Weekend at Xichong Beach – Nanao Island, China

After spending so much time in Shenzhen, China it was time for a change of scenery and I figured a trip to the beach was in order. We ended up spending a weekend at Xichong Beach in Nanao Island and it was definitely an unforgettable experience. Nanao Island is located about 70 miles (110 KM) from Shenzhen and has some of the nicest beaches in relation to Hong Kong and Shenzhen. We left out early morning and it took about two hours to make it out to the island having first started in Shenzhen at Yinhu Bus Station.

Xichong Beach at Nanao Island – Tents and Umbrellas lining the beach

With about 10 buses rolling through every minute or so, it got fairly confusing in addition to the fact we had some ‘bad’ information online as to which bus to take.

Leaving from Yinhu Bus Station in Shenzhen

However we eventually made it onto the right one after speaking to 4 different people. And if you’re trying to make it out to Xichong Beach yourself, I’ve posted directions coming from Shenzhen at the bottom of this post….

The drive getting out there was scenic though so the trip went by fairly fast. The highway that takes you there winds through the mountains as well as borders the coast line so depending on which side of the bus you’re sitting on, you should have a good view along the way.

Just getting some shade…

We ended up reaching the main small town at the northern point of the Nanao Island around 11AM and from the looks on the faces of the locals when we arrived, I’d say we were their amusement for the morning seeing as how there were no other foreigners in sight.

Nanao Island is a huge fishing town and is made up mostly of local fisherman and restaurant owners that cater to the tourists that come through each week to visit its beaches.  However Nanao Island has a lot more history than simply a beach destination. There are 3 wells left over from the Song Dynasty (960 A.D.) that are worth a visit as well as 50 other historical landmarks spread out across the island.

Walking the fish market at the north end of Nanao Island

After some brief town exploration, it was time to head to the beach so after having drawn a map on a napkin and playing charades with the locals in the restaurant where we ate lunch, we were walked by our waitress for 10 minutes down the street to the local bus stop and told which bus to take to travel south. Since this was a 20 minute round trip for her, I realized she either really liked us and wanted to help out or really hated her job as a waitress… About 20-30 minutes later, we made it to Xichong Beach which is on Nanao Island’s southern half of the island. It is one of the more popular beaches as we came to find out.

Arriving to Xichong Beach…

One of the coolest things about this beach is the option to rent a tent for the night which is just what we did. There were of course beach huts you could stay in for 560RMB (about $89 USD/night) however at 50RMB for a tent ($8) it was a no-brainer.

A shot of the tents set up along the beach right before a major thunderstorm!

And most people that come out here end up pitching a tent too so although you can set up your tent anywhere you want, you won’t necessarily be ‘alone’ on the beach. The other great thing about this beach is the fact that there were actual waves! Sorry, I’ve just been to too many beaches lately that are so calm you’d think you were swimming in a big lake. Sometimes you just want some good waves… However, it wasn’t rough seas the entire time and we did get some calm waters there for the first part of the afternoon.

Yes, they love umbrellas so much they even use them in the ocean! Only in China my friends….

This all changed a few hours later though…. A serious storm ended up rolling in mid-afternoon and you’ve just never seen such a chaotic mess of people running for cover. And yes, I was one of them! After trying to secure our stuff on the beach, I was hustling to the nearest shelter which was nothing but a small wooden hut that sold drinks and such.

My 3 feet of roof overhead during this hour long thunderstorm…

OK, so it wasn’t the best shelter but it was a lot better than the many ‘smart’ folks I saw running around on the beach with umbrellas in hand as well as covering themselves in electric blankets for warmth. I just didn’t think that was a very good idea….  And from my vantage point, I saw lightning strike down about 15 times along the beach as well as within about 30 yards from where I was standing in this hut. I  was definitely glad to have gotten out of the water when I did!

Later that night, we headed to what I could best describe as the ‘pick your own fire pit’ restaurant. Basically, you have 4 small concrete benches surrounding a small fire pit.

The benches and fire pits on XiChong Beach

I don’t know what I like better, the method used to heat up the fire pit or the fact that he is on the phone….

You are free to bring your own food or for about $35, you can buy a tub of food to grill (enough for 4 people) which is what we did. It included two types of chicken, 10 meat skewers, mushrooms, lettuce, sausage, bread and a couple other things.

Grilling in the fire pit…

It also included a tub of cooking oil as well as seasonings, sauce and herbs to use for grilling. Needless to say, it was an amazing feast as well as quite an experience since we were still the ‘foreign novelties’ among the crowd of Chinese. Soon after eating we were grabbed by some fellow Chinese neighbors sitting next to us and they first asked us if we’d take some pictures with them. Sure, no problem. Then we were asked if we’d go down to the beach ‘to play’ with them. Ahh, OK… how do you say no to this? Of course we would….

To summarize the next 3 hours,… I’ll just say we ended up playing about 4 different games with about 20 different people. We ended up meeting a couple Russian foreigners too that were in the mix of 20 so our first game was what I like to call “Russian Red Rover.” And who remembers Red Rover? Let me refresh your memory…. With two teams standing in a line facing each other, linked arm to arm, you chant “Red Rover, Red Rover, send Rory right over!” then that person is to run and break through the other side. The only difference was a Russian twist to it but it was essentially the same.

A varied version Duck Duck Goose in China!

Next up is what I’ve coined, “Chinese Duck Duck Goose.” OK, who remembers Duck Duck Goose from grade school?!? OK, well, the Chinese version has some similarities but it is still quite a bit different! Either way, we had a lot of fun and played a couple other games before calling it a night. And yes, there was plenty of Tsingtao involved in the beach festivities…

Our group photo on the beach after combining games from China, Russia & the US….

The following morning, we woke up to a broken tent and some screaming Chinese girls kicking sand at each other on the beach. Not only that, but the tide had rolled in and the water was only about 3 feet from edge of our tent!

Our lonely, broken tent that morning that was about to get carried out into the South China Sea…

Had I gotten woke up inside my tent by a wave to the face would have been an even better story to tell! Anyway, this wasn’t the only thing that was surprising this morning. Just 20 yards to my right, the beach had disappeared! Perhaps it was from the rain storm the previous day with waters collecting in the nearby mountains but by 8AM that following morning, a huge section of the beach had been taken out and it was still breaking off and widening by the minute. Here are a couple shots I took from this.

The aftermath from the storm washing away a section of beach

Xichong Beach at Nanao Island – Beach washout

Spectators looking on as the beach gets taken out to sea…

In the photo above, I’m actually standing in this current (not too smart, I know) and shortly after taking this shot, I almost lost my flip flop again! It came off, floated to the top of the water and the chase was on with my bag in one hand, my camera in the other… Not cool! But if any of you had read this post about my missing flop, you know I’ll never lose sight of them again!

So after putting in some more beach time and getting sufficiently sun-burned, it was time to pack it up and head out. However I’d definitely recommend anyone to spend a weekend in Nanao Island or even just visit for the day. With the option to grill your own food and even rent a tent, it makes for a fun and inexpensive option for those looking to spend time at the beach. If you’re thinking of going yourself, here is some information for future travelers…

Getting To Xichong Beach at Nanao Island

To get there from anywhere in Shenzhen, get yourself to Yinhu (Shangbu Beilu) Bus Station as a starting point. Many buses travel there so just check the ones closest to you. Then take bus E11 on the opposite side of the road from the Yinhu Bus Station. We had read online from other sites that you could take bus 360 but once getting there, we realized this wasn’t the case. And the bus from here to Nanao Island should cost 6RMB.

Once you get on, the ride will take about 1.5 hours and you’ll soon get dropped off at the head of the island. There are some fishing boats around and restaurants but not too much else so if you’re headed for the beach, you’ll need to take another bus from here or a cab (and the cabs aren’t marked… they are simply guys that will pull up in either a mini-van or motorcycle and offer a price). The bus from here should cost about 2RMB.

So depending on which beach you want to venture to, there are a few different buses that leave from this area. We chose to head to Xichong Beach which is one of the most popular. To get there, take bus 232 for about 20 minutes (depending on your crazy bus driver) and get off at either the 2nd or 3rd stop from the last. Any should get you close to walking distance the coast and you should see signs at this point directing you towards the beach access. If you get off path, you can always pay a driver 5 RMB to get you there… Oh, and at the time of this writing, Xichong Beach cost 15RMB for an entrance fee.

Sunset along Xichong Beach