yanoda rainforest cultural tourism zone

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Yanoda Rainforest Cultural Tourism Zone

Yanoda is the only tropical rainforest in China located at 18 degrees North latitude, and the quintessence of the top five tropical rainforests on Hainan Island. It is rated as a diamond rainforest scenic spot in China. Yanoda is a pictophonetic word that means "one, two, three" in the local dialect. The scenic spot has given the name new connotations that Yah means innovation, No means commitment, and Da means practice. At the same time, Yanoda is construed as welcome and hello, expressing friendship and good wishes. In the tourism zone, the dense tropical rainforest obscures the sky and the sun, and the flowing springs and waterfalls cascade down. Walking in the rainforest, you feel ripples of coolness through and around you. Here, six wonders such as hundred-year-old vines, thousand-year-old ferns, huge Ganoderma lucidum, and Antiaris toxicaria dubbed as "cold-blooded killer" coexist and thrive in a marvelous manner.

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Hainan Yanoda Rainforest Culture and Tourism Zone (5A National Tourist Attraction)

Print english.sanya.gov.cn Updated: 2019-05-13

The Yanoda Rainforest Culture and Tourism Zone of Hainan province is located 35 kilometers from downtown  Sanya . At north  latitude 18, the zone is situated in a tropical rainforest and is known as a diamond-level rainforest attraction in China.

“ Yanoda ”  means “ one, two, and three ”  in the local dialect. As the zone bears that name it bears its connotations as well . “ Ya ”  here means innovation, “ No ”  means commitment, and “ Da ” means realization. Read together, they mean warm welcome and best wishes.

The zone features a setting of tropical forests, and embodies the culture of the Chinese Zodiac, rainforest totems, and  folk arts and custom. Integrated with functions of biological tours, vacation s , and leisure, it is  a global tourist resort that provides great choices of food, accommodation , sight-seeing, shopping, and entertainment in a nature-oriented environment .  

T he “ Yanoda Rainforest ” , now open to visitors, represents a 200 million yuan investment. Consisting of two parts, Forest Valley and Dream Valley, it is made accessible via an 18-kilometer long  corridor  equipped with electronic US passenger cars, bio-pavement, a waterfall ropeway, and high-end tour buses.

Within the rainforest, trees grow high and waterfalls abound , with an average annual temperature  recorded at 24 degree Celsius . Walking in the forest, you feel gentle and lively breezes. Coming h ere you are destined  to have a great time and enjoy breathtaking   wonders of the rainforest.

A r eal tropical forest is part of Rainforest Valley, an outstanding“ natural oxygen bar ”. [Photo/ yanoda.com ]

Yanuoda Rainforest ’ s No I resort hotel, with a strong local architectural style, is situated deep in the tropical forests. [Photo/ yanoda.com ]

Featuring unique plating on banana leaves, Li Family ’ s Dinner is a must-have dish offered by the Zone. [Photo/ yanoda.com ]

Address: Sandao Farm, Saodao county, Baoting Li and Miao a utonomous c ounty , Sanya city

Tel: +86- 898-83881101/+86-898-83883333

Directions:

By shuttle bus: take Sanya Intercity Tourist Bus Line 1

By direct bus: Junlan Hotel to Yanuoda Zone; or Mingzhu Hotel to Yanuoda Zone

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Yanoda Rainforest Cultural Tourism Zone

Top ways to experience Yanoda Rainforest Cultural Tourism Zone and nearby attractions

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Yanoda Rainforest Cultural Tourism Zone - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

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Yanoda Rainforest Cultural Tourism Zone (Baoting county)

Dream Valley [Photo/yanoda.com]

Yanoda Rainforest Cultural Tourism Zone, located at Baoting county in Sanya, Hainan province, about 35 kilometers away from downtown Sanya, is a representative of Hainan's five tropical rainforests, which can be regarded as China's diamond-grade rainforest scenic spot. The name "Yanoda" means "one, two, three" in the local dialect, it also means "hello", expressing amicability and blessing. 

Sandao Valley [Photo/yanoda.com]  

Sandao Valley has a total length of about three kilometers, with a water depth of 30 m and width of 30-40 m. Waterfalls, rocks, giant trees, and springs formed over ten different and unique landscapes in the valley. There are peculiar geological structure and an abundance of medicinal resources. Some of the stones are as fantastic as the lunar surface, and some are as colorful as a sunset. 

Dream Valley is the best example of a valley waterfall in the tropical rainforest. The 1.2-meter deep and 200-meter high tropical rainforest valley incloses Yingbin Waterfall, Tianmen Waterfall and Lianen Waterfall. The magnificent and colorful scenery, together with the giant trees, rocks, and streams, forms a mysterious and dreamy zone. 

Rainforest Valley [Photo/yanoda.com]

Rainforest Valley shows the original ecology of the rainforest landscape. It has six wonders including the giant banyan, centennial old vines, "living fossil" alsophila podophylla, huge glossy ganoderma, "cold-blooded killer" artiaris toxicaria, and wild arenga pinnata. Rainforest Valley is a unique huge "natural oxygen bar" and negative oxygen ion generator, where the average annual temperature is 24 degrees. The tour channel is comprised of the wooden plank, rustic stone steps, and drawbridge to meet the needs of various tourists.

Scenic Spot level: AAAAA

Ticket price: 158 yuan ($24.28) per person

Tel: +86-898-83883333

Take the bus from Sanya Coach Station to Baoting or Wuzhishan, and get off at the intermediate stop, Sandao Nongchang Road. The bus departs at the interval of every 30 minutes and costs 13 yuan ($2) per person.

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Yanoda Rainforest, Sanya

呀诺达雨林文化旅游区 (yǎ nuò dá yǚ lín)

Yanoda Rainforest Cultural Tourism Zone, about 35 kilometers from downtown Sanya, is home to Hainan Island's five tropical rainforests. The name "Yanoda" means "one, two, three" in local dialect and implies the meaning of "hello". By coincidence, the zone happens to consist of three major attractions: Rainforest Valley, Sandao (three roads) Valley and Dream Valley.

Rainforest Valley is straight out of an ecological fairy tale, with lianas that extend about 100 meters long, clinging from one tree to another. Large banyan trees anchor onto the rocks to give tourists a pristine look at the lush treasures of a tropical rainforest. The valley is also covered with a carpet of various grass types that are crisscrossed by brooks and streams. It is a unique huge natural oxygen bar and negative oxygen ion generator, where the average annual temperature is 24 C. The 3.5-km-long tour channels are comprised of a wooden plank, rustic stone steps and a drawbridge to meet the needs of various tourists.

Sandao Valley is about 3 km long, with a water depth of 30 m and width of 30 to 40 m. Waterfalls, rocks, giant trees and springs form over 10 unique landscapes. There are peculiar geological landforms and an abundance of medicinal resources. Some of the stones are seemingly fetched from the lunar surface, while some are like the creations of maestros.

Dream Valley features a spectacular waterfall. The 1.2-m deep and 200-m high tropical rainforest valley encloses the Yingbin, Tianmen and Lianen waterfalls. The magnificent and colorful scenery, together with the giant trees, rocks and streams, form a mysterious and dreamy picture.

Scenic Spot Level: AAAAA

Address: Baoting Li and Miao autonomous county, Sanya city, Hainan province

Opening Hours: 8 am-5:30 pm

Ticket Price: 158 yuan ($23), including entrance, sightseeing bus and an electronic map

Web: http://www.yanoda.com/

Tel: +86-898-83883333

1. Dial 400-046-3888 to make reservations for featured rainforest hotels (including a five-star one) whose services include round-trip buses from downtown Sanya to the major attractions in the area.

2. Take the bus from Sanya Coach Station to Baoting or Wuzhishan, and get off atSandao Nongchang Road. The bus departs every 25 minutes and costs 13 yuan.

Last Updated: Dec 19, 2018

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• Yanoda Rainforest Cultural Tourism Zone

Yanoda is originally onomatopoeia for one, two, and three in Hainan dialect. Yanoda Rainforest Cultural Tourism Zone has given new meanings to these words: "Ya" means innovation, "No" represents promise and "Da" refers to practice. On the one hand, the concept of Yanoda here intends to perpetuate the native cultures and exhibit the essence of Chinese traditional culture; on the other hand, "yanoda" delivers the expression of welcome and greeting, referring to friendship and best wishes.

With the investment RMB0.2 billion already, two scenic zones the Rainforest Valley and the Dreamworld Valley have already completed. All spots in the two theme parks are connected by 18km of inner ring roads using American battery-powered cars, high-class shuttle buses and plank roads alongside cliffs. The rainforest six wonders garroting plants, root tangling with stone, old trunks in blossoming, hanging garden, clinging liana and thick board-root are a major attraction of the zone, all of which symbolize the essential features of the five major rainforests in Hainan Island.

More Attractions in Sanya

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Caddie Hainan Joy Tours and Travel Service Limited Sanya, Hainan Island, China Mobile : +86-1380-7535-200 Wechat ID : iaminsanya E-mail : [email protected] https://www.sunnyhainan.com/

Hainan Yanoda Tropical Rainforest Hiking Tour, Travel Guide on Hainan Yanoda Rainforest Cultural Tourism Zone

Hainan Yanoda Tropical Rainforest or the official name Hainan Yanoda Rainforest Cultural Tourism Zone is located in the middle of Hainan Island in Baoting County, Yanoda Tropical Rainforest is 35 KM away from Sanya on the way from Sanya to  Baoting County Hainan Island  &  Wuzhishan City  right in the middle of Hainan Island.

Yanoda is new word created by the owner of Hainan Yanoda Rainforest Cultural Tourism Zone from Hainan local dialect, meaning 1, 2, 3. The Yanoda Tropical Rainforest Park is a National 5A Tourism Attraction based on a wild natural tropical rainforest with total area of 45 square kilometers encircled by an ecological protection area of 123 square kilometers.  5A is the highest rating of China’s tourist destinations, an evaluation made by the National Tourism Administration based on services, popularity and quality of cultural or natural heritage.

The Yanoda Tropical Rainforest Park  consists two scenic areas, the Rainforest Valley and the Dream World Valley. The Rainforest Valley has plant strangle, flower basket, old Stems Blossom, great roots, intertwined vines and huge stones embraced by roots which are the symbol of the essential features of the five major rainforests in Hainan Island.: Wuzhishan , Jianfengling , Diaoluoshan, Bawangling and Limushan. So if you wish to have a glimpse of the 5 tropical rainforests on Hainan Island, a visit to Yanoda Tropical Rainforest will give you some ideas. It is a nice choice for an easy rainforest hiking, perfect for those who prefer not to do too much hiking on their own but view the rainforests from the comfort of an electric car on a well-paved access road.

There are shuttle buses to Yanoda Tropical Rainforest Park from Sanya Bay, Sanya City Center and Dadonghai Beach in Sanya. But for guests who don’t speak Chinese, or without a Chinese mobile phone number, it is a really a challenge as the buses will pick up guests all the way along Sanya Bay from different hotels, and you will never know in advance when you should be ready. So for non-Chinese tourists, we don’t recommend the shuttle bus. There is one easy way to reach  Hainan Yanoda Rainforest Cultural Tourism Zone from Sanya: Take bus from Sanya to Baoting or Wuzhishan from Sanya Bus Station and get off on the way at  Hainan Yanoda Rainforest Cultural Tourism Zone .   There are buses at around 1 hour from 8am till 6 pm daily. This is much easier than the shuttle bus as you know when you should be ready to go.

Our package tour is a private one for min. 4 persons/trip at CNY599/person with private transfers by Chinese speaking driver, admission fees to Hainan Yanoda Rainforest Cultural Tourism Zone, shuttle ride inside the site, and Glass Bridge. Free for child less than 1.2 meters height when travelling with adult.

Questions on Hainan Island Private Land Tour to Yanoda Tropical Rainforest Hiking Tour:

Question: When do we start from our hotel?

Answer: It is a private tour, so you decide what time to start. Normally we recommend 9-10am.

Question: How do we make payment?

Answer: We accept credit card with 3% surcharge, PayPal with 3.8% surcharge, bank transfer (no extra charge) , or you can guarantee the booking by your credit card and pay us cash on the departure day. We also accept payment by WeChat & Alipay.

Question: Where do you meet your guide/driver?

Answer: Pick up & drop off is always from your hotel in Sanya by private car or van.

Question: What shall we prepare?

Answer: Please bring your mosquito-repellent to stop mosquitoes.

Qustion: How long does this tour last?

Answer: It will take around 6 hours.

Hainan Island Yanoda Tropical Rainforest, Day tour to Yanoda Tropical Rainforest

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Yanoda Rainforest Cultural Tourism Zone

Top ways to experience Yanoda Rainforest Cultural Tourism Zone and nearby attractions

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Also popular with travellers

Yanoda Rainforest Cultural Tourism Zone (Baoting county)

Dream Valley [Photo/www.yanoda.com]

Yanoda Rainforest Cultural Tourism Zone, located at Baoting county in Sanya, Hainan province, about 35 kilometers away from downtown Sanya, is a representative of Hainan's five tropical rainforests, which can be regarded as China's diamond-grade rainforest scenic spot. The name "Yanoda" means "one, two, three" in the local dialect, it also means "hello", expressing amicability and blessing. 

Sandao Valley [Photo/www.yanoda.com]  

Sandao Valley has a total length of about three kilometers, with a water depth of 30 m and width of 30-40 m. Waterfalls, rocks, giant trees, and springs formed over ten different and unique landscapes in the valley. There are peculiar geological structure and an abundance of medicinal resources. Some of the stones are as fantastic as the lunar surface, and some are as colorful as a sunset. 

Dream Valley is the best example of a valley waterfall in the tropical rainforest. The 1.2-meter deep and 200-meter high tropical rainforest valley incloses Yingbin Waterfall, Tianmen Waterfall and Lianen Waterfall. The magnificent and colorful scenery, together with the giant trees, rocks, and streams, forms a mysterious and dreamy zone. 

Rainforest Valley [Photo/www.yanoda.com]

Rainforest Valley shows the original ecology of the rainforest landscape. It has six wonders including the giant banyan, centennial old vines, "living fossil" alsophila podophylla, huge glossy ganoderma, "cold-blooded killer" artiaris toxicaria, and wild arenga pinnata. Rainforest Valley is a unique huge "natural oxygen bar" and negative oxygen ion generator, where the average annual temperature is 24 degrees. The tour channel is comprised of the wooden plank, rustic stone steps, and drawbridge to meet the needs of various tourists.

Scenic Spot level: AAAAA

Ticket price: 158 yuan ($24.28) per person

Tel: +86-898-83883333

Take the bus from Sanya Coach Station to Baoting or Wuzhishan, and get off at the intermediate stop, Sandao Nongchang Road. The bus departs at the interval of every 30 minutes and costs 13 yuan ($2) per person.

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Yanoda Rainforest Cultural Tourism Zone Review

Yanoda Rainforest Cultural Tourism Zone

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Awesome original ecological natural landscape, like in the virgin forest, all kinds of plants that have not been seen, children can also feed small animals, that is, there is no tour guide, it is a bit easy to get lost, and it feels super tired after a while. The road sign is not clear, not simple and easy to understand, very stuffy, a lot of mosquitoes, Recommend sun protection, water supplements, and things with mosquito repellent, or long sleeves

On the Internet, there are some things to say about how many play projects Yanoda has, but I think Yanoda is more important as a tropical rain forest. All kinds of plants are very different from our inland. It is worth learning by children. If the budget is sufficient, it is best to ask a guide to explain.

The park is well repaired, not too big, 5A scenic spot, tickets and ropeway are not cheap, enter the door and buy a light tour battery ticket, even if you take these tools, 80% of the road is almost all steps, after going home, the calf still hurts for several days. Seniors with bad legs and feet should consider it.

Our family went to Yanoda Scenic Area to play, and also specially invited a commentator, is the 120 flag of the little girl, just to introduce the plants inside to the child, the staff inside is particularly enthusiastic, meet will be warm greetings, the child will always remember Yanoda Yanoda, Although it takes 8 minutes to take the cable car, it is not boring. Amei will introduce the customs here. The eyes are full of green. At present, they are all dense plants. The flowers on the green trees are particularly beautiful. I have never seen a particularly gorgeous flower on the top of the big tree in Lanzhou. Amei is very patient. My child is very lively, I love to ask Amei what this is and what it is, and I will answer it one by one. I have a lot of fun and I am very happy to see it. Not only did I learn a lot of knowledge, but also saw so many beautiful scenery, and I will come next time!

It is very worth a visit here, with strong fun, good service, beautiful environment, and a good place for travel and vacation.

It is recommended to go in the morning. I thought the scenic spot was not big. I went to Wuzhishan City in the morning and entered the scenic spot in the afternoon. Finally, I rushed to the mountain under the last bus. After going down the mountain, many projects were closed. It is recommended that the No. 2 cableway go down the mountain. After going down the mountain, you can also take a long battery car and see a lot of scenery.

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10 Best Things to Do in Sanya

What is sanya most famous for.

Sanya is China’s premier beach destination that boasts palm-fringed, white sand beaches, clear blue waters, rugged mountain ranges, a burgeoning surf scene, and a tropical climate. Located on the southernmost tip of Hainan Island in the South China Sea, this modern and well-developed resort hub is blessed with almost 50 km of coastline.

Sunbathing, scuba diving, snorkeling and hiking and ziplining through tropical rainforests are some of the best things to do in Sanya . There are also several cultural and religious sites to visit, as well as a hot springs resort. Read on to discover what Sanya is most famous for and why crowds of vacationers (mainly Chinese and Russian tourists) flock to the island every year.

What are the best things to do in Sanya?

Cycle along a scenic coastal road.

Stretching for some 25 km, Sanya Bay is the longest coastline in the city of Sanya. During the day, and especially during the Chinese New Year and peak seasons, the beach can be overwhelmingly busy with crowds of mostly mainland Chinese.

The bay isn’t far from downtown, so it’s a great place to enjoy a burning orange sunset or a romantic, post-dinner stroll. Alternately, rent a bike and cycle along the ‘Coconut Dream Corridor’. The picturesque seaside road follows the bay for 20 km and is lined with coconut trees and green tropical vegetation.

Location: Sanya, Hainan, China

photo by Shizhao ( CC BY-SA 3.0 ) modified

Luhuitou Park

See the city from a bird’s eye view.

Luhuitou Park is perched on a hill 5 km south of downtown Sanya in the Luhuitou Peninsula. You can enjoy panoramic views of the city, the rolling green hills and the vast South China Sea from the hilltop. The vistas are particularly magical at sunrise and sunset.

Luhuitou Park has winding walking paths and several attractions, including a 12-meter-tall statue that commemorates the legend of a brave young hunter and a mountain deer that transformed into a beautiful girl. You can take a taxi or Public Bus Route No.3 or 22 to get to the park.

Location: Jiyang, Sanya, Hainan, China

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Dadonghai beach, experience crystal-clear waters on this popular beach.

Dadonghai Beach is a gorgeous setting that's embraced by verdant hills on 3 sides and fringed with coconut trees. Sparkling blue water gently laps onto the 3-km-long beach. During Sanya's off-peak season, when the crowds aren’t too big, it’s a great place to spend the day in peace.

You can relax on the soft white sand and go for a refreshing swim. A shaded boardwalk, lined with shops and restaurants, runs along the Dadonghai Beach. There are plenty of places renting out chairs and umbrellas for the day. Some 400 meters east of the beach is a winding trail that leads up to a rocky point that overlooks the pretty seascape.

Swim, surf, snorkel and relax on this picture-perfect beach

The crescent-shaped Yalong Bay is the most picturesque of Sanya’s beaches – many even claim it to be the best bay in China. The 8-km-long beach is simply stunning, with lush rolling hills in the background, year-round warm, crystal waters and powdery white sand.

Yalong Bay is cleaner and markedly less crowded compared to other beaches in the vicinity. It’s ideal for a day of splashing around, enjoying water sports or just perfecting your tan. Besides the beauty above the water, underwater is just as gorgeous. Snorkel or scuba dive to see tropical fish and colorful coral reefs. Yalong Bay is approximately 25 km east of Sanyas city center.

Yanoda Rainforest Cultural Tourism Zone

Hike through a verdant rainforest to scenic lookouts and waterfalls.

The Yanoda Rainforest Cultural Tourism Zone is an eco-themed park set amid the verdant greenery of Hainan Island. Excellent for adventure seekers and those looking to escape the heat, the 45-sq-km park offers shaded paths through dense tropical rainforests that lead to panoramic lookout points and cascading waterfalls.

Electric carts can drop you off at the top of the forest slopes so you can walk down or zipline across the verdant canopy. One of the park’s highlights is the glass platform, which provides a scenic vista from the top of the hills down to the valleys and coast. You can also find a small cafe and a couple of souvenir shops in the village area. The entry fee includes an audio guide in English.

Open: Daily from 7am to 6pm

Nanwan Monkey Island

Enjoy a ride on china’s longest oversea cable car.

Nanwan Monkey Island is the only state-protected island nature reserve in the world that protects the endangered macaques. The island is home to nearly 1,500 monkeys, many of which are tame enough to interact with visitors. Take care not to show any food or drink as they will steal it from you.

Located about 1 hour and 45 minutes from Sanya's city center, you can reach the nature reserve by taking a bus from Sanya to Lingshui, followed with either a boat or cable car ride. The 2-km long cable car is the longest oversea ropeway in China, offering a smooth and scenic ride with vistas of fishing villages, the ocean and thick jungles as it descends into Nanwan Monkey Island.

Location: Lingshui, Hainan, China

Zhujiang Nantian Hot Springs

Find your zen in a lush, tropical garden setting.

Zhujiang Nantian Spa is a family-friendly hot spring resort and 5-star hotel that's within a 45-minute drive from Sanya. It's touted as the largest open-air hot spring in China. The entrance fee includes access to more than 30 warm, mineral-laden pools scented with anything from herbs and flowers to red wine, coconut milk and traditional Chinese medicine.

The icy pool is very refreshing, and a soak is believed to improve the immune system. The resort also has a massage zone, Chinese and western restaurants, a beauty center as well as various recreation and sports equipment.

Open: Daily from 8am to midnight

Nanshan Cultural Tourism Zone

Discover a thriving buddhism complex set amid stunning natural scenery.

The Nanshan Cultural Tourism Zone is a massive Buddhist complex located 40 km west of Sanya. The area consists of beautifully manicured gardens, towing sculptures, stunning sea views, and different sites dedicated to Buddhist worship.

Highlights include the Buddhism Culture Park, built to help people understand and appreciate Buddhism’s profound philosophy. Many people flock to this park to see the 108-meter high, 3-sided Guanyin (Goddess of Mercy) statue. Sitting on a platform surrounded by the sea, it's one of the tallest sculptures of the deity in the world. If you’re hungry, there are plenty of great restaurants, many of which serve vegetarian food.

Location: Yazhou, Sanya, Hainan, China

Open: Daily from 8am to 5.30pm

Sanya Romance Park

Enjoy a dazzling live performance in a 4700-seater theatre.

Sanya Romance Park, also known as Sanya Qianguqing Scenic Spot or The Legend of Romance Scenic Area Parking Lot, is a massive theme park located in downtown Sanya. There is a multitude of zones, including a cultural center, market, waterpark, zoo and theatre. You’ll also find traditional Li and Miao architecture, as well as a Li village.

Watching a performance at the beautiful indoor Grand Theatre is a highlight of any visit. The spectacular live entertainment show tells the story of Hainan from its prehistoric past to the present and features mesmerizing dance routines, fight scenes and unbelievable aerial acrobatics with special effects.

Location: 333 Yingbin Rd, Jiyang, Sanya, Hainan, China

Open: Daily from midday to 9.30pm

Nanshan Daxiaodongtian

Explore a 12th-century taoism site.

Nanshan Daxiaodongtian is the birthplace of Taoism in Southern China. Founded in 1187 during the Southern Song Dynasty, it is Hainan Island’s most ancient attraction – some of the evergreen pines in Daxioadongtian Park are over 6,000 years old. The park attracts both Taoists and foreign tourists with its beautiful natural scenery, which consists of a Taoist Temple, statues, rock formations and a lighthouse.

There are 6 different zones to visit, including the Dongtian Fairyland, Longevity South Mountain, South China Sea Dragon King, Cliff Wall with Inscriptions and Sanya Natural History Museum. You can learn about the history and heritage of the area plus see dinosaur fossils at the history museum. Nanshan Daxiaodongtian is around 51 km west of Sanya, on the southwest foothills of Mount Nanshan.

Open: Daily from 7.30am to 6.30pm

photo by Tanya Dedyukhina ( CC BY 3.0 ) modified

This article includes opinions of the Go Guides editorial team. Hotels.com compensates authors for their writing appearing on this site; such compensation may include travel and other costs.

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Visual culture and the Moscow Metro

James Andrews first rode the Moscow Metro in the 1980s as an undergraduate student studying in the former Soviet Union.

Now after 35 years, the metro is taking him on a new journey: documenting how its iconic public spaces reveal the story of Moscow itself as the city evolved under Joseph Stalin and his Soviet and post-Soviet successors.

This May, Andrews, professor of history, gave a public lecture on his new research project at the Kennan Institute in Washington, D.C. The Kennan Institute is part of the Woodrow Wilson Center, where Andrews was a former senior resident fellow.

The talk, which has been made available on YouTube, was so well-received that Andrews immediately received an additional invitation to present at the Jordan Center for the Advanced Study of Russia at New York University.

What makes the Moscow Metro a fascinating subject for a historian? More people ride the Moscow Metro each day than the New York City Subway and London Tube combined, yet its history is relatively unknown, Andrews said.

“Everyone has a story about the metro, but there has never been a book in English about its history,” Andrews said. “Many of my generation spent an endless amount of time on the metro. Before people had cell phones, you would always say, ‘Well, we’ll meet on the platform at this station.’ Everyone spent time traveling through this cavernous system. It’s a labyrinth really, but at the same time people don’t know much about its history in detail.”

Andrews’ previous books focus on the history of Russian science, technology and the Soviet space program. His new book project on the metro is another opportunity to study iconic Soviet technology, as well as visual culture.

The original metro stations, built with deep shaft tunneling methods beginning in 1932, had airy open ceilings with gorgeous bas-relief architecture—a canvas that Stalin used to create a public art monument to socialism.

“Socialist countries had a tendency to produce technologies that they could adorn with stories,” Andrews said. “Their metro was started in the 1930s under Stalin, and they invested a lot of money in it. It was important for two reasons: there was a utilitarian nature. The crowds were incredible in Moscow. They needed better public transportation. People had been flooding in from the countryside during collectivization. The other thing was to come up with a monument to socialism. That’s why they hired all these architects to decorate, and they decorated each station thematically.”

In the years after Stalin’s death, Nikita Khrushchev issued an edict rejecting the metro’s flamboyant architectural style in favor of a pre-fabricated, practical style, Andrews said. At the same time all over the city, de-Stalinization was happening, and street signs, busts of Stalin and station names were changed or removed.

“The irony is Stalin funded it,” Andrews said. “It’s a Stalin-era display technology project, but by the Khrushchev era they were erasing Stalin’s name from it.”

Andrews has had unlimited access to Moscow’s architectural archives, including many original photographic negatives, and will return to Russia next summer to research political archives.

“The Bolsheviks liked to document everything, but I was shocked at how many photographs they had taken of all these projects, documenting every stage and how well they were preserved,” he said.

Throughout his research, he has uncovered more stories hidden within familiar metro spaces.

One Russian architectural archivist told Andrews about being born in the metro in 1942, during a time when its underground stations housed makeshift hospitals, military meetings and even cultural events such as film nights.

Public spaces bear new stories over time, and Andrews is closely following the story told by newly constructed metro stations. New stations are bringing back marble-laden aesthetics and cultural themes that highlight famous Russian figures like chemist Dmitri Mendeleev or writer Fyodor Dostoyevsky, he said.

“I think the story tells us now that during Putin’s era you see a resurgence of Russian nationalism and Russian themes,” he said. “Not every station can be imploded into this reductive narrative, but it points again to how the narrative of the metro stations changes as the politics of Russian change to some extent and the city itself.”

And it shows how the Moscow Metro has a seemingly endless amount of track for a historian to travel.

“What I love about the project is there is a political history to it, a technological history, a social history, an engineering element, and an artistic element,” Andrews said. “It’s a multi-disciplinary study, which is both fascinating to me and challenging.”