Hainan Island is often called the Chinese Hawaii, and it is the only tropical beach destination in China. It puts its arms round the South China Sea and the Gulf of Tonkin, about a 90-minute flight southwest of Hong Kong. The island is a paradise, he sea is a pale, minty hue and empty of people, the sand gleaming white!

The picture displays the south coast around the port city of Sanya, which is experiencing a luxury hotel boom: Ritz-Carlton, Banyan Tree, Le Méridien and Mandarin Oriental. In the past, Hainan had a romantic air. It served for centuries as a place of banishment for criminals, exiled poets and political undesirables.

After Hainan separated from Guangdong to become its own province in 1988, a development boom was started by a bust that left many building projects on the island half-finished. In the recent years, Hainan has welcomed back investors and become a fashionable spot for Russian tourists. The picture shows a dinner at the Resort Horizon in Yalong Bay.

The island also has a reputation as a surfer’s paradise. Between April and September, waves tend to come from the south, while October to March brings a northeastern winter swell.

These ingredients Star anise and coffee beans are used for spa treatments at many hotels.

Despite rapid development on Hainan, stretches of rice paddies and green, mist-covered mountain slopes remain. The warm, humid climate makes the island a bounty of tropical crops.