Paradise lost_旅游英语
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many hainan natives have mixed feelings about their hometown becoming an international tourist destination. already, property prices have gone up by 200 percent since last october.
life simply slows down when you arrive in hainan island.
a luxurious wedding on a 60-million-yuan yacht in haikou.
residents of the country's only tropical island fear that ambitious tourism development will threaten their leisurely way of life. lin shujuan reports
hainan province native xing fushan has bittersweet feelings about his hometown becoming a top international tourist destination.
the nationally designated development strategy has provided the 33-year-old with a comfortable job in the provincial capital haikou. but it has also made it more difficult for the son of farmers in the island province's wenchang county to get married.
xing works as a porter and driver at a newly opened golf resort. the sport is flourishing on china's only tropical island, as the province pushes forward the development of leisure tourism.
he got the job at the end of last year, a few days before the state council announced plans to reinvent hainan as a premier international resort over the coming decade.
the resort provides him with free food and accommodation, plus a monthly salary of 2,500 yuan - an income equivalent to that of a local government official.
but while development has increased his salary, it has also caused the housing price to soar from an average of 4,000 yuan ($587) per sq m to nearly 10,000 yuan ($1,466) per sq m in two months.
"i had thought of buying an apartment and settling down in haikou," xing says.
"now, it's almost out of the question."
but this isn't the worst part, xing says.
"hainan women are becoming materialistic," he explains.
"they would rather marry an old, rich guy who drives a mercedes and lives in a villa than a poor, young guy like me. life in hainan is becoming more like that in mainland metropolises, such as guangzhou."
xing ran a clothing wholesale business in guangzhou, capital of guangdong province, between 2006 and 2008.
after three years in the mainland city, xing was able to return home with 150,000 yuan in his pocket. he planned to use the money to build a house for his parents in his hometown. xing had never thought of leaving the island.
"you might be able to earn more, but you'll have to enslave yourself to earn a relatively comfortable life," he says.
paradise lost?
"but how can you enjoy a so-called comfortable life when you must enslave yourself?"
many natives of hainan, the population of which stands at nearly 8.2 million, share xing's frustration.
"hainan is an island of leisure," says zhuang fei, whose ancestors came to the island from fujian province's eastern coast.
"for centuries, pleasant weather and fertile land has provided a life without worrying about food. the nutrient-rich spring water from the volcanic area (in the east) brings longevity. in an agricultural society, this could be defined as happiness."
owing to hainan's seclusion from the outside world, locals have long enjoyed a carefree, self-sufficient lifestyle, says zhuang, who works as a news agency photographer.
"we earn only what we need and enjoy what we have," he says.
historically, the carefree culture has withstood many challenges from outside.
since the han dynasty (206bc-ad220), hainan has been the place of exile for officials who have offended rulers and a base for mainland soldiers guarding the remote southern border. and it became a land of opportunity for mainland pioneers seeking their fortunes in the country's largest economic zone in the late 1980s.
"most who move here soon adopted the relaxed mindset, just like me," says chen kai, a native of hubei province who went to the province as a soldier in 1983.
"life simply slows down when you arrive in the island."
however, the 45-year-old says he has also witnessed changes.
"when i first arrived, people didn't save. if they had 100 yuan, they would spend 98 yuan without hesitation," chen says, smiling.
but he, like many, worry hainan's lackadaisical island culture might not survive the tourism development rush.
property prices, which jumped by 50 percent in beijing and shanghai last year, have risen by more than 200 pe
www.77y4.cn
many hainan natives have mixed feelings about their hometown becoming an international tourist destination. already, property prices have gone up by 200 percent since last october.
life simply slows down when you arrive in hainan island.
a luxurious wedding on a 60-million-yuan yacht in haikou.
residents of the country's only tropical island fear that ambitious tourism development will threaten their leisurely way of life. lin shujuan reports
hainan province native xing fushan has bittersweet feelings about his hometown becoming a top international tourist destination.
the nationally designated development strategy has provided the 33-year-old with a comfortable job in the provincial capital haikou. but it has also made it more difficult for the son of farmers in the island province's wenchang county to get married.
xing works as a porter and driver at a newly opened golf resort. the sport is flourishing on china's only tropical island, as the province pushes forward the development of leisure tourism.
he got the job at the end of last year, a few days before the state council announced plans to reinvent hainan as a premier international resort over the coming decade.
the resort provides him with free food and accommodation, plus a monthly salary of 2,500 yuan - an income equivalent to that of a local government official.
but while development has increased his salary, it has also caused the housing price to soar from an average of 4,000 yuan ($587) per sq m to nearly 10,000 yuan ($1,466) per sq m in two months.
"i had thought of buying an apartment and settling down in haikou," xing says.
"now, it's almost out of the question."
but this isn't the worst part, xing says.
"hainan women are becoming materialistic," he explains.
"they would rather marry an old, rich guy who drives a mercedes and lives in a villa than a poor, young guy like me. life in hainan is becoming more like that in mainland metropolises, such as guangzhou."
xing ran a clothing wholesale business in guangzhou, capital of guangdong province, between 2006 and 2008.
after three years in the mainland city, xing was able to return home with 150,000 yuan in his pocket. he planned to use the money to build a house for his parents in his hometown. xing had never thought of leaving the island.
"you might be able to earn more, but you'll have to enslave yourself to earn a relatively comfortable life," he says.
paradise lost?
"but how can you enjoy a so-called comfortable life when you must enslave yourself?"
many natives of hainan, the population of which stands at nearly 8.2 million, share xing's frustration.
"hainan is an island of leisure," says zhuang fei, whose ancestors came to the island from fujian province's eastern coast.
"for centuries, pleasant weather and fertile land has provided a life without worrying about food. the nutrient-rich spring water from the volcanic area (in the east) brings longevity. in an agricultural society, this could be defined as happiness."
owing to hainan's seclusion from the outside world, locals have long enjoyed a carefree, self-sufficient lifestyle, says zhuang, who works as a news agency photographer.
"we earn only what we need and enjoy what we have," he says.
historically, the carefree culture has withstood many challenges from outside.
since the han dynasty (206bc-ad220), hainan has been the place of exile for officials who have offended rulers and a base for mainland soldiers guarding the remote southern border. and it became a land of opportunity for mainland pioneers seeking their fortunes in the country's largest economic zone in the late 1980s.
"most who move here soon adopted the relaxed mindset, just like me," says chen kai, a native of hubei province who went to the province as a soldier in 1983.
"life simply slows down when you arrive in the island."
however, the 45-year-old says he has also witnessed changes.
"when i first arrived, people didn't save. if they had 100 yuan, they would spend 98 yuan without hesitation," chen says, smiling.
but he, like many, worry hainan's lackadaisical island culture might not survive the tourism development rush.
property prices, which jumped by 50 percent in beijing and shanghai last year, have risen by more than 200 pe
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