The past year has witnessed Haikou Guide, the first ever English publication in Haikou and Hainan, growing from a baby at birth to a child at walk, developing from an experimental edition to regular issues, attracting readers and winning popularity from within this island to those well beyond it. This happened on a par with the stride forward Hainan International Tourism Island had made, after experiencing twists and turns, receiving applause and doubts, hoarding hopes and illusions.
What has the Haikou Guide brought to our readers? Looking back, Haikou Guide has shown us the development strategy of Hainan in a rapidly globalizing world with China's peaceful rise, presented to us policies and actions pertaining to what sort of international tourism island Hainan is pursuing, The Guide updates our foreign friends with hundreds of pieces of news in focus and in brief of what is happening in and around Haikou, carrying dozens of pictures of tourist attractions and scenic spots of Haikou and elsewhere in Hainan.
Stories of local culture, cuisine and human activities are also found in each edition.
The recognition in retrospect is that Haikou Guide has served as a useful and definitive guide in the following ways: it is a window through which Haikou is being introduced and promoted to the outside world; it is a bridge that builds on mutual understanding and links up friends with different cultures and backgrounds. Furthermore, it provides a platform for interaction with regards to topics of Hainan International Tourism Island amongst editors, readers, government officials and the general public by airing their voices and views.
However, we must admit that Haikou Guide is not without its shortcomings and weaknesses. At a tutorial held recently in commemoration of its one year anniversary, Philip Gwinnel, a linguistic expert from Britain and chief advisor to this Guide, spoke for more coverage of local culture, particularly those depicting Haikou's rural and rustic life.
Brendan Worrell, a former China Daily editor from Australia, showed great interest in knowing more about the lives of foreigners in Haikou, and suggested active participation from local English learners. Other attendees raised concerns about the continuity of the publication, diversity of the set columns, accessibility of each issue, information on upcoming local events and a handy bilingual roadmap for the public transport, hospitals, etc.
We learned and benefited a great deal from their comments and suggestions, and will avail ourselves of this opportunity to make improvements in the Guide's future editions.
Lastly, I thank my team of editors for their persistent hard work in the passing year, I am also grateful to the panel of our foreign advisors for their enthusiastic involvement. I am, indeed, hopeful of and confident with the future prospects of the Haikou Guide, as I am of and with the promising tomorrow of Hainan International Tourism Island that the Guide has come along and will march forward with.
more==>>Haikou Foreign and Overseas Chinese Affairs Office
