Hainan (Island) Province

Abstract

Once linked by land to mainland China in its geological past, Hainan Province was long ago inhabited by the local Li people. With signs of inhabitation going back to about 6000 BCE, eventually Hainan became a part of the Chinese empire, with a Han dynasty garrison established there in ca. 100 BCE. Like all of China’s provinces and major cities, and despite being an island province, Hainan was severely affected by the ravages of Mao’s Great Leap Forward in the late 1950s. Now a popular destination for holiday makers, complete with beaches and world-class golf courses, the island province of Hainan is also home to China’s most advanced space launch vehicle programs. Hainan also serves administratively over China’s (heavily contested) claims in the South China Sea, the so-called “nine-dash line” that covers some two million square kilometers. In addition to economic data, this chapter includes Hainan populations over time, as well as an up-to-date naming of China’s claims in the South China Sea and their western equivalents.