Qiongshan District, alternately romanized as Kiungshan, is a district in Haikou City, Hainan.
History As Qiongzhou, formerly romanized as Kiungchow, the district was formerly a separate city which served as the center of Chinese administration on Hainan Island when it formed a part of Guangdong Province.
The British Consulate in Kiungchow was opened in April 1876, as a result of the Treaty of Tientsin in 1858.Nield, Robert. “China’s Southernmost Treaty Port.” Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society Hong Kong Branch, vol. 52, Royal Asiatic Society Hong Kong Branch, 2012, pp. 67. "But the first steps in opening the port had been taken and in 1876 a British consul was sent, the port being declared open on 1 April that year. Quite prudently, one of his first actions was to agree that there should be no settlement or concession yet; he chose instead to wait and see. Moreover, even though Kiungchow had no shops to speak of, there was a fair amount of trade being conducted by local merchants and it was not clear where the foreigners would fit in."
Geography Dongzhai Port Nature Reserve is located in the district and has an area of . It includes six rivers, an irregular coastline, and a number of bays and tidewater gullies. The mangrove forest on the south coast provides a habitat for birds and other wildlife.
Climate
Demographics Mandarin is the official language of administration and education, but locals also speak Haikou dialect of Hainanese (a Min language), while other ethnic groups also speak the Qiongshan dialect of Lingao.
See also Qiongzhou Strait
Notes
References
External links Information about Qiongshan