China Travel Guide: Hainan

South China's Hainan province is the most popular tropical resort in China, with more than 300 days of sunshine a year. A wide array of water sports and activities is on offer in Hainan, including scuba diving, deep-sea fishing, surfing and windsurfing.

Qilou Old Street, Haikou

Haikou's Qilou Old Street is perhaps the most impressive example of arcade architecture in China. The oldest building, Sipai Building, dates back some 600 years to the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279). It has won the title of the first batch of "China's Famous Historical and Cultural Street".

Qilou Old Street features a stylish fusion of European and Asian architecture, with Indian and Arabic influences. Standing between two and four stories high, a Qilou has its ground floor set back halfway into the building so that it can be used as a storefront which is sheltered from both rain and sun. The upper floors serve as the living quarters, and extend over the pavement supported by columns. The exquisite carvings and decorations on the handrails, door frames and window frames are in the Baroque style.