The Boao Aquapolis situates on the eastern coast of Hainan
Island, China. Right in the center of Asia Pacific Economic Circle
at the conjunction of East and Southeast Asia. Hainan Island is the
only tropical island in China, incredibly covered with lush
greeneries and rich in appealing tropical fruits. To top it all,
the island is graced with very agreeable climate.
The Boao Aquapolis occupies a total area of 41.8 square
kilometers, composed of three islands: Dongyu Island, Yuanyang
Island and Shapo Island as well as three zigzagging rivers that
are: Wanquan River, Jiuqu River and Longgun River. And it is
situated by the South China Sea. All these features combined made
Boao an attractive destination.
Dongyu Island is a center island of Boao, and the permanent
venue for Boao Forum for Asia (BFA), where the magnificent BFA
International Convention Center, prestigious Sofitel Boao and BFA
ICC Golf Club are located.
Airlines
Hainan has two international airports -- Haikou Meilan
International Airport and Sanya Phoenix International Airport. Both
are designed and established in line with the international
standards of "4E" (capable of running Boeing 747) with over 100
domestic and international routes available.
Highway
Hainan has established a modern Island-ringed highway of 650 km
plus, boasting the province of most dense highway network in China.
The Aquapolis is easily accessible through three exits of the
highway.
l Eastern
Highway Ringing Hainan Island
Distance between Boao and Haikou is 104 km; and 188 km between
Boao and Sanya.
l Times by
Vehicles
1.1 hours drive from Haikou Meilan International Airport; whilst
1.5 hours from Sanya Phoenix International Airport.
BFA Int'l Conference
Center
The BFA annual conference 2004 is to be held on Apr. 24 and 25
at the BFA International Conference Center.
The center is located at the northeast corner of the Dongyu
Island of Boao, a rising coastal town in south China's island
province of Hainan and permanent site for the BFA annual
conference.
The International Conference Center consists of a round
conference center, attached hotels and a scenic area. Construction
began in March 2002 and was completed at a cost of 2 billion yuan
(about US$240 million) within one year.
The three-storey round conference center has various facilities
for holding conventions, exhibitions, news briefings and conducting
business activities. It has a total floor space of 37,000 square
meters.
As the main venue for BFA, the round conference center is fully
computerized and able to provide simultaneous interpretation in
seven languages.
Sofitel, a hotel attached to the conference center, has a floor
space of 53,000 square meters and 439 guest rooms.
The Legend of Boao
Long ago in Chinese legend, the youngest daughter of the Dragon
King -- Ao Qin of the South China Sea, gave birth to a son named
Ao. Although its birth was accompanied by a splendid chance for
prosperity, Ao looked strange with a dragon's head, tortoise's back
and kylin's tail.
This strange looking creature made the Dragon King angry and he
wanted Ao and his mother to leave the island. The King blocked
their return to the South China Sea by laying his jade belt across
the entrance. This belt turned into the Jade Belt Beach that lies
in front of Sofitel Boao today.
Having failed to persuade her farther the Dragon King to accept
Ao, the heartbroken daughter dragon changed herself into a mountain
now called Longtan Ridge. Shocked at the loss of his mother, Ao was
so angry that he busied himself by causing great hardship to the
people living on Boao.
Hearing the news, the Goddess of Mercy, Guanyin, came to the
island and after 72 battles subdued Ao, and transformed him into a
dragon. Ao's original body, a turtle with a dragon's head, then
became Dongyu Island, the site of Sofitel Boao. Aerial photographs
of the island show it is shaped like a turtle. While it sounds like
a tale from Middle Earth, whether true or not Boao is a remarkable
yet sleepy corner of Hainan.
The monk of Tang Dynasty, Huai Ren said, "Who subdued Ao became
a Saint, who obtained Ao became a wise man."
(The BFA Secretariat, April 19, 2004)