Lingao County
Named in the Kaiyuan reign of the Tang, this northwest Hainan county speaks its own Lingao language at the edge of the Qiongzhou Strait.
A place shaped through time
Lingao occupies the northwest of Hainan, facing the Qiongzhou Strait to the north and the Beibu Gulf to the northwest along a long, indented coast. It began in 622 as Linji, split from Fuluo county, and took the name Lingao in 713, later belonging to Qiongzhou and its prefecture. Most inhabitants call themselves Lingao people and speak the Lingao language, a Tai-Kadai tongue that stands apart from the island's other varieties. Red soils weathered from basalt cover much of the county and suit tropical crops, while fishing harbours and salt pans sustain the coast. Lingao puppet opera, in which puppets and live actors share the stage, has been performed here for centuries.