Hainan was a low-key island for many years, but since becoming China’s largest Special Economic Zone as part of the opening up process in the late 1980s it has developed into a thriving trade and holiday destination. The island retains plenty of traditions, though - it boasts a mountain of treasures inherited from its thousand-year-old history. To mark the 2017 Boao Forum for Asia, which will be held on the island on March 23-26, CGTN reveals six examples of Hainan’s rich traditional culture. Hainan opera is an integral part of Hainan culture, going back at least 300 years. The older generation of Hainanese are particularly passionate about their opera, for them it’s more than just music and song, it’s a part of their cultural heritage, a link to previous generations and the history of where they came from. /CFP Photo
Yazhou folk song is a kind of ballad intonated in Hakka dialect in ancient Hainan, which was called Yazhou during the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD). The ballad follows a strict structure called Qi-yan, that literally means filling each sentence with precisely seven words. A Yazhou ballad typically tells a historical story of life and work. /CFP Photo
The firewood gathering dance is the representative folk dance of Li Minority, called "Zhuancha" and "Taicha" in Li's language. It originated from Li's funeral custom in ancient Yazhou Prefecture (today's Sanya City of Hainan Province). It is a dance for ancient Li people to protect corpses, to drive beasts away, to help someone get over a shock or to worship their ancestors. /CFP Photo
The Li ethnic minority has a long history of weaving and dyeing. Traditional female costumes of the Li people include a jacket and tight skirt made from exquisite Li brocade, usually adorned with various hand-crafted ornaments. /CFP Photo
It’s no surprise that Hainanese create craftwork from coconut shells, since the tropical fruit is found across their island. As early as the Tang Dynasty, people began to create wine cups using coconut shells. The coconut carvings now are of different patterns, simple and elegant in color, and with a specific artistic style. /CFP Photo
Hainan’s curved coastline stretches hundreds of miles - it is ideal for salt farms, which produce salt through seawater evaporation. Many villagers continue the salt production traditions to this day. /CFP Photo
