Romance｜Haikou, a city of emotions

The people of Haikou are cheerful, warm, simple and kind, and when you stop in the city, you immediately feel a strong warmth, and you can't help but "fall in love" with the trillium.

Art and literature moisten the heart

At the end of 2019, renowned composer Tan Dun led nearly two hundred artists from the Bard Philharmonic Orchestra of New York and the China Symphony Orchestra Chorus in the classic work "Dunhuang - Ode to Compassion" at the Haikou Bay Performing Arts Centre.

After the performance, the applause was endless.

The landing of the "new" theatre has brought more than poetry and distant lands to Haikou. Haikou continues to improve the city's public cultural facilities, introduce high-quality cultural works, create new landmarks of high-quality performances, and continuously enrich the cultural life of its citizens.

The performance menu of Haikou Bay Performing Arts Centre includes not only dance, drama and concerts, but also opera, musicals, stand-up comedy and acrobatics, presenting international, pioneering and youthful performances. At the same time, the centre will be operated by a joint venture between Poly Theatre Management Co., Ltd. and the Haiyang Tourism Group, a state-owned enterprise of the city, to ensure a continuous supply of exciting cultural and artistic feasts by connecting with global quality performance resources.

According to reports, the Haikou Bay Performing Arts Centre has given a total of over 200 performances in the past two years, with over 200,000 people watching the performances.

The theatre is a tangible manifestation of a city's culture and can bring a multicultural flavour to a city.

Located on Guoxing Avenue in Haikou City, the Hainan Provincial Song and Dance Theatre was officially built in August 2010 as a base for artistic production, exchange, performance and a centre for artistic activities, learning and coaching open to the general public.

Not long ago, the original musical "South of Hometown" by the Hainan Provincial School of Culture and Arts was performed at the Hainan Provincial Opera and Dance Theatre. The ups and downs of the storyline in a stirring piece of music made people feel the passion and perseverance of the islanders of Hainan inside and outside the play.

On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Party, the large-scale music and dance epic "The Liberation of Hainan Island" was staged at the Hainan Provincial Song and Dance Theatre to showcase the glorious journey of the PLA across the sea to liberate Hainan Island. The entire performance was majestic and climactic.

A trickle of water becomes an ocean, and the fiery simplicity of emotions converge to form a great love for the homeland. The dance poem "Li Homeland" also opened at the Hainan Provincial Opera House. Through the meeting, acquaintance and love of a young man and woman, Parman and Baikou, it shows a picture of the happy life and living of the Li compatriots.

Thematic arts and cultural activities allow today's young people to be educated on the "Three Views" and inspire confidence and determination to build their careers.

The Hainan Provincial Museum, also located on Guoxing Avenue in Haikou, regularly hosts exhibitions of cultural relics and art, where the public can witness the passage of time and receive historical and cultural enrichment through a variety of relics and artworks. The Hainan Provincial Library, a public cultural venue in the new era, is a constant source of cultural nourishment for students.

Members of the public visit the art works exhibition and are consciously inspired by art. Photo by Xu Ersheng

Painter Ding Mengfang poses in front of his work. Photo by Xu Ersheng

Built in October 1956, the Haikou Library carries the memories of the city and has become a fond memory of Haikou people.

Libraries in four districts of Haikou are now open to the public for easy reading. During the opening period, you can also learn to make DIY traditional hangings by hand with your children at home and have parent-child reading exchanges in a relaxed and lively reading environment.

In addition, the Haikou Museum, officially opened in February 2010, is a local comprehensive museum in Hainan Province, also known as the "Wugong Ancestral Hall", across the bridge from the Wugong Ancestral Hall and echoing the "First Building of Hainan".

Of course, for young people who love to follow the stars, going to a concert at the Wuyuanhe Stadium in Haikou is the first choice.

The Wuyuanhe Stadium in Haikou has hosted concerts by big-name stars such as Alan Tam, Jacky Cheung, Miriam Yeung, Priscilla Chan, Angela Zhang and Hua Chenyu, including singer Jay Zhang's tour and Zhang Xinzhe's "Future Style 2.0" concert, attracting a large number of fans from home and abroad to Haikou to enjoy an unforgettable musical time.

Poetic and idyllic living

Haikou builds beautiful villages in the process of promoting rural revitalisation, opening up a poetic and idyllic life for Haikou people.

Inadvertently, you can stay at a bed and breakfast with a nostalgic feel, touch the countryside with your heart, and find a spiritual habitat away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Set up a contemporary art-inspired wedding that reflects the fashionable pursuits of young couples.Photo by Xu Ersheng