Haikou People's Park

Haikou People's Park

Haikou People's Park is located at the southern end of Xinhua South Road in Haikou City, covering a total area of 29.35 hectares. This comprehensive green park is divided into the East-West Lakes Scenic Area, Martyrs Memorial Area, Tropical Plant Specimen Area, Quiet Rest Area, Orchid Garden, Animal Area, and Production Area. Major facilities in the park include a zigzag bridge in the style of the East Lake garden, rockeries and pavilions, winding corridors, the Revolutionary Martyrs Monument, a statue of General Feng Baiju and its memorial pavilion corridor, as well as a small children’s playground and restaurants. The park houses over 500 species of ornamental plants and more than 40 kinds of animals. With its tranquil environment, it serves as an ideal recreational spot for local residents.

The park site was originally known as Dayingshan. In 1929, there were three villages, three temples, and one nunnery here, and warlords once built villas and military facilities in the area. In the 1930s, when Huang Qiang served as the Commissioner of the Qiongya Industrial Special Commission, he established Zhongshan Park here. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, in 1952, the Haikou Municipal People’s Congress decided to build a park on Dayingshan. In 1954, the Martyrs Monument was erected in the park, with an inscription written by Commander-in-Chief Zhu De commemorating the martyrs who bravely sacrificed their lives during the naval campaign to liberate Hainan Island. In 1956, the park was expanded following instructions given by Minister Wan Li of the Ministry of Construction during his inspection of Hainan. A zoo, pavilions, and rockeries were also built. In 1957, farmland on both sides of the northern main gate of Dayingshan was acquired to serve as the park’s lake area, and the park was officially named “Haikou People’s Park.” Between 1958 and 1962, the East Lake, West Lake, the small island in the East Lake, and the park’s four main gates (east, west, south, and north) were completed successively. In accordance with the instructions of Chairman Zhu De during his 1963 inspection of Hainan, the Orchid Garden was established in 1964 to cultivate orchid plants collected from various mountainous regions of Hainan, for both appreciation and research. Hu Lao Pavilion was built to commemorate the visit of President Ho Chi Minh of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, who enjoyed a leisurely stroll in the park; the new pavilion was completed in 1972 and rebuilt as the General Feng Baiju Memorial Pavilion in 1988. At the original pond and rockery site, a granite sculpture statue of General Feng Baiju was erected. The park also features attractions such as the Banyan-Qin Seal Stone and Flowing Shadows over Emerald Green, as well as rare tree species including sugar palm, bottle palm, and date palm. The park receives approximately 600,000 visitors annually.

Source: Party History Research Office of the CPC Hainan Provincial Committee