Hainan to build world’s largest medicinal herbs themed park in Qiongzhong

Hainan has announced ambitious plans to build the world's largest medicinal herbs themed park.

The park will be located in Qiongzhong County, just south of Haikou, the capital city of China's only tropical island province.

The park is a project of the Hainan Medicinal Herbs Garden and will cover an area of 6,400-hectares, and aims to become the world's largest medicinal herbs production base, boosting the optimisation of production technology and expanding the varieties of medicinal herbs, reports hndnews.com.

Hainan Island boasts 4,680 kinds of plants, and over 3,100 have medicinal properties. This means that over a third of all of China's medicinal plants can be found in just one small island in the South China Sea.

Medicinal plants found in Hainan include Betelnut, Puzzle, Amomum, Morinda, Incense, Patchouli, Clove, Nutmeg, Panda Hai, Dalbergia, Periwinkle, Morinda citrifolia and Basil.

The Amomum seed is used on the island to treat wounds and ulcers, colic, bronchitis, fever and cardiac problems. Puzzle is said to be diuretic and demulcent. Betelnut is one of the most commonly known plants in Asia, and is used to cure anything from worms, joint pain and arthritis and headaches to indigestion and bad breath.

The Chinese have traditionally used the fruit of the Morinda plant in various tonics for the treatment of fever, cough, colds and nausea, over-ripe fruit is used to relieve menstrual pain and ease urinary problems, and the leaves and bark to cure eye problems.

Qiongzhong County is making a name for itself as one of Hainan's popular tourist spots. The town has a lively atmosphere with a busy local market where visitors can pick up local specialties.

Situated between the Tongzha and Wuzhi Mountains, the region is known for its spectacular scenery and walking trails. Adventurous travelers may want to take the 8km walking trail to the Baihuashan waterfall, which is said to be possessed by a Li goddess, or through the Limu or Yingge Mountain ranges.

Other things to do in the area include a visit to the ancient ruins of the Ming Dunasty Shuihui Residence site, admire the architecture of the Baisha Uprising Memorial Hall or relax in the Baihua Ridge Scenic Tourist Resort.

Qiongzhong County is located just off the Haikou-Sanya Highway that runs across the middle of the island. There is a 2.5-hour express bus from Haikou, or a slower 3-hour one. A bus from Sanya runs twice daily and takes slightly over 3 hours.