A key link along maritime silk road

[Photo by Huang Yiming/China Daily]

Themed tours around Hainan province offer visitors a chance to experience ancient fishing villages and historical ports.

The China National Tourism Administration has deemed 2015 as the Year of Silk Road Tourism, and provinces along the ancient business route are promoting themed tours.

Seven themed tours featuring the Maritime Silk Road were recently launched in Hainan province by the local government to provide tourists an alternative to inland Silk Road travel.

"Hainan is an important link in the Maritime Silk Road," Lu Zhiyuan, director of Hainan Tourism Development Commission, said at a launch ceremony in Tanmen town, Hainan province, on Feb 7. "Many heritages of the historic Maritime Silk Road are scattered among the cities in the province, such as Haikou, Sanya and Sansha."

Starting from Quanzhou, on the southeast coast of China, the Maritime Silk Road stretches along the East and South China seas, passes the Malacca Strait, Indian Ocean and enters Europe through the Red Sea. It's seen as another important trade route besides the inland Silk Road.

The themed tours give visitors a chance to experience old fishing villages and historical ports. Here's a look at the different tours available around Hainan province.

1. A walk back to Nanyang: Nanyang literally translates as "southern ocean" and refers to an area in southern Asia. During the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1644 and 1644-1911), many Chinese left Nanyang and migrated to the European colonies in Malacca in search of better opportunities.

Many of the immigrants got rich and went back to Hainan, so when you stroll down the old streets of Haikou and Wenchang, you will find lots of European-style architecture as well as traditional temples of Mazu, the Chinese goddess of the sea.