Qionghai

Qionghai covers the middle and lower valley of the Wanquan River on Hainan's east coast. Its name means the eastern shore of Qiongzhou, and it was formed from the old counties of Qiongdong and Lehui, the latter an eastern settlement since the Tang dynasty. Near Boao the river is split from the South China Sea by the Jade Belt, a slender sandbar where river, lagoon and sea come together. Jiaji town has long been the market centre, its Jiaji duck counted among Hainan's four famous dishes, and the countryside keeps overseas-Chinese mansions such as the Cai family compound. Monsoon rains feed coconut groves, betel palms and rice fields along the river.