Qiongtai Academy & Nanli Lake

Qiongtai Academy is located on Wenzhuang Road, in the Qiongshan District of Haikou City. It was initially built in 1705 in memory of Qiu Jun, a famous scholar from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The academy was named so because Qiu Jun was called 'Mr. Qiongtai'. At one time, the academy was the supreme institution of Qiongshan. It is now the site of the Qiongshan Teachers' Training School.

The main building of the Qiongtai Academy is the 'Kuixing Lou Building'. 'Kuixing' was believed to be the god of examinations and the building was named after Kuixing to 'help' the students who trained here to win the imperial examinations. The building is a typical Chinese brick-and-wood structure architecture with two floors. Green tiles, red corridors, carved beams and painted rafters are splendidly set off by the green trees which surround the building.

The events behind the famous story Search the Academy occurred here. Sometime during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), a student of the academy fell in love with a maid of local governor. At that time, young people did not have the right to choose their husband or wife. So the governor was very angry after he found out about the relationship. The maid escaped before he could punish her and ran into the academy for help. The governor wanted to search Qiongtai Academy, but the schoolmaster Xie Bao denied his request and sent the maid out of the city during the night. Finally, the maid and the student married. They lived happily together, and later the student succeeded in the imperial examinations.
 

Take Bus 1, 4, 44, 58, 201 or 205 to Qiongtai Shiyuan and you will see the Qiongtai Academy.

The Nanli Lake is a famous scenic site in Haikou City, Hainan Province, located in Ding'an County, about 40 kilometers (24.85 miles) far away from Haikou. It covers 46 square kilometers (11,367 acres) and the area of the lake is 12.3 square kilometers (3,039 acres). Here the average water temperature is around 22°C (71.6°F ) and the climate is quite good for the body.

It is a large man-made lake. In 1958, the people of Ding'an built the Nanfu Reservoir here. As a result, the water gathered in the valley became today's Nanli Lake and the mountains became the islands in the lake. When mentioning islands, maybe you are not unfamiliar with them. However, the islands in Nanli Lake are so unique. There are 13 islands and five peninsulas in all. The shapes of the islands are varied, such as the square, oblong and round ones. Among them, the largest one covers 39,600 square meters (9.79 acres), while the smallest is 3,200 square meters (0.79 acres). Furthermore, lush tress and beautiful wide flowers grow on the islands; wild rabbits jump in the bush and birds show the beauty of their voice. Boating on the lake, you might think you are wandering 'One-thousand-island Country'. And emerald water mingles with the hills to seem like a bright painting, while the islands are the green pearls dotting in this picture.

Additionally, as a scenic site, Nanli Lake provides splendid service of accommodation, catering and entertainment and the facilities are ample, including sumptuous hotels, restaurants, villas, the golf course and some facilities of entertainment above water. Thus, going on a holiday there will not disappoint you.
 

Take a bus from Haikou East Bus Station to Ding'an County and then take a taxi to the lake.