Hainan (redirected from Hainan, China)

Hainan (hī`nän`), island and province (1994 est. pop. 6,910,000), c.13,100 sq mi (33,940 sq km), China, in the South China Sea. The province, created in 1988, is coextensive with Hainan Island; Haikou is its capital, largest city, and major port. The second largest island off the China coast (Taiwan is the largest), Hainan is separated from the mainland (Liuzhou Peninsula) by Hainan Strait (c.30 mi/50 km wide).

The year-round growing season and monsoon climate favor the cultivation of rice, coconuts, palm oil, sisal, tropical fruit, coffee, tea, and sugarcane; the island also produces most of China's rubber. The mountainous interior is thickly forested, yielding tropical hardwoods, including teak and sandalwood. Hainan is rich in minerals, notably high-grade iron and tungsten, but also rich in titanium, manganese, salt, copper, bauxite, molybdenum, gold, silver, coal, cobalt, graphite, and crystal. Hainan's rich offshore fishing grounds provide shrimps, scallops, tuna, and Spanish mackerel, and pearls are harvested in the shallow bays surrounding the island. The growth of Hainan's industries, which include the production of textiles and farm equipment, has been hindered by a lack of energy resources. With its tropical climate and many beaches, Hainan is becoming a popular resort site. Hainan was designated a special economic zone in 1988 to spur the development of its considerable natural resources, but speculation led to an economic bubble that collapsed in the mid-1990s. The economy has recovered slowly and growth is now focused on the tourist industry.

The many aboriginal Li, who inhabit the forested interior, have been constituted with the Miao into a large Li-Miao autonomous district. Under Chinese control since the 1st cent. A.D., Hainan was not fully incorporated into China until the 13th cent. It became part of Guangdong prov. in the late 14th cent. In World War II it was occupied (1939) by the Japanese, who developed the industries and exploited the great iron-ore deposits. The island was liberated (1945) by the Nationalists. The Chinese Communists landed in Apr., 1949, and, with the aid of Communist guerrillas from the mountains, gained control in 1950. The Yulin naval base, a natural harbor developed by the Japanese, has been expanded since 1950.

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Hainan

 or Hai-nan

Province (pop., 2002 est.: 8,030,000) and island of China. With an area of 13,200 sq mi (34,300 sq km), the province also includes the Xisha and Nansha islands. It is located in the South China Sea, separated from Guangdong province by a narrow strait. For centuries part of Guangdong, Hainan became a separate province in 1988, the southernmost province of China and the smallest. Its capital is Haikou. It was under Chinese rule from the 2nd century BC but was not closely controlled until the Tang dynasty (AD 618–907). Chinese began settling the island in the 16th–17th centuries, gradually forcing the indigenous peoples into the interior. Hainan was occupied by the Japanese in 1939–45, after which it reverted back to China. Although the government has tried to stimulate economic development there, it is one of China's less prosperous regions.

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Hainan, Hainan Tao

an island and province in the South China Sea, separated from the mainland of S China by the Hainan Strait: part of Guangdong province until 1988; mainland China's largest offshore island. Pop.: 8 110 000 (2003 est.). Area: 33 572 sq. km (12 962 sq. miles)