Beihai: The Unexpected Side of Guangxi
In the eyes of many, Guangxi is renowned for its majestic inland landscapes. However, Beihai, a southern city of Guangxi, thrives by the sea and shines brilliantly along its coastal realm.
It lacks the karst landscapes typical of Guangxi, replaced instead by rolling waves, gentle sea breezes, and serene islands. China's youngest volcanic island, Weizhou Island, and the shimmering Ten-Mile Silver Beach are among its oceanic treasures.
It borders the Beibu Gulf, the only sea area in western China, and occupies about one-third of the western coastline, opening a maritime window for Guangxi and the entire western region.
As early as the Western Han Dynasty over 2,000 years ago, it was the most important departure port of the "Maritime Silk Road," a gathering place for world cultures at the time.
Today, standing on the stage of the ocean, it has also developed into a modern industrial city, becoming western China's only coastal open city, Guangxi's pioneering trailblazer, and a dazzling star of the Beibu Gulf, writing a maritime legend.
Because of Beihai, Guangxi has once again amazed the nation with its oceanic character.
Looking back, we find that the long geological evolution had long charted the course for Beihai's present glory.
Beihai is located in the southeast of Guangxi, a coastal city on the northeastern edge of the Beibu Gulf. Its urban area is a peninsula surrounded by the sea on three sides, resembling a rhinoceros horn charging into the ocean.
Even as it extends into the sea, Beihai boasts mountainous splendor, with its northern part gifted by hills.
The remnants of the Liuwan Mountains and Yunkai Mountains stretch southwestward here, forming a picturesque range of rolling hills. The Nanliu River, winding through these hills, spreads the silt carried from the mountains, painting the Nanliu River Plain.
This plain, covering about 500 square kilometers, is Guangxi's second-largest, lush and fertile.
South of the plain, across the Lianzhou Bay, lies the Beihai Peninsula, with the seaside Guantouling as its highest point: "Dark rocks arch like a crown," resembling a green dragon guarding the city.
Further south, the mountains wane, and the sea takes over, shaping the rest of Beihai. The southern region of Beihai is a gift from the ocean.
Small southern rivers like the Sanhekou, Fucheng, and Nankang, being close to their sources, carry little silt and cannot form vast plains. Combined with the ebb and flow of seawater at their estuaries, narrow, elongated bays extend inland.
These bays line the southern coast of Beihai, with the Tieshangang Bay on the east being the most prominent. Its roughly 40-kilometer-long waters meander gracefully like antlers, reaching deep into the land.
Beyond lies the vast sea. Here, molten lava from beneath once intertwined with the ocean, composing a marine symphony.
Since millions of years ago, magma erupted and overflowed multiple times, forming several submarine volcanoes. Later, crustal uplift exposed these volcanoes, giving birth to Weizhou Island and Xieyang Island.
The most recent volcanic eruption here occurred just about 7,000 years ago, making Weizhou and Xieyang the youngest volcanic islands in China.
Bays and islands endow Beihai with a long coastline, while the expansive coastal zone provides space for the sea's creative work.
Surging waves carve towering cliffs and scatter caves along their faces.
Or it transports fine particles from the seawater to the shore, depositing them to form soft, silvery sandy beaches.
Moreover, seawater interacts with the land in even more creative ways.
The gentle coastal zone provides a stage for the tides. Areas submerged during high tide are exposed in vast stretches when the tide recedes. Within a single day, the boundless seascape alternates with tidal flats and rocky shores.
Under the influence of tides and waves, some coasts develop long, parallel sandbars, with the waters between the sandbars and the land known as lagoons.
At high tide, the lagoon connects with the sea; at low tide, it resembles a teardrop of the ocean falling onto the land, a sight both amusing and fascinating.
Seawater also nurtures diverse life. Mangroves thriving along the coastal mudflats are widely distributed, like green guardians by the city of Beihai or floating forests undulating in the emerald waves.
The vast sea and thriving ecosystem provide a home for marine animals. Above the waves, seabirds soar and whales glide; beneath the surface, corals bloom and small fish play endlessly.
The shaping forces of mountains and seas make even the "low-lying" Beihai uniquely captivating, offering continuous surprises from hills to the ocean.
Humans discovered this treasure early, and the rushing rivers, expansive seas, long coastline, and bays and lagoons penetrating the land all pointed to the same direction—building ports. With these unparalleled gifts from nature, the history of maritime civilization set sail.
The southern coastal regions of China were once the lands of the Baiyue tribes.
As the saying goes, "The Hu people excel on horseback, the Yue people excel on boats." The South China Sea, where the Yue people lived, was one of the earliest regions in the world to use rudders, and the Yue people of Beihai, nestled between rivers and the sea, were naturally pioneers in maritime trade.
During the Western Han Dynasty, Beihai belonged to Hepu County under Hepu Commandery and served as the commandery seat. A thriving port town in Lingnan was quietly taking shape during this period.
The Lingqu Canal, dug during the Qin Dynasty, connected the Xiang and Li Rivers, reducing the land route from the Central Plains to the Beibu Gulf to just the Guimen Pass, greatly improving passenger and freight convenience.
Beihai, near the estuary of the Nanliu River, occupied a prime location along this route. The river channels here formed a network, naturally creating navigable waterways and excellent harbors, attracting merchants from the Central Plains.
Economically, Beihai flourished, especially in pearl diving. The renowned "Southern Pearls," celebrated throughout history, were harvested from Beihai's waters.
As pearls circulated as commodities, the city grew rapidly, making Beihai a prosperous urban center in Lingnan. Hepu Commandery, to which it belonged, had a population of nearly 80,000 at the time, truly a coastal metropolis.
Thus, the bustling and grand Hepu Port of Beihai was born.
Hepu Port was not a single harbor but a collection of multiple ports, including Lianzhou Port and Qianti Port, serving as the starting point for voyages to explore foreign lands during the Western Han Dynasty.
Accumulated航海 experience and advances in shipbuilding made large-scale, long-distance maritime trade possible.
Historical records show that during the Han Dynasty, ships from southern China set sail from Hepu Port, reaching India before returning. People carried gold and silk abroad, trading for exotic gems, rhinoceros horns, ivory, and spices.
This was precisely the Maritime Silk Road of the Han Dynasty.
The bronze ware, pottery, jade artifacts, glassware, and bead ornaments unearthed from the Hepu Han Tombs all demonstrate that Beihai during the Han Dynasty was a port city of both scale and cultural richness, its bustling harbor scenes vividly coming to life before our eyes.
From then on, the busy port and thriving commerce continued beneath this prosperity, becoming the cornerstone of Beihai's development for over a millennium.
From the Three Kingdoms to the Southern Dynasties, despite dynastic changes, successive rulers recognized Beihai's strategic importance. Under their careful management, Beihai's overseas trade flourished, with merchants and foreign envoys arriving in an endless stream.
By the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the routes of the Maritime Silk Road expanded further. Although Guangzhou had by then replaced Beihai as the center of foreign trade, Beihai remained a crucial transit point, with merchants arriving for trade in ever-increasing numbers.
With its prosperous economy, abundant goods, and coastal scenery, Beihai continued to attract literati and artists in later periods.
The Northern Song literary giant Su Shi, upon returning from Hainan, feasted on longans in Beihai and praised them as "clustered like peaches and plums, each oozing creamy juice," rivaling lychees.
The Ming Dynasty playwright Tang Xianzu, while summering on Weizhou Island, wrote the lines "The sun shines on Weizhou's walls, the wind sweeps across distant island seas," leaving the most beautiful depiction of Weizhou Island.
One might say Beihai enjoyed "favorable timing, geographical advantages, and human harmony," playing its cards well in ancient development by leveraging its abundant resources. Yet, unexpected hardships still befell it.
From the mid-Ming Dynasty, as national power declined, maritime piracy grew rampant. Simultaneously, the court implemented strict maritime prohibition policies, leading to the rapid decline of the once-prosperous port city.
In the late Qing Dynasty, Western powers forced open China's doors, and Beihai was designated as a treaty port. Its former role as a maritime gateway was shattered, reduced to a "gap" for imperialist plunder.
Foreign merchants flocked in, competing fiercely to dump goods and extract raw materials. While Beihai's culture and economy saw some revival, under imperialist exploitation and oppression, people's lives worsened, and the port's autonomy gradually eroded.
Decades later, during the Anti-Japanese War, Japanese forces occupied Weizhou Island and blockaded and damaged Beihai Port, adding insult to injury for Beihai.
Five centuries of decline and a century of warfare left Beihai's people in dire straits, with foreign trade stagnating. As a once-thriving port city, Beihai awaited the revival of its glory.
After the founding of New China, the time for Beihai's revival had arrived.
To restore Beihai's economy and trade, the government began rehabilitating and expanding the port, gradually forming a modern port complex centered around Beihai Port.
Among these projects, the expansion of the Waisa Inner Harbor was the most monumental.
This was a natural sheltered harbor on the northern side of the Beihai Peninsula. However, due to centuries of neglect in dredging, the harbor had silted up and could no longer meet the growing trade demands after the nation's founding.
Having endured hardships, Beihai's government and people understood the port's critical importance. The dredging and expansion of Waisa Inner Harbor were swiftly prioritized.
At the time, around 3,800 cadres and workers were formally involved in the port construction, while countless Beihai residents treated it as their own mission, with tens of thousands volunteering their labor—a grand and spectacular scene. Thus, the people literally "dug" a path to Beihai's revival with their own hands.
Through the efforts of Beihai's people, the city's maritime transportation and foreign trade have advanced rapidly since the founding of the nation, simultaneously boosting commodity exchange and economic development in southern Guangxi and western Guangdong.
Moreover, relying on the sea, Beihai continues to ride the waves, reclaiming the dignity of its maritime heritage and showcasing its heroic spirit.
The Beibu Gulf, where Beihai is located, has always been rich in nutrients, hosting hundreds of fish species that thrive and migrate here, making fisheries a traditional pillar industry for the city.
To restore the fame of southern pearls, Beihai established a pearl farm at Nanwan in 1958 and successfully cultivated its first cultured pearl a year later.
Subsequently, Beihai set up multiple pearl farms and shellfish hatcheries, rapidly expanding its cultivation scale and output.
People also began farming shrimp, crabs, and other seafood along the coast, gradually developing a unique seaside pastoral landscape in Beihai.
By the 21st century, Beihai continued to leverage its maritime strengths.
In fisheries, no one could challenge Beihai's dominance in Guangxi. Its total fishery output exceeded 10 billion yuan in 2011 and surpassed 20 billion yuan in 2017, nearly double that of the second-ranked region.
To adapt to the comprehensive and holistic development of cities in the new era, Beihai did not limit itself to ports and fisheries. With the support of its marine and port resources, an industrial Beihai has emerged.
In August 2001, the Beihai Industrial Park was officially established. In 2006, Guangxi's first electronic information industry base was inaugurated within the park. Since then, Beihai actively absorbed industrial transfers from the Pearl River Delta, achieving a remarkable transformation in its electronic information industry, which grew as fiercely as a tiger.
According to statistics, Beihai now hosts around 300 electronic information enterprises employing approximately 40,000 people.
With an output value exceeding 130 billion yuan and accounting for over 50% of the city's industrial output, the electronic information industry has become Beihai's undisputed pillar industry.
Additionally, opposite the western Beihai Port area, the eastern Tieshangang Port area has rapidly matured, leveraging its excellent harbor to provide new opportunities for Beihai's industrial growth.
Industries such as petrochemicals, new materials, forest paper and wood processing, and energy and power have flourished here, forming Beihai's port-side industrial system. The synergy between ports and industries, mutually reinforcing each other, is Beihai's unique winning formula for industrial development.
Offshore, the discovery and extraction of large reserves of oil and natural gas have also injected continuous momentum into the city's progress.
Today, Beihai's industrial output ranks third in the region, trailing only the industrial powerhouse Liuzhou and Guangxi's capital, Nanning, making it the true industrial leader along Guangxi's coast.
Decades of relentless efforts have restored Beihai's unstoppable glory. Since its final incorporation into the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in 1965, Beihai has embraced Guangxi's ethnic diversity and cultural inclusiveness, infusing new vitality into its urban development.
Entering the new century, Beihai actively connected with Qinzhou and Fangchenggang to explore integrated development in the Qin-Bei-Fang region. Under Nanning's leadership, Beihai also became a key member of the Beibu Gulf Economic Zone, closely linked to the mainland while facing the sea, confidently proclaiming its strengths to the world.
In 2017, the state officially called on Beihai to "unleash the potential of the sea and build a robust marine economy." This recognition affirmed Beihai's industrial achievements in the new century while expressing high hopes for its future.
Generation after generation, the people of Beihai have sailed the seas, using their hands and wisdom to elevate the city to unimaginable heights, crafting an extraordinary Guangxi metropolis.
The laughter and joy of the Beihai people are the best testament to this prosperity.
On the beach, people either revel in the delight of azure waters and silver sands during high tide or rush to the tidal flats during low tide to gather seafood, experiencing a glimpse of the lives of Beihai's native fishermen.
On the sea, jet skis and parasailing become a paradise for tourists, with cheerful vibes spreading across the blue waters. Fishermen, carrying nets full of anticipation, steer their boats, lifting and dropping their nets to harvest bountiful joy.
Back on shore, the sea's bounty transforms into delicious dishes. Hundreds of varieties of shrimp, crab, fish, and shellfish form exquisite culinary delights, embodying Beihai's maritime culture and serving as a magnet for food lovers.
On Weizhou Island, the local dialects of Beihai, Lianzhou, and Hakka intermingle with other regional accents. Warm-hearted Beihai residents welcome visitors from across the nation and the world, sharing the island's volcanic wonders.
In Lianzhou Bay, the urban landscape is displayed in full splendor. Here, people enjoy the vibrancy and convenience of modern Beihai, savoring the unique charm of this harbor city.
In the mangrove forests, the "sea forests" take center stage. Visitors can slow down and get close to this green oasis by the city, revealing another side of the bustling metropolis.
These enviable lifestyles belong not only to Beihai locals but also to those who come here drawn by its allure. They settle in, live joyfully, and together with the locals, form the lively tapestry of modern Beihai.
In this ancient and beautiful coastal city, the people of Beihai and newcomers alike listen to the timeless waves of two millennia, embracing the maritime dreams of the new era, undaunted by storms, forging ahead.
All of this reflects both the true narrative of Beihai's urban development and how its progress ultimately enriches everyday life and harmonizes with nature.
Sunac, also committed to "co-building beautiful cities," has deepened its roots in Guangxi and established a presence in Beihai. Guided by the vision of exploring authentic Beihai, it has launched Sunac Southwest's premier seaside project, crafting a Diamond Bay for Beihai.
The "Sunac Diamond Bay" project is located in the heart of Lianzhou Bay, boasting Beihai's prime seafront views and vast mangrove forests. It integrates leisure, vacation, and wellness living, aiming to create an international health-focused seaside landmark for all ages and seasons.
The architectural design draws inspiration from the "Fu ship," exemplified by Zheng He's treasure ships of the Ming Dynasty. The buildings retain the hull-like structure, forming sail-shaped high-rise residences, echoing Beihai's "marching toward the sea" ethos and empowering its development.
Just as nature and history have fueled Beihai's growth: millions of years of gifts from mountains and seas, two millennia as a harbor city, and two decades of maritime ambition have shaped today's Beihai—scenic, skyscraper-studded, and brimming with life.
In the future, Beihai will undoubtedly unleash even greater maritime potential, continuing to shine as the brightest star of the Beibu Gulf.