By John Lewington, RSGS Collections Team Member

To mark the Chinese New Year 2026, which lasts from 17th February to 3rd March, we decided to take a look at Perth’s Chinese Twin-Town, Haikou.

Perth, which is home to RSGS Headquarters, has seven active ‘Twin-Towns’ or ‘Sister-Cities’, which vary in size from 6,000 people to 3 million people, from north to south and east to west. The longest standing is Aschaffenburg in Germany, and the most recent is Nikopol in Ukraine. The Russian city of Pskov’s twinning has been in abeyance these last few years. Reasons for the twinnings vary, just like the places - the reason that Perth has a Chinese twin is because a former Haikou community in the city proposed the idea.

Haikou, means “seaport”, and with 3 million people living in its built-up area, is the capital and most populous city of the island of Hainan, which lies some 20 km off the south coast of the Chinese mainland. Haikou is situated on the north-east coast of the island, facing the Leizhou Peninsula across the Qiongzhou Strait. 

Hainan Island is a bit larger than the Scottish Highlands (33,000 sq. km. as opposed to 26,000 sq. km.) and is the 42^nd largest island in the world. It was one of the last Nationalist strongholds to be taken over by the Communists in 1950. To the west across the Gulf of Tonkin is Vietnam, and to the south are the numerous islands of the South China Sea, the control of several of which is disputed, and some distance south-east are the Philippines.

Diagram showing the location of Hainan in relation to mainland China and Vietnam

Hainan Island is approximately 288 km (179 miles) long and 180 km (110 miles) wide. Its highest point is Wuzhi Mountain, which rises to 1,840 m (6,040 feet). Most of the island’s rivers originate in this central mountainous region. Wetlands cover about 320,000 hectares of the island, including 78,000 hectares of artificially created wetlands.

Hainan’s economy is predominantly agricultural, accounting for more than a half of the island’s exports, although the processing of rubber and iron ore also plays a role. Paddy rice is cultivated extensively in the north-eastern lowlands and in the southern mountain valley. In addition, a wide range of crops is grown, including coconuts (Haikou is also commonly referred to as 'Coconut City'), palm oil, sisal, tropical fruits such as pineapples, black pepper, coffee, tea, cashews, and sugarcane. Rubber cultivation has also expanded significantly, and China now ranks fifth in terms of world output. 

Fishing is also important offshore, while scallops and pearls are raised in shallow bays and basins, and fish farming is important.

Because of its tropical climate, beach resorts and island life, Hainan has been likened to other popular destination islands such as Hawaii. Tourism is important, both from within the country and from overseas. With plans to transform the whole island into a free-trade port by 2025, which would further increase tourism.

The island is also conveniently connected to the mainland by railway from Haikou to Guangdong, and high-speed railways ring the island. It is the world’s first high-speed island-looping railway and takes three hours to travel the whole way round. Haikou Meilan International Airport also lies 25 km south-east of the city.

Haikou has experienced a substantial increase in cars since the early 2000s, and traffic on main streets, once light, is now similar to other major cities, with rush hour problems that have prompted the city to expand several main roads and build a new elevated road. Perth’s new Cross-Tay Link hardly bears comparison!   

Map of Hainan Island from the RSGS Collections

Map zoomed in to show location of Haikou 

Haikou sits at the mouth of the River Nandu, making it a coastal city, unlike Perth which is estuarine. Haikou is also sub-divided by other rivers – the Haidian and the Meishe, and most of the city is only a few metres above sea level. 

Haikou lies at 20°N and 110°E, so has a tropical wet and dry climate, with average January temperature of 21°C, and July average temperature of 33.6°C. In January rainfall averages 23.5 mm and August averages 393mm. with an annual total of 1,625 mm. May to October is the rainy season with the heaviest rainfall in September. April to October is the active period for tropical storms and typhoons, most of which occur between August and September. Because of its tropical climate, and colder air descending from the north Haikou is notoriously foggy in January and February.  

By comparison, Perth lies at 56°N and 3½°W and has a temperate climate with January average of 5°C and July average 15°C and total annual rainfall of 812 mm.

Since 1995 the Haikou government began an initiative to improve the quality of life for its residents, which has included the preservation of its old buildings. Haikou Old Town contains some of the city’s oldest buildings, many of which were constructed by Chinese returnees from overseas. The houses reflect a blend of architectural styles, including Portuguese, French, and Southeast Asian influences. The streets used to be divided into different areas selling Chinese and western medicine, for silk and bespoke clothes, one for fresh fish and meat, and others for the sale of incense, candles, paper, ink, and other goods. Various projects are currently under discussion to decide the best way to restore and preserve these historic buildings.

Haikou’s population of 3 million makes it Perth’s biggest twin - while Perth only has some 47,000 residents. Haikou’s population is increasing at an annual rate of 3.1%, most of whom are Han Chinese. It has low levels of air pollution compared to mainland Chinese cities, although with the growth of car numbers on the island in recent years, this may increase.

South of Haikou lies the Huoshankou National Geopark – the only volcanic geopark in China. Its Chinese name “Huo shan kuo” translates as “Fire Mountain Mouth”, and it has over forty Quaternary volcanoes.