Haikou Submerged Village Ruins

Haikou Submerged Village Ruins

The Submerged Village Ruins are situated on the seabed of the bay extending from Dongzhai Port in Qiongshan District, Haikou City, to Puxian Town in Wenchang City. They were formed due to a devastating earthquake during the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty (1605), which caused land to subside and be engulfed by the sea. The quake resulted in a maximum subsidence of about 10 meters, with the entire landmass dropping straight downward—an extremely rare phenomenon in the history of earthquakes worldwide. A small inland stream once existed here, but it instantly transformed into today’s Dongzhai Port; meanwhile, 72 villages that originally stood on solid ground were forever swallowed by the sea, creating the world’s rare “submerged villages.” More than 400 years later, the ruins of these post-earthquake “submerged villages” have evolved into a unique underwater landscape.

The Submerged Village phenomenon is China’s only ancient cultural site where land sank into the sea due to an earthquake. Nowadays, during low tide, visitors can see stretches of ancient farmland with crisscrossing fields in the shallow sea area about 10 kilometers long and 1 kilometer wide, extending from Puxian Bay to Beichuang Port. Along the beaches from Dongzhai Port to Puxian Bay, the remnants of ancient village ruins can be faintly seen. Through the seawater, one can spot neatly arranged basalt stone coffin beds, tombstones, stone wells, and grain-pounding stones. Not far from the Submerged Villages on the beach near Dongzhai Port stands a well-preserved opera stage built with square stone blocks. About 4 kilometers north of Puxian Bay lies the submerged ruins of the ancient “Rencun” village. Through the 10-meter-deep waters, the courtyards and the uneven remains of houses from that time can still be vaguely discerned. Between Puxian Bay and Beichuang Port, underwater, there stands a finely carved “Chastity Archway” with four pillars and three openings. Running across the seabed of Dongzhai Port is the “Juewei Gully,” a fissure created by the earthquake, over 10 meters deep and more than 20 meters wide. On the ancient river channel to the east of the gully, a stone bridge still spans the waterway.

In recent years, many domestic and international tourists have flocked to the Submerged Villages out of curiosity to explore this ancient site. They are deeply captivated by this mysterious and awe-inspiring earthquake ruin. They pay tribute to the people of the past who were tragically submerged by the disaster, while also cherishing the serene, fairy-tale-like beauty of this unique and picturesque destination today.

Location: The seabed of the bay stretching from Dongzhai Port in Qiongshan District, Haikou City, to Puxian Town in Wenchang City, Hainan Province

Transportation: Charter a local fisherman’s boat within Haikou City to reach the site