A Week in Hainan - An Introduction

I recently visited Hainan Island (海南岛), China's smallest province located in the South China Sea. This was my second trip to the island; the first was in 2008 when my family and I went to visit our ancestral village close to Bo'ao.

Before I go on to blog about my trip to Hainan, I figured I'll get the awkward first introductions out of the way. My name is Faith and I am one of the publications editors at the APR (do check out Passages 2009-2010!). Besides spending time with the APR, I am also a first year grad student at the University of Toronto where I am currently in the middle of completing my Masters in Political Science and Asia-Pacific Studies, with a focus on Chinese society and politics.

My interest in China blossomed rather late in my (short) life and really began after I took classes on Chinese cinema during my undergrad years. It solidified after I returned with my grandfather to his home village in Hainan. My grandfather had left the island in 1947, at the age of 13 for Singapore to seek a better life. Yet despite all these years away from China, he still feels so passionately about it. After visiting the ancestral shrine in 2008, I was determined to learn more about my 'roots' （根）and thus decided to spend a week in Hainan this summer.

In the next couple of days, I'll be posting pictures of my week in Hainan. Its an absolutely beautiful island. The countryside is lush and verdant and the beaches are long, white and sandy. Yet, the tranquility of the farming community contrasts starkly with the mad pace of development and construction in the city.

Welcome to China!