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Hotel lagoon in an idyllic garden setting.
HAINAN ISLAND,
CHINA. I’m on the other side of the world sitting across a
dinner table from Tony Le Jun Jiang, winner of the 2006 Mr. China
competition and second runner-up in the 2007 Mr. World contest. He
glosses over his pageant wins and launches into an ardent dissertation
about the merits of Hainan and, in particular, the resort town of
Sanya, a burgeoning vacation enclave on the island’s south coast.
Apart from his body beautiful pursuits, Jiang heads up Naka Consulting,
a Shanghai-based firm specializing in hospitality development
throughout the Peoples Republic of China, hence his interest in the
town on the edge of the South China Sea whose reputation as a holiday
hot spot is rapidly growing. “Sanya is definitely China’s
Hawaii,“ he says.
Certainly on the island and among its promoters this comparison to hula
land has become a popular catch phrase that isn’t far off base
since Sanya, in fact, lies on the same latitude as the Hawaiian
Islands. A number of likenesses includes a similar climate, swaying
coconut palms, tropical flowers, a long stretch of beach not terribly
different from Waikiki, plus a cluster of resort hotels. Mainland
Chinese tourists show they are buying into the Hawaii connection by
wearing flowered shirts that look like they came from a store on Maui
but are actually made in China and widely sold on the island.
Moreover, Chinese nationals are not the
only ones attracted to the sunny resort mecca a one hour flight from
Hong Kong. It has already found favour with Russian and Korean
vacationers who have discovered Sanya is a viable alternative to Bali,
Fiji and Thailand. Although it’s largely unknown in the Western world,
Kenny Wong, owner of Vancouver-based Meridian Holidays believes it’s
only a matter of time until the destination catches the attention of
North Americans.
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Kanako Nakajimo, Naka Consulting‘s executive
director agrees. “In the next five years China will show it’s a rising
star among world travellers looking for new destinations and Sanya will
be in the top five venues in the country,” she says. As dinner
conversation with Jiang and Nakajimo unfolds, globally transmitting TV
cameras at a theatre a mile down the road are capturing the Dec. 1st
finale of the 2007 Miss World contest. “Hosting high-profile events
like this will help make Sanya a well known tourist destination,“ says
Jiang.
Hainan is China’s most southerly province where the seaside
resort city enjoys an annual average temperature of 77 degrees F and
while more than half of the country’s mainland cities suffer from air
pollution, the island’s air quality received an excellent report card
following a 1995 evaluation undertaken by the World Health
Organization.
Francois Beland, a Quebecer working on the
island for Hainan Ananda International Travel Service Company, is sold
on the place and says Sanya is a tropical paradise that’s like Hawaii
with a Chinese twist. The most obvious twist is cultural attractions
like silk shops where visitors can purchase top quality items and learn
about the silk-making process the Chinese mastered many centuries ago.
“There are also plenty of teahouses where the public can participate in
tea ceremonies that represent thousands of years of tradition,“ says
Beland. The teahouses are a tea drinkers nirvana where products for
sale typically include a vast array of exotic blends in beautifully
crafted decorator boxes.
“Not unexpectedly, gastronomy is also
part of the Chinese twist,” he says. “Although visitors can get
international cuisines, the Chinese food here is wonderful and cheap.”
Popular are multi-course meals featuring chicken, beef, pork, seafood
from the South China Sea, together with locally grown vegetables and
tropical fruits.
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Travel industry professionals favourably compare Sanya to Hawaii.
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Hainan is well known for its cuisine since certain
dishes created on the island have won a number of culinary competitions.
Beyond
tea, silk and gastronomy, one of the most glaring cultural twists is
the contradiction between Sanya’s resort strip and the life that
unfolds just beyond it. Less than a mile from the big name hotels and
tourists frolicking on the beach, the resort area is flanked by acres
and acres of rice paddy fields where farmers cultivate their crops and
continue the long-standing tradition of using water buffalo to till the
sodden earth. Yet despite the Hawaii-like holiday haven that has sprung
up on their doorstep, life among local farmers appears to be unfolding
as it has for hundreds of years.
For the present, at least, rice
farmers seemingly remain oblivious to the ongoing changes that have
occurred around them including the development of two world class golf
courses, Yalong Bay Golf Resort and Sun Valley Golf Club. Minutes from
the resort area, both are flanked by forest-clad mountains and each of
their exceptional 18-hole layouts is capable of hosting international
pro tournaments. They are, in fact, comparable to some of Hawaii’s
renowned links and in both cases their clubhouses are grand, five-star
mausoleums featuring marble floors, sweeping staircases, fountains and
upscale dining rooms.
Moreover, Sanya area activities go well
beyond golf. For instance, the nearby mountains provide various venues
for rock climbing and hiking and Beland’s company will even arrange an
overnight stay in the mountain wilderness. Natural hot springs bubble
all over the island where visitors can soak in mineral-rich waters said
to have curative properties. Some of the springs also have what is
called a “nibble fish” pool where small Gara rufa fish (also known as
Doctor fish) will nibble away at the dead skin on a human body. “It’s a
very different kind of exfoliation,” says Beland. Other features of the
Sanya area include a large cultural village, tropical forest tours, a
Buddhist cultural centre, river rafting, sport fishing and scuba diving
over red coral reefs.
In fact, with the exception of hula
dancers and beach luaus, Sanya pretty much mirrors Hawaii’s tropical
paradise. “There are a few differences that mostly reflect the Chinese
culture but that makes the destination even more special,” says Jiang.
TRAVEL PLANNER
Documents:
Both a valid passport good for at least six months before expiry date
and a Chinese Visa are required to visit Sanya. Information: See www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/sanya and www.anandatour.com.cn
Donna Carter is a freelance writer based in Cobourg, Ontario.
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