Where and what to eat in Hainan, China, from coconut chicken in Sanya to a seafood market that’s not to be missed

Free-range chicken reared for 100 days, lamb stewed in coconut milk, noodles made with a broth simmered for hours – there’s a lot for foodies in Hainan province

Hainan Island with its beach resorts attracts a lot of tourists, and farming is big too – its year-round tropical climate allows a wide range of produce to grow

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From salt baked Wenchang chicken at Grandpa’s Coconut Chicken (pictured) to Dongshan lamb, here are the local dishes you need to try the next time you find yourself in China’s Hainan province.

Published: 12:45pm, 24 Sep 2021Updated: 12:52pm, 24 Sep 2021

One of the more popular domestic holiday destinations for Chinese citizens is Hainan province, a series of islands (the largest of which is Hainan Island) at the very south of China, for the beach resorts and the area’s food.

Hainan’s year-round tropical climate means it yields a bumper harvest of produce, ranging from coffee beans to zhegu (partridge tea leaves) to fruit.

As a result, the province is known for its wide range of dishes.

The area’s culinary diversity even made the news in a roundabout way earlier this year, when the head of Hong Kong’s government, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, suggested that the city’s young people should relocate to Hainan for jobs, opportunities – and Hainanese chicken rice.

Her statement caused a huge social media storm, as it was obvious she thought the dish originated in Hainan. While the province does, in fact, have local chicken dishes – Wenchang chicken and coconut chicken hotpot – Hainanese chicken rice, to which Singapore and Malaysia both lay claim, is definitely not one of them.

At Grandpa’s Coconut Chicken in Haitang Bay in Sanya, the southernmost city of Hainan Island, the free-range birds come from Wenchang and are fed on coconut and peanut bran.