Yalong Bay, Sanya
The Beach of Yalong Bay
Stretching for about 7.5 km (4.66 miles), Yalong Bay (Ancient Dragon Bay) is one of the most famous scenic spots on Hainan Island. It is a crescent-shape bay surrounded by mountains on three sides, earning its reputation for soft beach, clean seawater and warm sunshine. In 1992, after an inspection on Yalong Bay, Savignac, the secretary of UN World Tourism Organization commented, 'Blessed with natural landscape, Yalong Bay is a real paradise'.
Yalong Bay was called Yalang Bay in ancient times. Both 'Ya' and 'Lang' mean 'white jade', which is used to describe the silver sands on the beach. The beaches are said to be the incarnation of seven beautiful girls' bodies. The seven girls are very pure both in minds and bodies, so the beaches are clean and white and the landscape here is as fresh as a young girl. In 1992, when the government was going to develop the bay, the name was changed into 'Yalong', indicating the bay was like a rising dragon that illuminates the whole of Asia.
The neritic area reaches for 50 - 60 m (54.7 - 65.6 yards), where the sand is soft and the seawater is clean. The sandy beach is covered with shady coconut palms, rare flowers and primitive tropical plants. With an annual average temperature between 22 °C and 25.1 °C (71.6 - 77.1 °F), the seawater here is suitable for swimming all the year round. Under the sea, there are plenty of sea creatures, such as corals, and a variety of tropical fish and rare shells, making the undersea world colorful and vibrant with life.
Apart from the gorgeous beaches and sea, there are several scenic spots, such as Yalong Bay Central Square, Butterfly Valley, Undersea World, Shell Museum and Tropical Forest Park.
Yalong Bay Central Square:
As the landmark construction and the transportation hub of Yalong Bay, the square is dominated by a totem column and a group of sculptures. The totem column is 26.8 m (87.9 feet) high, on which are carved the four Gods of Wind, Rain, Thunder and Lightning and four auspicious animals: a dragon, a phoenix, a sunbird and a fish. The sculptures around the totem column consist of three circles. In the first circle are sculptures of the Azure Dragon, the White Tiger, the Vermilion Bird and the Black Tortoise representing four seasons, and sculptures of the 24 Solar Terms. The second circle is mainly about eight ancient Chinese myths, such as Pangu Makes the World, Chang'e the Lady in Moon, and Hou Yi the Sun-shooter. The third circle is about natural creatures such as human beings, animals and plants, and eight Chinese gods.
The totem column and the sculptures represent traditional culture, while five sail-like white tents and a great water spring around the square bring a modern touch to the square.
Yalong Bay Butterfly Valley:
North of Yalong Bay, not far from the Central Square, there is a Butterfly Valley, the first butterfly cultural park that combines exhibition, education, traveling and shopping. The valley covers an area of 1.5 hectares (3.7 acres), consisting of a butterfly garden and a butterfly museum. In the butterfly garden are many plants providing a suitable living environment for butterflies. Visitors can see about 6,000 butterflies flying in the garden. The butterfly museum houses more than 2,000 specimens of rare butterflies, such as Teinopalpus aureus, Owl Butterflies and Parnassius Apollo, made of dead butterflies.
Yalong Bay Tropical Forest Park:
Covering an area of 1,506 hectares (2,609 acres), the Tropical Forest Park consists of the East Section and the West Section. The plants in the park are mainly tropical evergreen rainforest and tropical semi-deciduous monsoon forest. With its rich biological and geographical resources, the park fills the gap in Sanya forest ecotourism.
Yalong Bay has become more and more international and modern thanks to the founding of Yalong Bay National Tourist and Holiday Resort. There are coastal parks, luxury villas, a conference center, high-grade hotels, tourist resorts, an aquatic sports center and a golf course. Since 1996, Yalong Bay has been the venue of The Second Globalization Forum, 4th World Island Traveling Forum, one Preparatory Meeting of APEC Senior Officials, one Sanya International Triathlon and one New Silk Road Model Competition.
Tip:
There is no entrance fee for the beach of Yalong Bay, while some of the scenic spots do require entry tickets, including Yalong Bay Central Square, Butterfly Valley and Shell Museum.
Tickets:
A. Yalong Bay Central Square: CNY 33 (including the ticket for Butterfly Valley)
B. Butterfly Valley: CNY 21
C. Through Ticket for Central Square, Shell Museum and Butterfly Valley: CNY 46
Transportation:
Bus Route:
a. Take Bus No. 15 at the West Bus Station in Sanya and get off at Yalong Bay Square.
b. Take the Taihe Tourism Special Bus No. 102 which runs between Sanya and Yalong Bay and stops at Oriental Garden, Sanya Bay Road, Dadonghai Beach and Tiandu (CNY 5 for one way).
c. Take the Xinguo Double-Decked Sightseeing Bus which runs between Tianya Haijiao and Yalong Bay and stops at West Island, Sanya Bay and Dadonghai (CNY 10 for the entire journey); the bus leaves every 30 minutes from 07:00 to 19:00 daily.
Take a taxi to Yalong Bay from Sanya (CNY 30 - 50 for one way).
More Popular Attractions in Sanya:
