A shichen is a Chinese timekeeping unit that's equivalent to two hours. In the Chinese coastal province of Hainan, every shichen of a day is characterized by a unique kind of aura. Accompanied by the ocean's ebb and flow the blaze of modernity and flashes of yesteryear glitters in turn along south China's coastal line, like sunshine that blankets the sea at dawn and retreats at dusk. CGTN's photographers captured a few moments as the sun marched around the sundial. Check them out.
For the Part I of the series: A sight at a time: 12 shichens (24 hours) in S. China's Hainan Part I
The design may be Renaissance Italian, but the characteristics of this hotel along Boai North Road, Haikou City in Hainan Province, are definitely traditional Chinese. The sunshine is at its most powerful at the shichen of wu from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., baring every detail of the enchanted old constructions, March 19, 2021. Qu Bo /CGTN
Despite the nostalgic tone hidden in the mellowness, the throbs of modernity rush to the fore with the shiny blue of the instrument as a man passes by along Zhongshan Road, Haikou, Hainan Province at the shichen of wei from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., a few hours before the open-air night club starts receiving, March 19, 2021. Qu Bo /CGTN
The Yalong Bay Tropical Paradise forest park in Sanya of Hainan Province, one of China's most prestigious tourist cities, is thus named for a reason. The lively colors melting in the glittering gold of the retreating sun toward the end of the shichen of shen, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., serves as a splendid backdrop for the newly wedded, March 17, 2021. Qu Bo /CGTN
An antique boat is anchored in an urban part in Haikou, Hainan Province, bathed in the sunset glow at the shichen of you, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. March 18, 2021. Chen Yuyang/ CGTN
The Centennial Bridge of Haikou, Hainan Province lights up by the shichen of xu, or 7 p.m., and will continue to shine through the night above the sea until the shichen of sunrise the next day, signifying one of humankind's signature victories over nature: subjugating darkness, March 19, 2021. Chen Yuyang/ CGTN
A night fair buzzes with stalls selling local snacks along Jiefang Road against a line of fancy buildings that accommodate the local branches of the hospitality industry's best-known names in Sanya, Hainan Province at the shichen of hai, the shichen that ends the day at 11 p.m., after which a new loop of 12 shichen begins, March 16, 2021. Chen Yuyang/ CGTN