Yintang lays claim to the finest and whitest sands, a pure pleasure just to stroll along, whiling away the hours with no true destination in mind, the gentle breeze blowing away all of your worldly concerns ... whoops, sorry, started to slip there.

A popular beach for locals is Qiao Gong Beach, home to many Vietnamese. But Beihai's best-kept secret is Nanwan Beach, known as a quiet spot for romantic walks and amazing sunsets.

If seafood whets your appetite, then this is the place. Chart a course for Weisha Island, an upscale spit or peninsula located just north of Beihai. Here sits a collection of ornate restaurants serving any kind of seafood imaginable, from shark fin soup to native sand worms. Counting the pennies? Then skip Weisha and hit Chan Qing or Qi Dong Night Markets or stop at any one of the numerous street stalls serving shrimp, shells, oysters, etc., at a fraction of the restaurant cost. Join locals amongst the palms, under the stars, for smoked barbecue, where only the occasional waft of stinky tofu (chou doufu) upsets the balance of seaside fragrances.

Plentiful Attractions

Those who tire of seafood, snorkeling and shopping for pearls and shelled jewelry might mount an expedition to the mangrove forest just outside the city or embark on a three-hour ferry ride to Weizhou Island, China's oldest extinct volcanic island. Even closer is Star Isle Lake (Hongchaojiang Reservoir), surrounded by temples and evergreens.

Most visitors eventually stroll up and down old Beihai, located near Weisha Island, to chat with the fishermen mending their nets or drying fish along the sides of the narrow roads. As with seafarers anywhere across the globe, libations loosen lips and allow for colorful tales of local adventure featuring pirates and mermaids (alas, no Sirens). For a more authentic rush, feed the hungry crocodiles in the large pit at Underwater World, a giant aquarium in Haibin Park.
The streets stay open late. The crowds - from the crawling to the aging - do not head home until late into the night. Most residents do not rush. They move along in no real hurry, knowing that whatever is waiting will still be there whenever they get there, be it the multitude of restaurants and shops or friends, new and old.

If life here seems to crawl along like a sandworm on a plate, just remember the old Chinese proverb: "One step at a time is good walking." The pace of Beihai forces city folk to slow down and learn to appreciate the new and unexpected: Swing back in your hammock, fresh coconut drink in one hand, microphone in the other, and sing something karaoke as the sun slowly sets on a little slice of China paradise.

Making Your Trip Easy

Transportation

Beihai, located in Guangxi Autonomous Region, has an airport and is about three hours south of Nanning, the capital, by train. The better buses come from Nanning or Guangzhou. There is also an overnight ferry to Hainan.

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