Lingao county

Lingao Corner. [Photo/www.lingao.gov.cn]

Lingao county is located in the northwest of Hainan island, bordering Chengmai county in the east, Danzhou city in the southwest and Qiongzhou Strait in the north. It is 34 kilometer long from east to west and 47 km from north to south, covering a land area of 1,317 square kilometers. 

It is 82 km away from Haikou, the provincial capital, and has the Roundabout West Highway and Roundabout Railway running through it. 

The county has fertile soil and abundant resources. It has long been dubbed "land of fish and rice". It is rich in rice, seeds, melons, bananas, and rubber and has famous dishes such as roasted sucking pigs, Duowen water spinach and seafood in Maniao and Xinying towns.

Its coastline is 114.7 km long. There are 11 harbors, such as the natural harbors of Jinpai, Xinying, Diaolou and Huanglong. 

 An aerial view of the Golden Beach. [Photo/www.lingao.gov.cn]

The shallow beach area is 5,333 hectares, which is good for developing marine fishing. The output and output value of marine fishing ranks first in the province. It boasts abundant tourism resources, including the Lin'gao Cape, Gaoshan Ridge, Duowen Ridge, Bairen Beach, Houshui Bay, Maniao Bay, Guyin Waterfall, the former residence of Wang Zuo (a martyr of the Chinese Revolution) and a Confucian Temple. 

Based on its unique customs and historical relics, the county was named "the homeland of Chinese folk art", "the cradle of Chinese Taiji" and "the land of Chinese poems". The folk song "li li mei" and its man-and-puppet shows are national intangible cultural heritage items.

In 2022, the county's GDP was 23.1 billion yuan ($3.35 billion), increased by 0.1 percent.