Beihai

• View Mia's Beihai travel story

Situated in the north of Guangxi, Beihai is 206 km away from Nanning in the northwest, 198 km from Zhanjiang in the east and 147 km from Haikou in the southeast. The downtown is embraced by the sea in its south, north and west sides. It has two coastal islands, namely, Weizhou Island (24.74 square kilometers) and Xieyang Island (1.8 square kilometers). Weizhou Island is about 20.2 sea miles from the city center.

Beihai used to be the starting harbor of Maritime Silk Road in ancient China. Through the history, it has been the distribution center for the Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, Guangxi, Hunan and Hubei in their foreign trade. Thus, it enjoys an important geographic position. Southern Pearl, referring to the pearl of Beihai, is famed around the world for its fantastic appearance, dazzling sparkle, lasting luster. Pearl then becomes the most distinctive tourist product of Beihai.

Located in the subtropics, the weather is moderate and moist with fresh air, and no wonder Beihai is considered to be one of the cities that are suitable for habitation in China. The natural environment is preserved well. It has quite a lot of marvelous beaches, which are of clear water and soft sand. The shore zone with Silver Beach as its representative is the combination of sea water, sunshine and beach, being an ideal place for leisure.

• Top 8 China Beaches