Hailing Island
At dawn the fishing boats come back into 闸坡 harbour in a line, and by eight the whole waterfront smells of salt and diesel and something frying, and the beach on the far side of the headland is a wide flat sweep of sand with nobody on it for a kilometre in either direction.
海陵岛 (Hǎilíng Dǎo) is one of Guangdong’s best-loved islands — a proper holiday island on the coast of 阳江 (Yángjiāng), about four hours west of Guangzhou. It is famous for two beaches in particular: 大角湾 (Dàjiǎowān, Big Horn Bay), the busy, developed, family-friendly one, and 十里银滩 (Shílǐ Yíntān, Ten-Mile Silver Beach), the long, open, wind-blown one that people rave about. Between the two sits 闸坡 (Zhāpō), the working fishing town that gives the island its character.
The Island
Hailing is not large and it is not remote — this is China’s seaside holiday, with seafood restaurants, beach umbrellas and hotels along the shore. What makes it worth the drive is the variety packed into a small island.
The island’s chief claim to fame is underwater. In 1987 a Song-dynasty merchant ship, the 南海一号 (Nánhǎi Yīhào, “Nanhai No.1”), was discovered off these waters, loaded with porcelain and cargo that had lain on the seabed for some eight centuries. The wreck was lifted whole — a famous salvage operation — and now sits in the 广东海上丝绸之路博物馆 (Guangdong Maritime Silk Road Museum), where visitors can watch the conservation work through the glass of the “crystal palace”. It is the single most interesting thing on the island and most beach-goers never go.
Beyond that: the 大角湾 beach for swimming and the resort strip, the 十里银滩 for walking at sunset, the 南海一号 museum, and 闸坡渔港, where you eat. There is also a small hilltop with an old fort and a view back over the whole island if you want ten minutes away from the crowds.
Practicalities
Tickets. The two public beaches at 大角湾 are ticketed in season, around ¥51 for the main 大角湾 area (less in the low season, with discounts for children and seniors). The 南海一号 / Maritime Silk Road Museum is around ¥80. The long 十里银滩 is largely open and free to walk, bar some managed sections.
Do you need to book? Beach tickets are bought at the gate; hotel rooms at 闸坡 should be booked well ahead for summer weekends and public holidays, when the island fills completely. Museum tickets can be bought on arrival or online.
Opening hours. The beaches are effectively open all day, with swimming areas supervised roughly 08:00–18:00 in season. The Maritime Silk Road Museum runs about 09:00–17:30, closed Mondays in some periods. Allow two or three days on the island — one day for the beach, one for the museum and the harbour, one to slow down.
Getting there. Hailing Island is connected to the mainland by a causeway, which makes it easy.
- By car: about 3.5–4 hours from Guangzhou via the 沈海 expressway to 阳江, then the causeway to the island. This is the simplest way and the best option for beach gear.
- By bus: Guangzhou to 阳江 by coach, then a local bus or taxi to 闸坡 on the island.
- Local: taxis and shuttle buses run between 闸坡, 大角湾 and 十里银滩, and a hired car for the day is cheap.
One warning. The South China Sea here is not a swimming pool — there are currents and jellyfish in season, so stay between the flags where lifeguards are watching. Typhoon season (roughly July to September) can shut the beaches and the causeway with little notice; check the weather before booking a summer trip.
flowcloud would say that an island which keeps an eight-hundred-year-old ship in a glass box and a beach with nobody on it is offering you two kinds of time at once, and you should take both.
Getting there: 海陵岛 (Hailing Island), 阳江 (Yangjiang), Guangdong — reached by causeway from the mainland. About 3.5–4 hours by car from Guangzhou, or coach to 阳江 then local transport to 闸坡. Beach tickets about ¥51 at 大角湾; the 广东海上丝绸之路博物馆 (南海一号 shipwreck) is about ¥80, open roughly 09:00–17:30. Best in spring and autumn; book 闸坡 hotels early for summer weekends.