Come to Hainan to get a taste of the island's heritage

In recent years, more and more people are exploring the traditional cuisine of Hainan, a small island in southern China.

Hainan’s heritage delicacies prove popular with visitors

Food is a huge part of the cultural heritage of Hainan, mixing history, traditional skills, and local flavors into a unique island cuisine.

Dongpo Pork is one of the most popular local dishes in Hainan. (Photo: Hainan Daily)

You can't visit Hainan without eating at least one bowl of the signature Hainan Rice Noodles! There are several varieties to choose from, such as Hou'an Rice Noodles, Danzhou Rice Noodles, and many more. Why not try them all?

Most of Hainan's rice noodles have been listed as intangible heritage dishes. For example, The skill of making Hainan Rice Noodles was included on the third Hainan Province Intangible Cultural Heritage Representative Project list in 2009. Baoluo Rice Noodles were included on the third Wenchang City Intangible Cultural Heritage Representative Project list in 2011, and Gangmen Rice Noodles were on the fifth Sanya City Intangible Cultural Heritage Representative Project list, which was recently released.

Hainan Rice Noodles (Photo: Hainan Daily)

Baoluo Rice Noodles, which naturally hail from Baoluo Town, Wenchang City, have a very unique taste. A bowl of rice noodles are sprinkled with some beef, peanuts, pickled vegetables, crispy fried noodles, coriander, and other toppings. Stir them up with your chopsticks and they are ready to eat. What an unforgettable flavor!

Baoluo Rice Noodles (Photo: Hainan Daily)

Gangmen Rice Noodles take their name from Gangmen Village in Yazhou District, Sanya, where the locals make their living by fishing at sea. The local chefs combine seafood such as shrimp and squid with rice noodles, giving this dish the refreshing flavor of the sea.

Gangmen Rice Noodles (Photo: Hainan Daily)

Lingshui Sour Rice Noodles combine both sweet and sour flavors, creating an addictive dish that will make your mouth water in anticipation.

Lingshui Sour Rice Noodles (Photo: Hainan Daily)

Danzhou Rice Noodles (Photo: Hainan Daily)

Hou'an Rice Noodles (Photo: Hainan Daily)

Passing on traditions to keep Hainan’s flavors intact

Hainan's tasty heritage foods are made in a unique local fashion.

Residents of Xincun Village, located in Danzhou's Yangpu Economic Development Zone, make rice noodles.(Photo: Chen Yuancai / Hainan Daily)

"We can't lose this skill. We must pass it on," said Fu Zhiren, a Hainan Province level mooncake heritage representative. Hainan mooncakes, which combine the "soft" skin of the Cantonese mooncakes and the "crisp" heart of the Jiangsu mooncake, have developed three main features over time: flakiness, tenderness, and crispness.

Hainan Mooncakes (Photo: Hainan Daily)

In 2009, local sugar-making technology was included on the third Hainan Province Intangible Cultural Heritage Representative project list. The makers of this traditional sugar make sure that the flavor remains unchanged. In Zuntan Town, Longhua District, Haikou, Wu Qizhen and others have been maintaining excellence for 30 years, and continuing to pass down traditional local sugar-making techniques.

Local Hainan Sugar (Photo: Hainan Daily)

Wenchang Chicken is a 400-year-old local specialty of Hainan. Fu Zhiwang, a Wenchang Chicken breeding heritage representative, has raised chickens in the traditional way for decades, feeding them rice bran, peanuts, sweet potatoes, and other natural farm foods. They roam free-range for the first 120 days, then are kept in a cage for another 60 days to fatten them up, resulting in tender, flavorful, high-quality chicken meat.

Fresh, innovative takes on traditional heritage dishes

Many companies and chefs are now playing around with the traditional heritage recipes of Hainan, creating new takes on old favorites and getting more people interested in the island's cuisine.

Some Hainan mooncake companies are adding new flavors to these traditional local Mid-Autumn Festival treats. For example, as Chengmai is a coffee-producing region, you can now try coffee-flavored mooncakes there. That's a bit different than the traditional salted duck egg yolk filling!

Fushan Coffee in Chengmai (Photo: Hainan Daily)

In recent years, many chefs have learned new skills, such as making innovative Wenchang Chicken dishes like Coconut Wenchang Chicken and Diced Crispy Fruit Chicken, which have attracted quite a bit of attention.

Wenchang Chicken (Photo: Hainan Daily)

Salt-making is an ancient skill. The Yinggehai salt-making techniques were honored on the fifth Ledong County Intangible Cultural Heritage Representative project list in 2022. Many shops in Hainan now offer a wide variety of salted fruit drinks such as traditional salted lemonade, traditional salted pineapple juice, traditional salted grape juice, and more. These refreshing beverages will keep you cool and hydrated all summer long.

A traditional salt flat in Dongfang, Hainan. (Photo: Chen Yuancai / Hainan Daily)

Hainan Heritage Delicacies

National Level

Salt-making skill

Province Level

Hainan Rice Noodle making skill

Wenchang Chicken making skill

Local Sugar making skill

Deer Turtle Wine brewing skills

Hainan Mooncake making skill

Fushan Coffee roasting skill

Li Minority Rice Wine

City and County Level

Danzhou

Danzhou Rice Noodle making skill

Chicken Dropping Soup (a sweet soup with noodles shaped like chicken droppings) making skill

Zhonghe Cake making skill

Red Fish curing skill

Dongpo Pork making skill

Ding’an

Traditional Zongzi making skill

Lettuce Wrapped Rice making skill

Wanning

Dongshan Goat breeding and cooking skills

Ledong

Yinggehai Traditional Salt making skill

Li Minority Ha Branch Shanlan Rice Wine brewing skills

Sanya

Yazhou Hyacinth Bean Sauce making skill

Gangmen Rice Noodles making skill

Baisha

Li Minority Sour Fish and Sour Pork making skill

Wenchang

Baoluo Rice Noodle making skill

Jinshan Beef making skill