Ledong Overview

Ledong Li Autonomous County (乐东黎族自治县) is located in southwestern Hainan Island, between the tropical mountains of central Hainan and the coast facing the South China Sea and Beibu Gulf. Compared with the highly urbanized resort areas around Sanya, Ledong has retained a much stronger combination of tropical agriculture, Li ethnic culture, rainforest ecology, traditional coastal communities and an extensive undeveloped shoreline. Its favorable climate has earned it long-standing descriptions such as a “natural greenhouse,” “treasure land of tropical crops” and “green treasure house.” Official Hainan information records a land area of about 2,760 square kilometers, a sea area of approximately 1,726 square kilometers and a coastline of about 84 kilometers.

Ledong is one of Hainan's six ethnic autonomous counties and an important member of the Greater Sanya Economic Circle. Although agriculture remains the foundation of the local economy, the county is increasingly developing marine industries, cultural tourism, rainforest-based recreation, low-carbon industries and services under the wider development framework of the Hainan Free Trade Port.

Basic Information

Ledong currently administers 11 towns: Baoyou, Wanchong, Da'an, Zhizhong, Qianjia, Jiusuo, Liguo, Huangliu, Foluo, Jianfeng and Yinggehai. The county government is located in Baoyou Town. At the end of 2025, Ledong had a permanent population of approximately 472,300, while its registered population was around 550,000.

📍 Location and Regional Connections

Ledong occupies the southwestern section of Hainan Island. It borders Wuzhishan City and Baoting Li and Miao Autonomous County to the east, Sanya to the south, and Dongfang City, Changjiang Li Autonomous County and Baisha Li Autonomous County to the north and northwest, while its western and southwestern side opens toward the sea. This position places Ledong between Hainan's central ecological conservation area, the western coastal economic belt and the rapidly developing Greater Sanya metropolitan region.

Its location around 18° north latitude provides warm temperatures and abundant solar radiation throughout the year. The county also serves as an important transition zone between the mountainous rainforest interior and the relatively flat coastal agricultural plains of southwestern Hainan.

🏔️ Geography and Natural Environment

Ledong has a characteristic mountain-to-sea landscape, with generally higher terrain in the north and northeast and lower coastal plains toward the south and southwest. Mountain ranges in the interior form part of Hainan's major tropical forest ecosystem, while the coastal zone contains sandy plains, river estuaries, farmland, salt-producing areas and long stretches of shoreline.

The Jianfengling area contains one of China's most important remaining tropical rainforest ecosystems. Official local information records forest coverage of around 98 percent within the Jianfengling national park area, with exceptionally high biodiversity. These ecological conditions are one reason Ledong was included in the 2023 “China Natural Oxygen Bar” climate and ecological branding program.

Several rivers originate in or pass through the mountainous interior before flowing toward the coast, supporting agriculture and creating a clear ecological transition from tropical mountain forests to lowland farming areas and marine environments.

🌤️ Climate

Ledong has a tropical monsoon climate characterized by abundant heat, strong sunshine, high humidity and a distinct seasonal distribution of rainfall. The county experiences warm conditions throughout the year with virtually no winter frost in the coastal and lowland areas.

Meteorological information released during Ledong's “China Natural Oxygen Bar” evaluation records an average annual rainfall of about 1,613.7 mm, approximately 1,972.6 hours of sunshine per year, average relative humidity of around 79 percent, and relatively gentle average winds. Rainfall is concentrated more heavily during the warmer part of the year, while winter is generally drier and more comfortable.

Climate varies considerably with elevation. Coastal areas are warm and sunny, whereas the mountainous rainforest interior can be noticeably cooler and wetter. This diversity allows Ledong to support both tropical coastal agriculture and dense montane rainforest ecosystems.

🚄 Transportation

Ledong has become increasingly integrated into Hainan's island-wide transport network. The western section of the Hainan Island Ring High-Speed Railway passes through the county, with Jianfeng Railway Station, Huangliu Railway Station and Ledong Railway Station providing connections toward Sanya, Dongfang, Haikou and other destinations around the island. Ledong Station itself is located in Jiusuo Town.

Road transportation is equally important. National and provincial highways, expressways and local roads connect the inland county seat with the southern coastal towns and neighboring Sanya. For air travel, Sanya Phoenix International Airport is the most convenient major airport, particularly for visitors traveling to southern Ledong; the airport is directly connected to Hainan's ring railway network.

This improving infrastructure has strengthened Ledong's role within the Greater Sanya Economic Circle and made it increasingly practical for commuting, logistics, tourism and agricultural distribution.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Population and Ethnic Groups

Ledong is one of Hainan's largest ethnic autonomous counties by both land area and population. Its population is composed mainly of Han and Li communities, with smaller numbers of Miao and other ethnic groups. Hainan's provincial overview identifies Ledong as one of the principal traditional settlement areas of the Li people, whose communities are concentrated across central and southern Hainan.

The ethnic and geographic pattern is particularly visible between the coast and the interior. Han-speaking communities are relatively prominent in several southern and western agricultural and fishing areas, while many inland villages maintain strong Li cultural traditions. This combination has produced a distinctive local identity shaped by both the historical culture of southern Hainan and indigenous Li traditions.

🏛️ History and Culture

Ledong has a long settlement history. Archaeological and historical evidence demonstrates that communities had developed in the region more than two thousand years ago, while the modern county administrative system dates from the Republican period. Today, its cultural landscape is shaped by Li ethnic heritage, traditional farming and fishing communities, southern Hainan folk traditions and the historical culture of the former Yazhou region.

One of the county's most important cultural traditions is Yazhou Folk Song (崖州民歌). The national intangible cultural heritage database identifies the villages around today's Leluo and Huangliu areas of Ledong as an important historical center of the tradition. These songs developed through centuries of oral transmission and incorporate themes ranging from agriculture and family life to love, local history and social customs.

Traditional Li spinning, dyeing, weaving and embroidery also form an important part of the county's cultural identity, while local paper-cutting, lantern-making and village festivals continue to reflect the diversity of Ledong's folk culture.

💰 Economy

Ledong remains one of Hainan's most agriculture-oriented county economies. In 2025, county GDP reached RMB 23.378 billion, representing growth of 4.2 percent over the previous year. This followed GDP of RMB 22.757 billion in 2024.

Agriculture continues to account for more than half of local economic output. Ledong's warm climate, long growing season and extensive agricultural land make it an important production area for winter vegetables, melons, mangoes, dragon fruit, tropical fruit and southern seed-breeding programs. The county is recognized by Hainan authorities as the province's first national modern agricultural demonstration zone and an important southern seed-production and winter crop base.

Economic development is gradually becoming more diversified. During the 2026–2030 planning period, Ledong aims to establish a “3+3” modern industrial system, with tropical high-efficiency agriculture, the marine economy and tourism as its three main industries, complemented by low-carbon manufacturing, the low-altitude economy and the digital economy as emerging sectors.

🎭 Tourism Development

Tourism in Ledong is developing around a distinctive “mountains and sea” model rather than conventional large-scale resort urbanization. The county combines tropical rainforest ecology in the interior with an approximately 84-km coastline, coastal villages, Li cultural landscapes, tropical farmland and areas suitable for ecological recreation and wellness tourism.

Its tourism strategy increasingly emphasizes rainforest conservation, coastal leisure, ethnic cultural experiences, rural tourism, ecological wellness and the integration of agriculture with tourism. Ledong has also been incorporated into Hainan's wider western-island tourism strategy, which positions the Ledong–Dongfang–Changjiang region around rainforest exploration, archaeology, ethnic culture and mountain adventure.

The designation as a “China Natural Oxygen Bar” further supports the county's development of ecological and climate-based wellness tourism. Rather than relying only on individual attractions, Ledong's long-term tourism potential lies in connecting its rainforest interior, agricultural countryside, Li communities and coastline into a broader mountain–countryside–coast tourism system.

Overall, Ledong Li Autonomous County represents a less urbanized and more agriculturally and ecologically oriented side of southern Hainan. Its position next to Sanya gives it strong transport and tourism advantages, while its extensive rainforest, tropical agricultural economy, Li cultural heritage and long coastline provide a development model quite different from Hainan's established resort cities. As the Greater Sanya Economic Circle and Hainan Free Trade Port continue to develop, Ledong is increasingly positioned as an important tropical agricultural base, ecological conservation area, marine economic zone and emerging mountain-and-sea tourism destination.