Tourist attraction① "天下第一滩"

Yintan (银滩, Silver Beach)

Yintan is rated as a 4A National Tourist Attraction (国家4A级旅游景区, there are 5 levels in total (from A to 5A)), and it has a reputation as "the best beach of the country" (天下第一滩). It is located on the southeast coast of Beihai, and it ranges from the fishing port of Qiaogang Town (侨港镇) in the west, to Daguansha (大冠沙) in the east. The length is about 24 km (15 miles). Yintan got its name because the beach filled with fine quartz sand shines with silvery light under the sun. The seawater is very clean and the transparency of water is more than 2 m. It is one of the Eight Views of Beihai (北海八景) and also called "Longhu Yintan" (龙虎银滩). The name comes from the location that is between the two fishing villages of Gaoshalong (高沙龙) and Baihutou (白虎头).

Yintan is divided into two parts, Haitan Park (海滩公园) and Yintan Park (银滩公园).

Haitan Park consists of three parts: east, middle and west. There is a gallery in the east part. The middle part is the beach and also the area of marine activity. And the west part is the recreation area, which is composed of marine life museum, spray pool, large outdoor dance hall, etc.

Chao (潮), known as the biggest steel sculpture in Asia, stands in Haitan Park. It was designed in 1993 by Wei Xiaoming (魏小明), who is a native of Beihai and associate professor at Central Academy of Fine Art (中央美术学院). The main part is a large sphere with seven figures of girls around it, which symbolizes the pearl. The steel sphere is about 23 m (75 feet) high and about 20 m (66 feet) in diameter. A musical fountain that has 5200 nozzles is installed in the pedestal and can be seen only at night, and the column of water can reach a height of 70 m (230 feet).

In Yintan Park there is the most ideal beach in the south of China, which can accommodate ten thousand people. It is suitable for swimming for nine months a year, and the average annual water temperature is 23.7 ℃ (74.7 ℉). And there is also a Roman-style square, a barbecue square, beach volleyball courts, beach soccer fields, etc.

■ Bus routes: No. 3, Double-decker tourist line
Bus No. 3 (3路): 6:20-21:30, ¥2.00
Double-decker tourist line (双层巴士旅游专线): 15:00-19:00, ¥2.00

Nota Bene: Because the bus is mainly used by locals, there is often no route map inside the bus. Please check the sign before you get on the bus.

Qiaogang Town (侨港镇)

Qiaogang is close to the famous Yintan, and it was built by the overseas Chinese from Vietnam who returned to China and settled in that area in the late 1970s. The total area of Qiaogang is 1.1 km², the land area is 0.7 km², and it is the smallest town in China. The residents there lived on the boat and had Tanka (疍家) customs in the past. But they integrate into modern society according to the times, and the custom has been gradually disappearing.

The Qiaogang Style Street (侨港风情街), which is renovated in 2000, is famous for Vietnamese food and Beihai food. The Qiaogang Resort Beach (侨港度假浴场) in the south of the town is a part of Yintan and has many amusement facilities, and therefore it has become a favourite with the local residents. And in the Tanka Culture Park (疍家风情园), which is shaded by dense Casuarina woods in the east of the beach, there are traditional wooden houses and a barbecue square, and sometimes there are also folk performances.

◇  "Qiaogang Yueming" (侨港月明), one of the Eight Views of Beihai, is a term for a beautiful scene of Qiaogang. When darkness falls, the lights on fishing boats glisten and the moonlight gleams on the water.

◇  Dragon boat races are held as part of the annual Duanwu Festival in Qiaogang.

■ How to get there: It is about 4.6 km (2.9 miles) from Yintan. Take the No. 3 bus and get off at Qiaogang Shuichang (侨港水厂) Station. Also, you can take the No. 5 bus from downtown.

Bus No. 5 (5路): 6:10~23:30, ¥1.50

Golden Bay Mangrove Ecotourist Region (金海湾红树林生态旅游区)

Golden Bay is a tourist spot where you can view the coastal wetland and the culture of the fishermen. It is located about 15 km (9.3 miles) southeast of downtown, and it is closely connected with Yintan. The total area of Golden Bay is 20 km², and it is composed of three parts: mangrove tourist area (红树林观光带), golden beach (金滩), main zone (主园区).

Mangroves grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics, and it is a unique view of nature. Mangrove forest is also called "the forest on the sea" (海上森林). The mangrove forest in the mangrove tourist area has an area of over 2,000 mu (1.333 km²), and it is also home to over 100 species of wildlife, such as birds, fish, shellfish, shrimps, crabs, insects, etc.

The golden beach is not far away from Yintan, but it shines with gold light which is a completely different color. That's how it got its name, and the name "golden bay" (金海湾) comes from that too. The beach of over 20 li (10 km) long allows people to experience the life of the fishermen. You can catch seafood (conches, peanut worms, crabs, shrimps, fish, etc.) yourself during the ebb tide, and take a motorboat to sea to catch fish or to the mangrove forest to go sightseeing during the rising tide.

◇   "围海捞鱼" (Surround the sea and catch fish), also called "Laobo" (捞箔) or "Danbo" (疍箔), is a method that local fishermen use to catch fish. They set up fishing nets of over 800 m in length and make a circle at the beach. When the tide is in, fish will get into the net. And then when the tide is out, the fishermen will use hand nets to catch them.

In the main zone, you can lie down on the beach chair under the Casuarina trees and enjoy the view of the sea. And there is also a campsite, beach volleyball courts, etc.

■ How to get there: It is about 7.5 km (4.7 miles) from Yintan. It would be better to take a taxi. Also, you can take the No. 4 bus from downtown. Get off at Longtan Xiacun (龙潭下村) Station and walk 2.5 km (1.6 miles).

Bus No. 4 (4路): 6:30-18:00, ¥2.00

■ Admission: ¥105 for adults, ¥65 for students, seniors, etc., free for children

■ Opening hours: 7:30-19:30