeast Asia.
With thin skin, tender meat, soft bones, and little fat, it is best prepared white-cut or as pressed duck — rich but not greasy, one of Hainan’s four famous dishes.
Hele Crab
From the harbors around Hele Town, Wanning, these crabs are prized for their plump meat and bright red roe.
Best steamed and served with ginger-vinegar dip, the sweet meat and rich roe differ distinctly from inland lake crabs — the only seafood among Hainan’s four famous dishes.
Dongshan Goat
Raised on Dongshan Ridge in Wanning, where goats feed on partridge tea leaves and drink spring water, the meat is free of gamy odor with tender skin and aromatic flavor. Prepared as braised, clear-soup, or dry-fried dishes, it was listed as imperial tribute since the Song dynasty and is one of Hainan's four famous dishes.
Qingbuliang Cool Dessert
Hainan's signature cooling dessert, with a coconut milk, coconut water, or fresh milk base topped with mung beans, red beans, barley, sago, watermelon, mango, macaroni, quail eggs and more — a cold, sweet, and refreshing night-market staple of Sanya and Haikou summer nights.
- Urban transportation options
Hainan’s Integrated Transportation Network
Hainan has built a modern, integrated transport network comprising a round-island high-speed railway, a round-island expressway, two international airports, and port ferries.
It is the only tropical island province in China with a complete loop of HSR and expressway, enabling a three-hour round-the-island journey.
Round-Island HSR
Fully opened on 30 December 2015, the Hainan Round-Island HSR is the world’s first loop high-speed railway, combining the eastern section (2010, 308 km) and western section (2015, 345 km) for a total length of 653 km with 25 stations at a design speed of 200 km/h.
It connects 12 coastal cities and counties including Haikou, Wenchang, Qionghai, Wanning, Lingshui, Sanya, and Dongfang, enabling a full loop in about three hours, with seamless interchange to Haikou Meilan and Sanya Fenghuang airports.
653 km / 25 Stations / 200 km/h
International Aviation
Hainan has two international hub airports: Haikou Meilan International (HAK) and Sanya Fenghuang International (SYX).
In 2024, Hainan received 1.11 million inbound visitors (+115.6%), operating 77 international air routes and adding 31 new ones, covering Russia, South Korea, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, and Australia.
Meilan is a major domestic trunk airport and FTP gateway hub; Fenghuang is the international hub for southern Hainan, only about 14 km from downtown Sanya.
2 International Airports / 77 International Air Routes
Round-Island Expressway
The G98 Hainan Round-Island Expressway, about 613 km long, is a national expressway loop connecting Haikou, Qionghai, Wanning, Sanya, Dongfang, Danzhou, and other key cities.
Together with the G9812 Haiqiong, G9813 Wanyang, and Central Line expressways, it forms a grid-shaped network.
The Hainan Coastal Scenic Highway (main line about 988 km, opened end-2023) runs through 12 coastal cities and counties, linking some 80 waystations and beach resorts, creating a high-quality island-wide road network.
613 km / G98 Round-Island Expressway
Ports & Ferries
Across the Qiongzhou Strait, Hainan connects with the mainland mainly through Haikou ports (Xiuying, Xinhai, Macun) and the Yuehai Railway Ferry, transporting passengers, vehicles, and freight.
Xinhai Port is the largest comprehensive transport hub on the Qiongzhou Strait for roll-on/roll-off services; the Yuehai Railway Ferry is China’s first cross-sea railway ferry, linking Zhanjiang (Guangdong) and Haikou with capacity for trains, vehicles, and passengers.
With FTP development, Yangpu International Container Port is rapidly expanding routes to Southeast Asia and major global ports.
Round-Island HSR
Hainan Round-Island HSR — The World’s First Loop High-Speed Railway, 653 km, Opened Dec 2015
653
kilometers of HSR
25
stations
200
km/h design speed
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