Changjiang Administrative Divisions

Changjiang Li Autonomous County (昌江黎族自治县) lies on the western side of Hainan Island, facing the Beibu Gulf and adjoining Danzhou, Baisha Li Autonomous County, Ledong Li Autonomous County and Dongfang City. The county covers about 1,620 square kilometers, and its government is based in Shilu Town (石碌镇). Administratively, Changjiang currently governs 7 towns and 1 township, with no subordinate districts, counties or county-level cities. Its county-level administrative code is 469026.

Changjiang has one of western Hainan’s most complete combinations of mountains, tropical rainforest, rivers, wetlands, coast, karst caves, Li villages and industrial heritage. Its tourism identity has long been summarized through four seasonal themes: spring kapok blossoms, summer mangoes, autumn at Qizi Bay and winter in Bawangling. Current county tourism development also emphasizes a broader structure connecting Bawangling–Wangxia rainforest tourism, the Changhua River kapok landscape, Qizi Bay and the western coastline, Haiwei wetlands and rural tourism.

Tourism Geography of Changjiang

Changjiang can roughly be divided into four tourism zones. Shilu is the county’s urban and industrial-cultural center; Qicha, Chahe and Wangxia form the principal rainforest, kapok and Li cultural belt; Changhua and Haiwei provide marine, wetland and coastal tourism; while Shiyuetian and Wulie are dominated by tropical agriculture, countryside landscapes, seasonal flowers and local historical resources.

The county is particularly distinctive during the kapok flowering season, normally concentrated from late January through March depending on weather. In 2026, the county again promoted several established viewing areas, including the Changhua River around Qicha, Pai’an Village in Chahe, and mountain villages around Wangxia Township. At Pai’an, trains passing directly through landscapes of flowering kapok trees and fields have created one of Changjiang’s most recognizable photography scenes.

Shilu Town: County Center and Mining Heritage

Shilu Town (石碌镇) is the county government seat and the main commercial, accommodation and transportation center of Changjiang. Its identity is closely associated with Shilu Iron Mine, one of Hainan’s most important industrial sites and historically one of China’s best-known high-grade iron-ore deposits.

Changjiang has promoted the development of Shilu National Mine Park and industrial tourism based on the iron-mining industry. Together with memorial sites connected with wartime mine workers and the industrial development of western Hainan, Shilu provides a side of Hainan tourism very different from beaches and resorts.

For travelers exploring the whole county, Shilu is also the most practical base before continuing toward Qicha, Bawangling, Wangxia or Qizi Bay.

Qicha Town: Kapok Landscapes and Bawangling Rainforest

Qicha Town (七叉镇) is the heart of Changjiang’s famous spring kapok scenery. The Baoshan terraced fields, Dazhang Reservoir area and Changhua River valley become major photography destinations when large kapok trees flower above rice fields, rivers and mountain villages. The county has developed dedicated viewing platforms and seasonal tourism activities around these landscapes.

Qicha is also closely connected with the Bawangling section of Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park. Bawangling is one of Hainan’s most important rainforest landscapes and an internationally significant biodiversity conservation area. The county’s current tourism strategy treats the Bawangling–Wangxia corridor as one of its principal nature-tourism zones.

This makes Qicha particularly suitable for rainforest experiences, mountain scenery, nature education, kapok photography and rural tourism.

Wangxia Township: Li Culture, Karst and the “Li Flower Village”

Wangxia Township (王下乡) is Changjiang’s only township and its most distinctive Li cultural destination. Deep in the mountains, it is promoted through the “Li Hua Li” (黎花里) tourism brand and is often described locally as the “Shangri-La of Hainan.” Wangxia contains a strong concentration of Li villages, karst valleys, caves, rivers and traditional rural landscapes.

The best-known natural attractions are Huangdi Cave (皇帝洞) and the Shili Gallery (十里画廊) along the Nanyao River. Huangdi Cave is a large karst cave associated with prehistoric human activity, while the Shili Gallery is characterized by dramatic limestone mountains, river valleys and dense tropical vegetation. Other local resources include underground caves, waterfalls and traditional Li settlements.

Wangxia has also developed boutique homestays, village experiences and outdoor activities. It served as a major venue for the 2025 “Rainforest and You” activities, and organized hiking programs have linked Wangxia, Huangdi Cave and the Shili Gallery with the wider Bawangling rainforest landscape.

Chahe Town: Railway and Kapok Photography

Chahe Town (叉河镇) has become nationally recognizable among photographers because of Pai’an Village (排岸村). During the kapok season, trains pass through farmland lined with flowering kapok trees, creating the celebrated “train through the kapok sea” scene.

In its 2026 flower-viewing guidance, Changjiang specifically recommended Pai’an Village in mid-February and noted that the village provides designated viewing and safe photography areas.

Beyond the seasonal flower landscape, Chahe is predominantly an agricultural and rural area, making it most attractive when incorporated into a wider kapok, countryside or self-drive journey.

Changhua Town: Qizi Bay and Maritime Heritage

Changhua Town (昌化镇) is the principal coastal resort area of Changjiang and the gateway to Qizi Bay (棋子湾). Qizi Bay is one of western Hainan’s most distinctive bays, combining blue water, sandy beaches, rocky coastline and unusually shaped stones. Official Changjiang tourism material describes a coastline of approximately 13 kilometers and promotes the bay as one of Hainan’s outstanding sunset locations.

The bay forms part of one of Hainan’s early national marine park projects and is increasingly important for coastal holidays, photography, road trips, beach recreation and resort development. Recent county projects continue to develop visitor facilities in the Qizi Bay tourism area.

Changhua also preserves cultural resources associated with the historic Changhua settlement and Junling Wang Temple (峻灵王庙), giving the town a combination of coastal scenery, traditional beliefs and local maritime history.

Haiwei Town: Wetlands, Birdwatching and Fishing-Village Life

Haiwei Town (海尾镇) is Changjiang’s key wetland and coastal-ecology destination. Hainan Changjiang Haiwei National Wetland Park was approved as a national wetland park pilot in 2017 and has a planned area of about 5,054 mu. It protects one of the relatively uncommon coastal freshwater marsh systems on western Hainan and is an important migratory-bird habitat. By early 2025, 212 bird species had been recorded there, including 42 nationally protected species.

Nearby Shayutang Community (沙渔塘社区) has developed a different form of coastal tourism. The fishing community has hosted sunset beach events, fishermen’s markets, fish-rubbing workshops and other experiences linked with fishing culture and marine life. It also became widely known as a filming location associated with the television program Back to Field.

Haiwei is therefore particularly suitable for birdwatching, wetland education, family nature tours, fishing-village experiences, beach camping and sunset tourism.

Shiyuetian Town: Flowers, Agriculture and Rural Tourism

Shiyuetian Town (十月田镇) occupies part of Changjiang’s agricultural plain and has fewer major conventional attractions than Qizi Bay or Bawangling. Its tourism potential is centered on tropical farming, flower cultivation, rural scenery and agricultural experiences.

Flower-growing and horticultural projects, including orchid and ornamental-flower industries, have added visual interest to the agricultural landscape. Local historical resources associated with wartime resistance and rural development also provide potential for educational and countryside tourism.

For most visitors, Shiyuetian works best as part of an agricultural, flower or rural self-drive journey rather than as a stand-alone resort destination.

Wulie Town: Kapok Countryside and Local Heritage

Wulie Town (乌烈镇) is another important agricultural area of western Changjiang. Large numbers of mature kapok trees are distributed across its farmland and village roads, contributing to the county’s wider spring “red kapok corridor” landscape.

The town also contains local revolutionary and memorial resources, including sites connected with Daolong (道隆). Combined with tropical farming, village scenery and seasonal flowering landscapes, Wulie is most suitable for rural photography, agricultural tourism and local-history study tours.

Tourism Characteristics Across Changjiang

Changjiang’s greatest strength is the ability to experience radically different Hainan landscapes within one county. Travelers can move from the industrial history of Shilu to the flowering river valleys of Qicha, enter the Bawangling tropical rainforest, explore Li villages and karst caves in Wangxia, photograph trains among kapok trees in Chahe, watch the sunset at Qizi Bay, and finish with birdwatching and fishing-village life around Haiwei.

County tourism policy has therefore increasingly emphasized a connected “mountain–river–village–sea” model rather than individual isolated attractions. Current tourism promotion links the Hainan Coastal Scenic Highway, Bawangling section of Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park, Wangxia Li Hua Li, Huangdi Cave and Shili Gallery into broader western Hainan self-drive and nature-tourism products.

For international visitors, Changjiang is particularly suitable for ecotourism, rainforest exploration, Li cultural experiences, photography, birdwatching, self-drive tours, geological tourism and seasonal flower trips.

Complete Administrative Division Table of Changjiang Li Autonomous County

Changjiang Li Autonomous County currently administers 7 towns and 1 township, for a total of 8 statutory township-level administrative divisions. The county government is located in Shilu Town, and the county administrative code is 469026.

Administrative Note

Statistical division datasets may also separately list the State-owned Bawangling Forest Farm (国营霸王岭林场) with a statistical code beginning 469026500. This is a state-owned forestry management unit used for statistical purposes and is not an additional statutory town or township. The correct formal description for Changjiang remains 7 towns and 1 township.