Ledong Administrative Divisions

Ledong Li Autonomous County (乐东黎族自治县) lies in southwestern Hainan Island, bordering Sanya to the southeast and facing the sea along Hainan’s western and southwestern coast. Unlike counties under a prefecture-level city, Ledong is a county-level autonomous division directly administered by Hainan Province. Its land area is about 2,767 square kilometers, making it the largest of Hainan’s ethnic autonomous counties by land area. The county government is based in Baoyou Town (抱由镇). Ledong currently administers 11 towns, with no townships or subdistricts at the same township administrative level.

Ledong’s administrative geography closely reflects its tourism landscape. The inland and mountainous areas are dominated by tropical rainforest, Li ethnic villages, traditional handicrafts and tropical agriculture, while the western and southern areas gradually open toward beaches, fishing communities, salt fields and coastal resorts. This creates a distinctive “rainforest–Li culture–tropical agriculture–coast” tourism pattern rather than a tourism industry concentrated around a single urban center.

Administrative Structure and Tourism Geography

Ledong stretches from the mountainous interior of southwestern Hainan to an approximately 84-kilometer coastline. The county has also been recognized as a “China Natural Oxygen Bar”, reflecting its strong ecological resources. Jianfengling is especially important: the wider protected rainforest area covers about 678.44 square kilometers and has extremely high forest coverage, making the western mountain zone one of Ledong’s major ecological tourism assets.

From a travel-planning perspective, the 11 towns can be understood in three broad tourism zones. Baoyou, Wanchong, Da’an, Zhizhong and Qianjia form the inland cultural and rural tourism belt; Jiusuo, Liguo and Huangliu combine tropical agriculture, local food, fishing villages and coastal countryside; while Foluo, Jianfeng and Yinggehai contain many of Ledong’s best-known coastal and nature-based attractions.

Inland Cultural and Rural Tourism Area

Baoyou Town (抱由镇) is the county seat and the administrative, commercial and transportation center of Ledong. For travelers, it functions as a gateway to the interior rather than a conventional resort area. Its surrounding villages provide opportunities to experience Li ethnic culture and emerging rural tourism. Baoqiu Village (抱邱村) has developed a distinctive Zijin pottery industry, combining pottery workshops, handicraft displays, rural accommodation and hands-on ceramic experiences.

North and northeast of the county seat, Wanchong Town (万冲镇) is characterized by forests, agricultural landscapes and Li villages. Baoban Village (抱班村) and Youyi Village (友谊村) were included in national forest-village programs, while Baoban has developed Li-style rural accommodation, cultural performances and countryside tourism facilities. The area is better suited to travelers interested in village life and slow rural exploration than conventional sightseeing.

Da’an Town (大安镇) is one of Ledong’s most culturally distinctive areas. It is particularly associated with Li paper-cutting, an art form that integrates Li cultural imagery with Chinese paper-cutting traditions. Da’an was recognized as a major center of folk paper-cutting, and villages such as Xili Village (西黎村) provide a stronger combination of ethnic culture, traditional handicrafts and rural scenery.

Zhizhong Town (志仲镇) and Qianjia Town (千家镇) are closely associated with Ledong’s traditional Li textile heritage. Traditional Li spinning, dyeing, weaving and embroidery are nationally recognized intangible cultural heritage, encompassing cotton and hemp textiles, brocade, dyeing and embroidery. Zhizhong is particularly associated locally with traditional hemp textile skills, while Qianjia is known for cotton-spinning and weaving traditions. Maogong Mountain (毛公山), one of Ledong’s unusual natural landmarks, is also associated with the Zhizhong area.

Agricultural, Village and Coastal Countryside Area

Jiusuo Town (九所镇) is one of Ledong’s major tropical agricultural areas and is especially famous for dragon-fruit cultivation. Its large-scale dragon-fruit farms use supplementary lighting to extend production seasons, creating extensive illuminated agricultural landscapes after dark. The Jiusuo dragon-fruit production base was selected among China’s first group of nationally recognized high-quality planting bases, giving the town potential for agricultural sightseeing and educational farm tourism.

Nearby Liguo Town (利国镇) combines agriculture with river-estuary and fishing-village landscapes. Wanglougang Village (望楼港村) represents the area’s rural coastal character, where fishing traditions, seafood, estuary scenery and local markets can be incorporated into countryside tourism experiences. Compared with Jianfengling or Yinggehai, tourism here remains more community-oriented and closely connected with everyday village life.

Huangliu Town (黄流镇) is one of Ledong’s better-known cultural and culinary centers. Traditional lantern making and folk arts form part of its cultural identity, while Huangliu duck is among the county’s best-known local dishes. More recently, Yingge Yumeng Sea Park (莺歌渔梦·海乐园) has added marine conservation and educational tourism to the area. The park integrates sea-turtle rescue and conservation, marine science education, aquaculture research, family coastal activities and study-tour programs.

Rainforest, Beach and Salt-Field Tourism Area

The western section of Ledong contains the county’s strongest concentration of major natural attractions. Foluo Town (佛罗镇) is closely associated with Longmu Bay (龙沐湾), a long west-facing coastal area known for open beaches and especially attractive sunsets. Rather than the dense resort development found around Sanya, Longmu Bay is valued for its relatively open coastal landscape and quieter atmosphere.

Jianfeng Town (尖峰镇) is Ledong’s principal rainforest tourism destination and the gateway to Jianfengling National Forest Park (尖峰岭国家森林公园). Rainforest hiking, mountain scenery, Tianchi Lake, tropical vegetation, birdlife, sunrise and sea-of-cloud views make this area fundamentally different from Hainan’s beach-oriented destinations. Jianfengling is also included in official Hainan rainforest and nature-exploration tourism routes.

At the southwestern coast, Yinggehai Town (莺歌海镇) offers one of the most distinctive cultural landscapes in Hainan. Yinggehai Salt Field (莺歌海盐场) combines industrial heritage with enormous geometric salt ponds, salt-production culture and reflective “mirror-like” scenery. The salt field has increasingly developed visitor experiences related to salt harvesting, salt culture and photography, while the nearby coastal tourism highway has improved access and encouraged new tourism facilities.

Transport links between Sanya and southern Ledong have also improved. The Sanya–Ledong Tourism Railway began operation in November 2024. The railway corridor runs from Sanya Railway Station toward Jianfeng North Station, with a planned/constructed length of about 108.78 kilometers, helping connect the Sanya tourism market with towns and tourism resources in southern Ledong.

Complete Administrative Division Table

At the township level, Ledong Li Autonomous County currently contains 11 towns, 0 townships and 0 subdistricts. Therefore, the table below represents the complete county- and township-level administrative structure. Village committees, neighborhood communities and natural villages are lower grassroots units and are not individually listed here. Current town names and administrative codes correspond to the 2026 administrative division listing.

Tourism Characteristics of Ledong’s Administrative Areas

For tourism planning, Ledong should not be viewed simply as another beach destination near Sanya. Its 11 towns form complementary tourism zones: Baoyou–Wanchong–Da’an–Zhizhong–Qianjia emphasize Li culture, forests and traditional villages; Jiusuo–Liguo–Huangliu highlight tropical agriculture, food, fishing communities and marine education; while Foluo–Jianfeng–Yinggehai concentrate many of the county’s strongest coastal and ecological attractions, including Longmu Bay, Jianfengling and Yinggehai Salt Field.

This combination of rainforest ecology, Li intangible cultural heritage, tropical farming and relatively undeveloped west-coast landscapes gives Ledong Li Autonomous County a tourism identity quite different from neighboring Sanya. It is especially suitable for travelers interested in ecotourism, ethnic culture, rural experiences, self-drive travel, tropical agriculture and quieter coastal scenery rather than large-scale urban resort tourism.