Haikou

Haikou (simplified Chinese: 海口; pinyin: Hǎikǒu), situated at the north of Hainan island, is the capital of Hainan Province of the People's Republic of China and has an estimated population of 830,192 (2006), therefore by far the largest city on the island. Some people also call it "Meilan (美兰 Měilán)", as its airport area and name are Meilan District. Haikou originally served as the port for Qiongshan, the ancient administrative capital of Hainan... more

Haikou (simplified Chinese: 海口; pinyin: Hǎikǒu), situated at the north of Hainan island, is the capital of Hainan Province of the People's Republic of China and has an estimated population of 830,192 (2006), therefore by far the largest city on the island. Some people also call it "Meilan (美兰 Měilán)", as its airport area and name are Meilan District. Haikou originally served as the port for Qiongshan, the ancient administrative capital of Hainan island, located 5 km inland.haikou was a part of Guangdong province. In the 13th century it was fortified and became a military post under the Ming dynasty (1368–1644). The port is located west of the mouth of the Nandu, Hainan's principal river. When Qiongshan was opened to foreign trade under the Treaty of Tianjin (1858), Haikou started to rival the old administrative city. In 1926, Haikou overtook Qiongshan in population in the 1930s after it was declared a separate administrative county. Haikou was developed as a port during the Sino... less