{"id":8627,"date":"2011-05-01T05:05:03","date_gmt":"2011-05-01T05:05:03","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2011-05-01T03:05:50","modified_gmt":"2011-05-01T03:05:50","slug":"After-Hours-in-Sanya","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/?p=8627","title":{"rendered":"After Hours in Sanya"},"content":{"rendered":"

The marketing materials say that Hainan, China\u2019s southernmost island and province, is the country\u2019s equivalent to Hawaii. Following that logic, Sanya, the island\u2019s main resort town, should be a budding Waikiki. The reality doesn\u2019t quite match the hype. A boom in hotel and condo construction has rendered Sanya\u2019s thoroughfares overcrowded and dusty, and the town lacks the glamour and relaxing vibe of the American beach destination.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Still, Sanya\u2019s mild climate, sandy beaches and numerous hotel-resorts are already a draw for Russian and Chinese tourists, as well as a sizable number of Westerners from Hong Kong and China. Sanya hasn\u2019t always had such lofty ambitions. The island was a penal colony during imperial times for officials who fell out of favor with the emperor and remained mostly an agricultural and fishing backwater until 1988, when the region was designated by the Chinese central government as a special economic zone. <\/p>\n

Today, Sanya\u2019s accommodations include some of the world\u2019s top hotel brands. There\u2019s also a yacht marina and luxury condo developments, and a reputation for being a playground for China\u2019s rich and famous: Sanya has hosted the Miss World competition five times in the last 10 years. The city of more than half a million received about nine million visitors in 2010, almost three times the amount that came here in 2004, according to the China\u2019s official statistics.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sanya Tour<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n