Hainan University

海南大学

Hainan University is located in Haikou, the capital of Hainan Province, a national historical and cultural city. It is a comprehensive key university in Hainan Province. The campus covers a total area of ​​more than 5,200 acres. It is a university jointly built by Hainan Province, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Finance, a key university of the national "211 Project", and a selected university in the "National Excellent Engineer Education and Training Program", "National Excellent Legal Talent Education and Training Program", and the national "Mid-Western College Comprehensive Strength Improvement Project". It is a major member of the "Mid-Western College Alliance".

Introduction

  • Attraction Location: Haidian Island, Meilan District, Haikou City, Hainan Province, China (海南省海口市美兰区海甸岛)

  • History: Hainan University was originally founded in 1958. In 2007, it merged with the South China Tropical Agricultural University (华南热带农业大学), forming the new Hainan University, which was elevated to a “211 Project” university and later included in the “Double First-Class Initiative.”

  • Architecture: The campus integrates modern academic buildings with tropical landscaping. Red-roofed structures, spacious lecture halls, modern laboratories, and tree-lined boulevards are iconic features. Its main gate and library are popular architectural landmarks.

  • Cultural Value: It serves as a top comprehensive university in Hainan, playing a key role in tropical agriculture research, marine studies, and cultural exchanges with Southeast Asia. The campus reflects the blend of academic spirit and tropical island atmosphere.

  • Other Information: The campus is bordered by the sea on Haidian Island, offering both natural beauty and academic atmosphere. It is often visited by locals and tourists for its scenery and cultural environment.

Visiting Information

  • Opening Hours: Generally open to students and staff all day; visitors usually welcomed between 8:00–18:00. Some facilities like the library may restrict entry to outsiders.

  • Ticket Price: Free admission for campus visit

  • Best Photo Spots: Main Gate (海南大学正门), University Library, lakeside near the campus park, sea-view boulevard on Haidian Island.

  • Time Reference: 1–2 hours for a casual walk; half a day for a detailed campus exploration.

Where to Sleep (Nearby Hotels & Stays)

  • Luxury: Hilton Haikou (海口希尔顿酒店)
    Hainan Guest House (海南迎宾馆)
  • Mid-range: Haikou Baohua Harbour View Hotel (海口宝华海景大酒店)
    Golden Coast Lawton Hotel (金海岸罗顿大酒店)
  • Budget & Boutique: Haidian Hostel (海甸青旅)
    7 Days Inn Haidian Island (7天连锁酒店 海甸岛店)

What & Where to Eat

  • Must-Try Dishes: Wenchang Chicken (文昌鸡)
    Hainanese Coconut Rice (椰子饭)
    Hele Crab (和乐蟹)
    Hainan Noodles (海南粉)
  • Famous Spots: Baoluo Noodles Restaurant (抱罗粉店)
    Coconut Fragrance Restaurant (椰香园)
    Qionghai Flavor Restaurant (琼海味馆)

What Souvenirs to Buy

  • Hainan coconut candy (椰子糖)
    Li brocade handicrafts (黎锦)
    Coffee from Xinglong (兴隆咖啡)
    Pearl jewelry (珍珠饰品)

Transportation

  • From Haikou Meilan International Airport (海口美兰国际机场): Taxi (about 40 minutes)
    Airport Shuttle to downtown, then taxi or bus to Haidian Island.
  • From Haikou East Railway Station (海口东站): Taxi (20–30 minutes)
    Bus routes to Haidian Island: Bus No. 35, 40, 44.
  • Within Haikou City: Public bus and taxi are the easiest. Ride-hailing apps like Didi (滴滴) are widely used.

Nearby Attractions

  • Baishamen Park (白沙门公园) – about 1.5 km, walk or short taxi ride
  • Haidian River (海甸河) Riverside – about 1 km, accessible on foot
  • Haikou Century Bridge (世纪大桥) viewpoint – about 1.8 km, 5 minutes by taxi

Tips for Visitors

  • Check university regulations for visitor entry; some areas like dormitories and labs are restricted.
  • Wear comfortable walking shoes, as the campus is large and scenic.
  • Respect the academic environment—avoid loud noises inside study areas.
  • Photography is generally allowed outdoors, but check before photographing inside buildings.
  • Carry water and sunscreen—Hainan is hot and humid most of the year.

Recommended itineraries

  • Half-Day City Walk: Hainan University (海南大学) → Baishamen Park (白沙门公园) → Dinner at Coconut Fragrance Restaurant (椰香园). All by walking or short taxi rides.
  • One-Day Culture & City Tour: D1: Hainan University (海南大学) → Haikou Arcade Streets (海口骑楼老街, 15 min by taxi) → Hainan Museum (海南省博物馆, 20 min by taxi) → Evening food street tour at Qilou Snack Street (骑楼小吃街). Transport: Taxi or bus between sites.
  • Two-Day Hainan Experience: D1: Hainan University (海南大学) → Baishamen Park (白沙门公园, walking) → Haikou Century Bridge (世纪大桥, taxi) → Haikou Arcade Streets (海口骑楼老街). D2: Hainan Museum (海南省博物馆, bus/taxi) → Holiday Beach (假日海滩, 20 min by taxi) → Guanlan Lake Hot Spring Resort (观澜湖温泉, 40 min by taxi). Transport: Mainly taxi or Didi.

User Reviews

By Hao Lang |

A very very very very big campus 😃 The food in the cafeteria is delicious 😊

By Bullet |

Haikou’s changeable weather

I only stayed at Haida for two or three hours, and I saw different weather conditions.

Cycling on the coconut grove path should be romantic and sunny~

By David_Z_Zjb |

I hurried past it and didn't go in. I ate some braised chicken on the side, which was not delicious, haha

By xyxhaidi |

There are electric cars available for riding, 1 yuan per person. If you walk, it will be very tiring, the campus is too big, and the electric car route covers the main areas of the campus.

By Flowers Outdoor |

I have a very good impression of Hainan University! I like their fruit shop very much. It is very big and there are many fruit shops. It is very lively. There are also many large restaurants. When walking around the campus at night, there is also a flea market. Students hold lights and sell all kinds of things. It can be said that there is a very campus atmosphere! I especially like the Nanchang Food Street!

By With the wind - Ming Dong |

After touring the campus, you can go to the South Gate at night. There is a snack street just outside the door for dinner and supper.

By Lilac |

I am used to visiting universities in a city after I go there. I took the opportunity of a business trip to go to Hainan University one night. I was lucky enough to catch the grass concert at Hainan University. With the breeze blowing, I had fun on the playground until 9 o'clock. It was full of the restlessness of youth! !

By Phoebeling |

Cycling around Hainan University is a must. The structure of the Century Bridge at Hainan University is also very interesting.

By J |

Experience the feeling of a university campus

More like a small park, Lakeside Park

Take a walk and feel relaxed and happy



There are Starbucks, fast food, and shopping malls outside the north gate

There is a night market outside the South Gate, with many milk tea snack shops

By you |

I went to Hainan University in the afternoon. It is very close to Baishamen Park. The school is very big. Walking in it makes me feel relaxed and happy. The environment inside is very good, with groups of coconut trees.

By Mingru |

When you go to a city, you have to visit the famous local universities. The campus is quite large. Unlike Tsinghua University and Peking University, there are no historical sites, but Baishamen Park is near the north gate and close to the sea.

By yiyiweiya |

My beautiful university, no explanation needed!!! Haikou is a place where it is spring all year round and you can often see rainbows

By Xiaxia |

The school environment is good, there are two viewing lakes, and I feel inexplicably sad when I return to school.

By VirusLing |

You have to choose the right time to come. The snack street is ok.

By Mu Xiaomu's Travel Diary |

The Haidian Campus of Hainan University is located on Haidian Island in Haikou City, covering an area of ​​more than 3,000 acres. It is divided into teaching area, student area, teaching staff area, and tourism campus area. It is the main campus for first-class students. It is known as the "Haidian Island People's Park" and is the largest unit in the entire Haidian Island. The new south gate of the campus is the Century Bridge, which leads directly to the teachers' area in the west of the bridge. Further west is the beautiful Haikou Bay. Near the north gate are the famous Baishamen Park and Qiongzhou Strait Beach. Near the south gate are the Haikou Municipal Education Bureau and the Haidian Campus of Hainan Radio and Television University. Opposite the east gate is the Haikou People's Hospital.

By Weird and wonderful inscription |

A corner of the scenery of Haida University. I really think that Haida University is really big. Teachers and students need to use small electric vehicles to travel.

By user |

I walked in and had a pumpkin milk tea at the door. It was really good.

By Stand on tiptoe |

Hainan's highest institution of learning has a very large area, a very good green environment, and pleasant scenery. It is suitable for cycling inside, and the food in the cafeteria is also very good.

By Small |

After reading many people's comments, I didn't have too much hope. I just went to a city and visited the local university. It was better than I expected. It was more like a big community than a school. What surprised me was the teachers' apartment with a high occupancy rate and the kindergarten that looked very good. It made me feel that Hainan University's humanistic care for teachers was still good. There are no big trees in the school. The school bus driver said that the table lamps that are often reported are a problem because the big trees attract wind. Nanmen Snack Street is presented to me. Those stores were recommended to me by a fat local aunt. When it comes to eating, you must trust the fat person's recommendation.

By Ugly Samba |

The campus is very large, with a stronger humanistic atmosphere and less student atmosphere.

By Yueer Cici |

Hainan University is located in Haikou, the capital of Hainan Province, a national historical and cultural city. It is a comprehensive key university under the jurisdiction of Hainan Province.

By Little ears of the wind |

I gave it five points because I have a special affection for Hainan University. Its scenery is nice, the sky is blue, and the air is fresh. Come on, friends, let's drink this glass of coconut juice of friendship.

By Mary Michelle |

Hainan University is worth a visit! Beautiful and unforgettable!

By The Call of the Wolf |

A great university, I actually saw mangroves here!

By SummerWhite |

The school buildings are ordinary, the scenery is ordinary... In short, it is a dull university... However, the battery shuttle bus on campus is very unique. It costs one yuan to take you to each gate: you can get on the bus from each gate, or you can see the bus on campus, wave it to stop, and get on the bus for one yuan. It is very convenient... The last bus in the picture is the campus shuttle bus (〃'▽'〃) (´ ❥ `)

By Bitter loves post-rock |

It's a big campus, you must go to the South Gate Street

By a(ง •̀_•́)ง露 |

The school in the park is beautiful. The number of trees... well, do you understand?

By peter0635 |

It was not bad. We went to Haidian Island during the winter vacation, so there were few people on campus and we drove around for a tour.

By Xuanzang's Journey to the Tang Dynasty |

I have a university complex and like to visit various universities. If you get off the bus at the South Gate and want to go to the main gate, you can take a 1-yuan electric car. You can get off and walk around at will, or you can take it directly to the main gate. It is very convenient and you can enjoy the scenery along the way. Great!

By Enjoy the scenery on the road |

I have been in Haikou for four years, and I have been studying in the university for four years. I still feel reluctant to leave. The most beautiful view of Century Bridge is in Haikou University. The university has a tallest building that overlooks the entire Haidian Island. The snacks at the South Gate and North Gate are still very popular.

By qingniaobaby |

Haida is indeed a place suitable for dating, not a place suitable for studying

By An Xiaoni |

The hotel I stayed in was just one stop away. I stopped by here to take a stroll. It was so big. There was a small car at the door. It only cost one dollar and could go around half a circle. It was very cool at night and it was beautiful with the moonlight.

By Jianyang Notes |

We went there in winter, and Haida University was still as beautiful as a summer flower. Just look at the pictures below and you will know. Haida University in the evening is like a poem, perfect for a tryst between lovers!

By Great Hide Hide |

It's very beautiful. I walked around the campus in the evening. Although there were not many people on campus after the typhoon, it was still very charming! I especially like the lights on campus. It's really beautiful...

By T遠行的夢想T |

What impressed me most was the lake inside the university. Sitting by the lake to rest, read or chat is a good choice. It is quiet and there are few people.

By summer |

When I went to Ocean University of China, it was the scene after decades of typhoons. Walking on the campus, there were trees and buildings everywhere. But Ocean University of China is really big and beautiful. As a university in a coastal city and a provincial capital, both the facilities and the school are good. It was summer vacation when I went there, but there were still many students in the university. The atmosphere was quite good and you could feel the cultural atmosphere here.

By Lotus breeze |

We entered from the simple and elegant north gate, and the motto of Ocean University was right in front of us: The sea embraces all rivers, and the road leads to faraway places. Walking inside, there were beautiful teaching buildings. It was the holiday season, and the university seemed particularly quiet and spacious. A group of girls and boys were putting on COSPLAY, putting on makeup and dancing, looking so youthful.

By KISS Yao |

When we arrived at Nanmen Snack Street, we saw portable snack carts! There was a long row of snack carts, and behind the snack carts were the tables that the vendors had set up themselves. It was truly a mini snack street. However, the business seemed to be booming!

Let's try the taste of Haigui over the years. Haigui took us to eat some more reliable snacks.

By Yvette wants to go to Voyager |

PS: If you want to go to Hainan University, it is recommended to just wander around the main gate. The beautiful scenery is almost at the main gate, and it seems that it only takes one or two stops from the main gate to Baishamen Park. However, there are many fruit stalls to the left of the South Gate. Friends who want to buy fruit can come here to visit.

By Andy |

My alma mater, I must recommend it, it's worth a visit

By Rain or shine |

Walking all the way in, all the buildings I saw through the north gate were modern buildings, which were rather ordinary. They did not have the academic feel created by the red walls of Xiamen University, the Republican style created by the steps and trees of Yunnan University, or the campus atmosphere created by the lawns and school roads of Huazhong Agricultural University (please don’t beat me, students from Ocean University).

By Fresh Sunshine 13 |

The environment is great. The weather was too hot, so I didn't walk too much. The tree-lined path was very pleasant. Let's talk about love.

Ocean University is also a national first-class university and a 211 high school, but the environment is still quite harsh. I met a student from Ocean University at the post station. He lives in Northeast China. I asked him if he was used to living in the south. He said that there was nothing he could do. The conditions were quite difficult. There was no air conditioning in the dormitory. There were 6 people living in it and 8 fans were installed. There were only one or two kinds of food in the cafeteria.

By Cynthia |

Sitting and chatting with classmates here. Classmates' shop. Mr. Sour, and Sour Boss. Super delicious, oral for students of Shanghai University. Purely handmade, no additives. Very delicious, super persistent children, very particular. Nice!

The braised dishes at andbeimen are below the roast meat. They are so delicious!!! They are our favorites that we will never forget~ Haha, and the uncle still remembers us. Haha~

By Memories of sand painting |

When we went there, it was the Spring Festival and all the students were on holiday. Let's experience the good times of college again.

By Chahar Girl in Tianjin |

After walking around, I came to the side gate of Hainan University, so I went in and looked around. The environment was great, very leisurely and natural. Some classmates were fishing by the lake.

By Oh my big girl |

My feeling after visiting Hainan University is that the dormitories are really awful and unacceptable. A dormitories for a key university are built like this. Also, the food in the cafeteria really doesn't look like that of a key university. It's even worse than the technical college where we are.

By Streamer Mark |

Hainan University is known as one of the most romantic universities. The campus is full of coconut trees. In Hainan, which is full of sunshine, riding a bicycle through the green forest and looking up at the scenery is also very beautiful.

By me |

There are many stalls in front of Hainan University, selling all kinds of things, including handicrafts made of coconut shells and shells, and the prices are not expensive. Compared with Sanya, it feels like wholesale prices. So, if you have the opportunity to go to Haikou, don't buy any souvenirs in Sanya.



I walked around and found many places selling woolen hats and gloves. I wanted to laugh out loud. Although Haikou is not as hot as Sanya, it is at least 17 or 18 degrees. People in the tropics really can't stand the cold. In my hometown in the north, few people wear hats and gloves when the temperature is above 0 degrees. Looking at the college students around me, I suddenly found myself a weirdo. Everyone was wearing sweaters and thick coats, and some were wearing down jackets. I was the only one wandering around in a checkered shirt. No wonder people always stare at me strangely. It's embarrassing~



Hainan University is full of coconut trees. The buildings are not particularly modern, but there are a lot of milk tea shops and people selling fruits on their shoulders.