Dongfang Travel Guide: Hainan’s West Coast and Li Ethnic Heritage

We’ve sent clients to every corner of Hainan, and the county-level city of Dongfang (东方) on the island’s dry west coast is the one we recommend to travelers who’ve already done Sanya and want something grittier and more real. This Dongfang travel guide comes from our own trips: the rust-red rocks of Yulinzhou where wind turbines turn above the surf, the boat-shaped houses of Baicha Village where the Li people still weave brocade, and roadside stalls selling Sigeng roast suckling pig. If your image of Hainan is only beach resorts, Dongfang Hainan travel will reset it. Most foreign visitors never make it to this coast, and that’s precisely the appeal.

Dongfang sits on the Beibu Gulf in western Hainan, administratively a county-level city. For a neutral overview of its location and demographics, see Wikipedia: Dongfang, Hainan.

Getting there: the Dongfang to Sanya run

The west coast is now easy by rail. The Hainan Western Ring High-Speed Railway (海南西环高铁) stops at Dongfang Station (东方站). From Sanya it’s 50–75 minutes and ¥45–¥70 (about $6–$10) in second class; from Haikou it’s roughly 1.5–2 hours for ¥90–¥120 ($13–$17). Trains run roughly every 30–60 minutes through the day, and the last Dongfang to Sanya service leaves around 21:00, so an evening return is realistic. We usually tell clients to base in Sanya and do Dongfang as a day trip, or to break a Sanya-to-Haikou overland route here. By road, the G98 expressway links Dongfang to Sanya in about 1.5 hours (¥200–¥280 / $28–$39 by car). Buses run from Sanya bus terminal every hour or two for ¥35–¥50 ($5–$7). For a full island plan, our Hainan 7-day itinerary builds Dongfang into a west-coast loop with Wenchang and Sanya.

Best time to visit

Hainan’s west is noticeably drier than the lush east and south, which means Dongfang is pleasant in the cool season from November to April, with daytime highs of 24–29°C and little rain. We’d avoid July through September, the typhoon and heavy-rain window, when coastal wind can close the Yulinzhou headland and the boat to the Li villages gets cancelled. Spring (March–May) is good for the Li villages before the heat builds, and the lunar March 三月初三 (Li “Love Song” festival) is the single best time to catch brocade markets and pole-dancing performances if your dates are flexible. This Hainan west coast climate is the reason we route travelers here in winter when Sanya is busy and pricey.

Things to do in Dongfang

Start at 鱼鳞洲 (Yulinzhou), the rocky headland on the city’s western edge. The name means “fish-scale islet,” and the layered red sandstone reefs do look like scales stacked by the wind. There’s a white lighthouse (built by the French in the 1880s and rebuilt since), a long breakwater where locals fish with hand lines, and a field of wind turbines humming above the surf — one of the more photogenic industrial-nature contrasts on the island. Entry is free and the headland is open all day; go at sunset when the rocks glow and the turbines cut black silhouettes. Bring water and a windbreaker even in warm months, as the sea breeze is constant. The China beaches guide covers the island’s other shores if you want to compare the west’s rugged coast with the south’s soft sand.

For Li ethnic Dongfang culture, head to 白查村 (Baicha Village) near Jiangbian Township, about 40 km southeast of the city. It’s the best-preserved cluster of 船型屋 (boat-shaped houses) — timber-and-thatch dwellings shaped like upturned boats, built on stilts with no nails, the thatch laid in a technique passed down for generations. The Li people are Hainan’s largest indigenous group, and Baicha is one of the last places where the form survives at scale; the village has been documented and partly conserved as a heritage site. You can watch women weaving 黎锦 (Li brocade) on backstrap looms — the geometric patterns are iconographic rather than figurative — and sometimes catch a 竹竿舞 (bamboo-pole dance) in the clearing. Get there by hired car from Dongfang (¥150–¥220 round trip, 50–70 minutes on a good road); a Chinese-speaking guide helps because signage is minimal and the weavers appreciate a polite introduction. Our China ethnic minorities travel guide explains the wider Li and Miao presence across the province and how to visit respectfully.

The 俄贤岭 (Exianling) limestone hills to the southeast hold 俄娘洞 (E’niang Cave), a cool karst cave with a Li-origin folktale attached to it, and decent hiking in dry season — allow half a day if you go. Closer to the city, the 大田国家级自然保护区 (Datian National Nature Reserve) protects the 坡鹿 (Eld’s deer, a rare Hainan subspecies of the brow-antlered deer); visiting is by guided vehicle arranged in advance through the reserve office, and sightings are best at dawn. Things to do in Dongfang lean cultural and ecological rather than beachy — which is the appeal for travelers who’ve outgrown the resort bubble.

What to eat

Dongfang’s signature is 四更烤乳猪 (Sigeng roast suckling pig), from Sigeng Town to the southwest — a crisp-skinned, herb-tinged roast that’s a world apart from the sweet Cantonese version, usually ¥60–¥90 ($8–$13) per jin (500g) by weight at night markets and specialist shops. The whole pig is butterflied and roasted over charcoal with a local herb rub; order a quarter or half and eat it with 香菜 (cilantro) and a squeeze of lime. The Li contribution is 竹筒饭 (bamboo-tube rice), sticky rice steamed inside fresh bamboo with meat or wild herbs, sold at village entrances and roadside stops for ¥10–¥15 ($1.5–$2) a tube. Along the Changhua River (昌化江) you’ll find fresh 河鲜 (river fish) grilled with fermented beans, and at the morning market near the station you can graze on 清补凉 (cold dessert soup) and 椰子 (young coconut) for a few yuan. For resort-grade dining an easy train ride away, our Sanya Yalong Bay guide covers the beachfront restaurants if you want to pair Dongfang’s grit with a Sanya seafood dinner.

Practical tips

Dongfang is a working city, not a tourist zone, so a little prep goes a long way. Carry cash (¥100–¥200) for village stalls and boat-fishermen; mobile pay (Alipay/WeChat) works in the city but not always at Baicha. English is rare outside the station, so download a translation app and your hotel’s name in Chinese. The city is flat and spread out — DiDi starts at ¥7 ($1) and a cross-town ride is ¥15–¥25. Sun protection is non-negotiable on the open headland. If you plan to photograph the turbines, the access road west of Yulinzhou gives the cleanest wide shots at golden hour.

Where to stay and bookability

Dongfang city has practical hotels — Vienna, Atour, and local brands — at ¥160–¥320 ($22–$45) a night; book on Ctrip or Meituan. For comfort and beach access, most foreigners base in Sanya and train in. The Li villages have no tourist hotels; arrange a homestay through a guide if you want to stay overnight, and confirm the reserve permits in writing. Note that some nature reserves require advance permission, so build in a buffer day rather than counting on a same-day walk-in.

A sample west-coast day

08:00 — high-speed train from Sanya to Dongfang (under 90 minutes). 09:45 — taxi to Yulinzhou for the headland, lighthouse, and turbine photos (1.5 hours). 11:30 — lunch on Sigeng pig and bamboo rice in the city (¥80–¥120 / $11–$17 for two). 13:00 — hired car to Baicha Village for the boat-shaped houses and brocade weaving (2–3 hours). 16:30 — back to Dongfang Station; last trains to Sanya leave around 21:00. If you want a slower multi-day version, the Hainan 7-day itinerary strings Dongfang together with Wenchang and Sanya for a full circuit of the island’s contrasts.