Houhai Village – China’s Most “Wave-Riding” Village, as Beautiful as the Maldives!

Hainan is the first choice for many Chinese people to "avoid the cold" around the Spring Festival. In Houhai, a group of young people are riding surfboards and dancing with the waves.

Image source: Xinhua

Surrounded by the sea on three sides, uniquely endowed

Houhai Fishing Village, also known as Tenghai Village, is located in the south of Hainan Island, only an hour's drive from Sanya City. It is a small village surrounded by mountains and the sea, and it is also a paradise for many surfing enthusiasts. The coastline here stretches, and the beach beside the village presents a unique crescent-shaped geographical structure. The sea water is not deep, the waves are stable, the sea water is clear, the beach is fine and smooth, the air is fresh, and it is like spring all year round. The unique natural environment has created rich fishery resources and a unique surfing cultural atmosphere here.

Although the local population is less than 3,000, and it only takes 15 minutes to walk from south to north and from east to west, Houhai Village has 40% of the country's surfing clubs and hundreds of large and small surfing shops. However, more than a decade ago, Houhai Village was just a small fishing village dominated by Tanka people, and domestic surfing was not what it is today. Why can a remote fishing village be associated with surfing?

The development history of Houhai Village - the rebirth of the fishing village Since ancient times, Houhai Fishing Village has been a gathering place for fishermen in Hainan. Villagers have made a living by fishing for generations and lived by the sea, building a lifestyle of harmonious coexistence with the ocean. To this day, despite the gradual deepening of modernization, Houhai Fishing Village still maintains its traditional fishing economy, and its primitive folk customs and culture are still strong, making it an ideal place for tourists to explore the original ecological life of Hainan.

Today, Houhai is best known for its southern coast, which has waves all year round and a variety of entertainment projects. Going north and passing through the entire village, the pier near Wuzhizhou Island in the north is sparsely populated, but this is the true origin of Houhai's history.

Houhai Village is a fishing village dominated by Tanka people. Tanka people are a water tribe living in southern coastal harbors and inland rivers. They are called Tanka people because their boats are as fragile as eggshells. The village is surrounded by the sea on three sides, east, south and north, and adjacent to Jianglin Village, which is mainly engaged in agriculture. At the end of the 18th century, the Tanka people from Shunde, Guangdong followed fishing boats from Changjiang, Hainan, all the way through Sanya to Haitangtou (the predecessor of Houhai Village), where they multiplied and lived. They did not have land on land at first. Those with better conditions had two boats, one for fishing and the other for living; those with worse conditions fished and lived on the same boat.

In 1950, Hainan Island was liberated and Haitangtou was renamed Houhai. After hundreds of years, the Tanka people in Houhai Village no longer followed the lifestyle of "sea gypsies" and settled on land. But at that time, the sea in Houhai Village had not been developed. Most people in the village made a living from fishing, fishing, raising fish, and drying fish. There were only two restaurants in the whole street.

In 2000, Houhai appeared in the CCTV Millennium program. This ray of sunshine at the turn of the century inadvertently connected the strings between Houhai Village and surfing culture.

As a sport with high requirements for venues, surfing requires suitable wave height and wind speed. Houhai Village is located at 18 degrees north latitude and belongs to the tropical marine monsoon climate zone. The sea water temperature is maintained between 20 and 28 degrees Celsius all year round. Coupled with the continuous waves and relatively safe seabed terrain throughout the year, Houhai has become an ideal place for marine sports. The first sunrise of the century shot by CCTV in Houhai brought the romantic beauty and excellent waves of Houhai into the vision of surfers. In a mysterious way, the fate of Houhai has also ushered in a change.

In 2017, Houhai Village was included in the "Beautiful Countryside Plan", and the appearance of the entire village is also being remodeled. The former muddy road has become a beautiful stone road, the original fisherman's bungalow has been painted into a uniform small white building, and some artistic graffiti walls and simple and interesting signposts have also appeared...

Surfing has also driven homestays, bars, restaurants, music, etc. Some local young people quit their jobs and turned their first floors into Hainanese restaurants; some opened seafood stalls in addition to fishing; some converted residential buildings into homestays for rent... Surfing and tourism are visibly changing Houhai.

Houhai Village at night naturally forms a night market stall. The names of snack stalls are set off by colorful neon lights, and special snacks from all over the country are available: Hainan Baoluo noodles, Chengdu wontons, Chongqing hot pot, Xinjiang lamb skewers, Northeast dumplings...

Houhai fishing village slow life experience

Unlike other places where tourists are crowded, in Houhai, you can have the whole soft beach by yourself and wait for the arrival of a new day in silence.

Houhai has a scenery that cannot be seen in Sanya Bay, Dadonghai and Yalong Bay - sunrise at sea. The best point to watch the sunrise is at the fishermen's pier in the north of the village. As long as the weather is good, watching the sunrise is so simple. Install the tripod and look forward to the moment when the sun jumps out of the sea with excitement. The bright red sun rose up little by little, and began to look like a big egg yolk, with no light, only color. As the sun rose, the light gradually radiated, illuminating the sea with red light. Then, there was a reflection on the sea, and the sea became golden and sparkling, as if dancing for the rising sun.

In Houhai, the villagers still maintain their original lifestyle. Generations of people have made a living by fishing, fishing at sunset and returning at sunrise. Fishermen usually rest during the day and fish in the evening, and their lives are very regular. Therefore, it is also known as the last "living" fishing village in Sanya. After watching the sunrise, the fishermen also returned from fishing, all of which were fresh seafood that had just landed, authentic and lively, and very cheap, with a high cost-effectiveness. When the fishermen are about to close their stalls and go home, they will often generously give you a lot. Just buy it back to the village and process it at your residence. After a little processing, it will be a pure natural delicacy.

You can also follow the fishermen to go out to sea on a boat, feel the thrill of riding the waves, and taste fresh catches. Ingredients such as chicken leg snails, scallops, oysters, abalone, and flower crabs can all be delicious after simple cooking, making people salivate.

In Houhai Village, many aspects of the lives of local indigenous residents are preserved. The lively food streets and bustling farmers' markets are full of the breath of life. If you have the patience to walk around, you can see the exquisite murals in the alleys, and the ingenious cafes and homestays. Whether you take a beautiful photo here, or sit down and order a cup of coffee and enjoy the slow life in Sanya, it is a very good choice. In Houhai Village, you can walk directly to the beach. Maybe the beach here is not the cleanest, and the sand here is a little rough, but it also has its own flavor.

Lighthouse Pier is the most popular place for tourists in Houhai Village. The red lighthouse on the pier extending out to the sea has a unique flavor. From here you can see the coastline of Haitang Bay, the rows of luxury hotels, and the distant view of Wuzhizhou Island. Prosperity and tradition have formed a wonderful balance here.

Houhai Surfing Experience

When you come to Houhai, you must experience surfing. There are surfing shops everywhere in the village. You can learn at any one of them. Maybe you will fall in love with a new sport. To the south of the village is a half-moon-shaped bay about 2 kilometers long - Queen's Bay. Queen's Bay is not impressive at first glance, but it has the most pristine coastline in Sanya. The white sand is soft and thick, the sea water is clean and transparent, and there are many corals and fish. It is a paradise for surfers from all over the world.

In order to make surfing truly enter the lives of the public, the surfing club has also launched a variety of theme activities, such as the "Ji Le" surfing club's regular charity cross-dressing surfing competition, the monthly charity environmental protection activities, the "Wanderer" market, etc., and even initiated and participated in the filming of a documentary about surfing.

Where to stay in Houhai Village?

In recent years, in order to welcome more tourists, many characteristic homestays have been built on the beach of Houhai to meet the needs of different tourists. Many homestays are still transformed from local houses, retaining the original traditional style, and injecting new inspiration for design, with a holiday atmosphere. Some inns are right on the beach, and you can walk on the beach as soon as you open the door, and you can enjoy the exclusive sea view in front of the window.

Food Tour in Houhai Fishing Village

When you come to Houhai Fishing Village, of course you can't miss the food here. As a fishing village, Houhai's seafood is naturally fresh and delicious, and the variety is rich. All kinds of seafood delicacies make every tourist who comes here can't stop.

Fresh seafood: In Houhai Fishing Village, seafood is definitely the protagonist. From lively marine fish and crabs to tender conchs and clams, each one is fresh and delicious just caught from the sea. Visitors can go to the fishing port to select seafood in person, and then go to the village restaurant to have the chef cook it and enjoy the most authentic seafood feast.

Image source: Xinhua

Authentic Hainan flavor: In addition to seafood, the local flavor food of Houhai Fishing Village is also not to be missed. Hainan's coconut rice, steamed Wenchang chicken, Hainan noodles, kimchi, etc. are all good choices for tourists to understand the local food culture. Especially coconut rice, the fragrance of coconut and the aroma of rice are intertwined, which is intoxicating.

Traditional snacks: In the streets and alleys of the village, you can often see local residents selling some traditional snacks. Hainan's special snacks such as Hainan rice noodles and Hainan pan-fried buns are not only delicious, but also rich in local characteristics, which can definitely satisfy the taste buds of foodies.

Houhai Awaits!

Houhai Village has many tourists from all over the world. Here, you can feel the excitement of water sports, hear the laughter of pedestrians on the road, and enjoy the leisure of slow life by the sea. It can be said that Houhai Village is a holy place for slow life. A piece of sunshine, a beach, a sip of wine, and a group of people from all over the world. Different people come here, perhaps the same thing is to enjoy this beautiful and pleasant holiday time. This is Houhai.

In addition to Houhai surfing, Sanya also has many other experiences such as yachting and helicopter sightseeing, which I will not go into detail. Guests who need this can consult our customer service staff.

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Sanya Extravaganza: 5 Days of Feasting on the Sea and the Sky Your Destination: Sanya, Hainan

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