Sanya to Publish Its First City Cultural Reader in Chinese, English and Russian

Discovering Sanya, the City’s First Cultural Reader, Launched

Wang Qiyang Issues Written Remarks

On September 28, the launch of Discovering Sanya, themed “Reading the Mountains and Sea, Discovering Sanya”, took place at the Sanya Cultural Centre. Wang Qiyang, a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Hainan Provincial Committee and Secretary of the CPC Sanya Municipal Committee, issued written remarks warmly congratulating the book’s official publication and release.

In his remarks, Wang stated that a city thrives when its culture flourishes and grows stronger when its culture is strong. He cited General Secretary Xi Jinping’s observation: “Hainan’s historical, revolutionary, maritime and folk cultures are intertwined. These resources must be well protected, put to good use and passed on.” The compilation and publication of the book, Wang noted, represents a concrete step towards implementing these important instructions.

Some 10,000 years ago, Luobi Cave witnessed the earliest sparks of human civilisation on Hainan, giving rise to the prehistoric culture of this distinctive island in the southern seas. For more than two millennia, ancient Yazhou connected north and south and brought together Chinese and foreign influences. Through successive dynasties, its cultural traditions continued to develop across politics, the economy, military affairs, ethnic and religious affairs, culture and education. This history nurtured the distinctive cultures of Yazhou, the sea, local folk traditions, and the Li and Miao peoples.

Over the past century, Hainan’s revolutionary struggle, remembered for keeping “the red flag flying for 23 years”, has left a heroic legacy passed down through generations. Since reform and opening-up began, Sanya has embraced reform and the development of the Hainan Free Trade Port, shouldering its role in Hainan’s “Three Zones and One Centre” strategy. The city has increasingly become a strategic hub in the South China Sea, a centre for innovation in seed breeding and deep-sea science and technology, and a world-renowned tourism destination. These developments have shaped a resilient civic spirit: pursuing reform and opening-up, advancing through innovation, and building prosperity through modern industries.

Wang’s remarks noted that the book follows the four cultural strands identified by General Secretary Xi Jinping. Tracing the city’s mountains and coastline, it retrieves historical memories, examines Sanya’s cultural heritage and brings together relevant historical records. Local anecdotes, customs and accounts of social change connect fragments of the city’s past, complemented by selected poetry, stories, legends, texts and images.

The book thus has historical and literary value as a record of the past and a bridge between past and present. It also offers aesthetic enjoyment and makes cultural knowledge accessible to a broad readership. Wang described it as a significant achievement in exploring local cultural resources and strengthening Sanya’s cultural development, as well as an important window through which readers can understand and come to love the city.

His remarks quoted the following verse:

An island in the southern seas enjoys spring in every season;
Sea rhythms and coconut breezes bring freshness everywhere.
Each day it welcomes countless guests from across the world;
Gladly, we remain the guardians of its blossoms.

Wang called on officials and residents throughout the city to study and implement Xi Jinping Thought on Culture, strengthen cultural confidence and make full use of the book through widespread reading promotion. He urged them to protect, use and pass on Sanya’s cultural resources; enrich tourism through culture and communicate culture through travel; and encourage cultural innovation and creativity.

These efforts, he said, should strengthen residents’ sense of cultural identity and belonging while sharing Sanya’s compelling stories and distinctive voice with the wider world. He called for sustained work to build a culturally vibrant city and a world-renowned modern coastal destination in which to live, travel and work.

Discovering Sanya is the city’s first cultural reader. It was compiled by experts and scholars brought together by the Sanya Municipal Cultural Centre, under the guidance of the Sanya Municipal Bureau of Tourism, Culture, Radio, Television and Sports. At the launch, editor-in-chief Cai Pa shared the thinking behind the project and the structure of the book, while invited guest Sun Linghui introduced the publication.

Chinese, English and Russian editions are planned, with the English and Russian versions scheduled for release during 2027.

The book will also be made widely accessible across the city. Printed copies will gradually become available for reading at Sanya Library and its 39 branches, eight urban reading rooms, ten tourist information centres and more than 140 community-level integrated cultural service centres across the city’s districts.

The e-book will be progressively introduced on platforms including Qiongya Good Books, ChineseAll and Changxiangzhixing, and will also be available to read online through the Sanya Worry-Free Travel platform.

Copies will be available to borrow at Tianya Bookstore in Tianya Haijiao, the Lucheng Shiguang cultural and creative shop at Luhuitou, the Sinopharm CNSC duty-free store in Sanya, and The Ritz-Carlton Sanya, Yalong Bay. The book will subsequently be stocked at more physical outlets for readers wishing to purchase a copy.