Hainan history
People have lived on this island for thousands of years. The Li are the indigenous community. Hainan became a province in 1988, and in 2018 China decided to build a Free Trade Port across the whole island.
Before the province
The Qiongzhou Strait is the narrow water between the island and the mainland. Administration, migration and trade crossed it for centuries. Exile to Hainan is part of that record; Dongpo Academy in Danzhou recalls the poet Su Shi’s years here.
Archaeological and community histories are longer than a travel page. The point for a visitor is that the island was inhabited long before the resorts.
The modern markers
1988 is the year Hainan was established as a province, with Haikou as the capital. 13 April 2018 is the date of the decision to support a Free Trade Zone and a Free Trade Port for the whole island.
Those two dates explain why the island has both a tropical coast and a policy identity. They do not replace a history book.
Continue exploring Hainan
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