“End-of-the-world” island combines ecological conservation with cultural tourism to build its own calling card.

N the 1980s， a popular song in China went likethis： “Come to the end of the world， where it isspring all year round.” The place was Hainan，China’s southernmost province and a tropicalparadise， and the song conjured up an imageof beautiful flowers， green trees， and warm sunshine.However， spring may not always be beautiful.Silent Spring ， an environmental science bookby American conservationist Rachel Carson， is awarning about environmental pollution due tothe indiscriminate use of pesticide. What kind ofspring we will have depends on our choices andactions.

Fortunately， Chinese authorities are taking concertedaction to ensure Hainan’s spring remainsbalmy. Several policies have been taken to ensurethat， starting with a 2010 document to promotethe development of Hainan as an internationaltourism island. The document pledged to buildit into “an all-year-round garden for the people，”specifically promoting tourism in the Xisha Islandsand developing tourism on uninhabitedislands. Nine years later， the Communist Party ofChina （CPC） Central Commission for ComprehensivelyDeepening Reform approved a plan to buildHainan into a national demonstration center forecological civilization. The goal is to turn Hainaninto a “clean energy island.” As China journeys onthe path to modernization， the 20th National Congressof the CPC in 2022 has promised that Chinesemodernization will ensure harmony betweenhumanity and nature.

Hainan is set to emerge as a world-class tourismdestination piloting tourism reform and innovationand becoming an open， green， and harmoniousisland with unique cultural charm. Locatedin the South China Sea， the island province isendowed with unique marine resources. Whilecreating a favorable condition for the developmentof cultural tourism， that has also increased thechallenges. The transformation must comply withthe general laws of the global cultural tourism in-dustry， deeply integrate tourism with culture， andbe consistent with Hainan’s positioning as a nationalecological civilization demonstration zoneat the forefront of exploring the modernization ofChinese-style ecological tourism. Building a tourismdestination and yet maintaining its ecologysounds like a paradox but is actually an opportunityfor a higher level of coordinated development.

With ecological conservation becoming the toppriority， it requires a change in development conceptsas well as the support of modern technology.The city of Sanya in Hainan is implementingeco-tourism measures in line with global trends，such as constructing zero-carbon and zero-energyconsumption demonstration buildings， makingculture-inspired products from garbage and waste，and spreading awareness about protecting theecological environment.

A cultural tourism industry is ultimately a consumereconomy. It brings considerable economicbenefits， but inevitably generates more garbageand emissions. The amount of garbage during peaktourism seasons basically doubles the volume inother times. For islands whose environment isexceptionally fragile， this is a severe concern.

If we focus only on protection but not on utilization，it is impossible to meet people’s new expectationsfor a better life. But if we go to extremeuncontrolled consumption， it will jeopardize theearth for future generations. The best way out ofthis dilemma is eco-friendly disposal and treatmentof waste and carbon emissions. For example，to develop tourism， the construction of new buildingsis inevitable. So we need to promote greenbuildings. A prime example of that is the QishuiBay tourist complex， the first zero-carbon andzero-energy demonstration building in Hainan. Ituses high-efficiency air conditioning and solar energyand is expected to reduce 530 tons of carbondioxide emissions and save over 100 tons of coalannually.

Wuzhizhou Island in Sanya is a waste-freescenic spot. It adopted a green model of coordinateddevelopment of ecological conservation andscenic spot development right at the start， avoidingthe old path of “pollution first， treatment later.”A waste-sorting station in the scenic area collects，sorts and treats various types of solid waste， recyclingabout 30 percent of the 4，000 tons of domesticwaste generated annually. Massive plant wasteis converted into fertilizers while kitchen waste，after a round of sorting， is transported outside theisland for further treatment. For hazardous waste，there is also a dedicated collection， sorting anddisposal center.

Xidao Island in Sanya has a permanent populationof over 6，000 people who had been living onfishing for generations. The disorderly developmentof the fishing industry in the past， coupledwith the indiscriminate discarding of solid waste，damaged the marine ecology. In 2019， Xidao establishedan environmental protection center toofficially begin its transformation into a waste-freeisland.

One initiative for this is the “l(fā)ove island cards”issued by the local government. They are meant toencourage residents to take their trash to the environmentalprotection center instead of indiscriminatelittering. There， workers sort and recycle themand the residents get points according to the trashthey bring in. These pointscan be used to buy householditems.

Part of the recyclable trashis turned into art. Waste paperbecomes gift wraps， and wastefabric is fashioned into environmentallyfriendly clothesand other knick-knacks. Artists，both domestic and international，are invited to createcultural items out of waste.

But island tourism is like rural tourism. In peakseasons， the destinations are overloaded， and inslack seasons， they are almost empty. The largescalegarbage treatment facilities remain idle duringoff season， which is a loss of resources as wellas money. However， they cannot be dismantledas without them， the marine ecology will be indanger. This and other issues require furtherconsideration.