Tora! Tora! Tora! - Hainan

Tora! Tora! Tora!- Hainan is on fire! Property prices are skyrocketing! Every inch of the waterfront is being built up! The rich and the greedy are invading the island! Avatar is playing out 3D live on my favorite place in China - Hainan!

Just learned from one of my girlfriends in China that the property prices in Hainan have skyrocketed in the recent months as a result of the Chinese government proclaiming that Hainan will receive special attention and incentives to be developed into an international luxury level destination. My girlfriend's budget for an ocean view retreat in the city last year is now only enough for an interior condo in a nearby county, and she needs to act quickly before the next price heat wave starts. The selling prices for some condo developments are already around $700 per square foot.

What a poof! I knew it! It had to come down to this. If you think Waikiki beach is overcrowded with high-rises and tourists, wait until you see Yalongwan (one of the nicest beaches in Sanyan City, Hainan) in a few years. Hainan has already undergone lots of development since I was there last time, which was...At this point, I have to do the math using my age as a reference point. So it was 14 years ago.

Memory plays tricks on us. I reckon the reason why we think of a dead person as always nice is that our memory is kind-natured enough to filter out the bad, and a dead person is not alive to do any wrong to prove our memory otherwise. I futher reckon that my memory of Hainan could be playing the same trick on me. Spaced out from another continent and 14 years time span, what remained of Hainan are only those fond memories: unspoiled sandy beaches, friendly locals, fresh seafood, cheap taxis, post-midnight eat-out, motorcycle riding with sandals on, endless shopping streets, palms trees, and fresh coconuts right off the trees... Let's not forget about the perfect tropic weather. Hainan was an ultimate romantic place where romance didn't have to involve men (or really?).

I'm sure even without the overdevelopment, Hainan was no longer the place as it was once before. All my gangs have moved somewhere else; The old streets must have been replaced with new constructions; The remote Moonbay beach, where we used to go for a whole day without running into another person, must be swarmed with people. Of course, even in the 80's and 90's, the major cities in Hainan were no lack of crimes, prostitution and corruption like the rest of the country. I don't know things in those aspects have improved over the years. I hope so. However, Hainan is the only tropical island in China, and possibly the only place where you can breathe fresh air in China. Back then outside the city outskirts, you were likely to find a slice of paradise .

As more and more mainlanders are descending on the island, Hainan is finally living up to its name "Oriental Hawaii" in property prices and tourist popularity. My China Connection through Hainan is thinning out as the new development wave is giving another facelift to the primitive beauty of Hainan. Oh well. Changes are inevitable. Hainan as well as the rest of China is too far away, and it's too early to think about where to retire. Even if Hainan were the same as I remembered, it would not have made any difference to me in reality because all I have is right here and right now. Spring is almost here. Bulbs and rose buds in my garden are coming out. A grape arbor needs to be built for the grapevines to climb on. My slice of heaven at backyard is awaiting my touches. Now here is the secret of gardening: whether you realize it or not, gardening is one's attempt to create sacredness on earth, in spite of the soil and location. If you have ever reserved a spot for a sacred garden in you, then nothing can take your bliss away. That's the way how we preserve the memory of a deceased beloved.  That's how I will always remember Hainan, even when it's under tora tora tora!