Longmen Torrents—A Little Australia in Hainan

The last stop of my trip in Hainan was Longmen Torrents. It is located in Danzhou, where Su Dongpo was once exiled. I stayed on Haihua Island upon arriving in Danzhou. The accommodation was the best value of the trip, costing just tens of yuan per day, with a room fully equipped with a washing machine, fridge, and induction cooker. There weren't many tourists, mostly from the north, but it was quite a distance from Longmen Torrents, nearly an hour's drive, half of which was through rural scenery. Near Longmen Torrents, there are actually three beaches, with Longmen Torrents being just one of them; the other two are Wucaili Beach and Lover's Beach. The three beaches are very close to each other. Longmen Torrents was somewhat disappointing. Its feature is a natural stone arch, behind which is a long rocky beach covered with volcanic rocks, making it difficult to walk on. In the distance, some people were gathering seafood from the sea; I really wondered how they managed to get down there. Lover's Beach was unremarkable—I went down, took a quick look around, and left. Wucaili Beach was the most satisfying. It's only two or three hundred meters long, with high cliffs facing the sea, fiery red mountain rocks, black reefs, and cacti all over. There's a lighthouse on top of the cliff. In the middle of the sea, there's a tall reef that, during high tide, is the only one that remains visible above the water, while the others are submerged. Some say it looks like a sail, but from the angle of my photo, it resembles Aladdin's lamp. Not far from Longmen Torrents, by the roadside near the sea, there's a flat area with some fishing boats moored on the sea, and a lighthouse visible in the distance. The shore is lined with volcanic rocks, with occasional flowers and plants growing among them. This spot was perfect for backlighting, with the distant setting sun like blood and the green leaves on the black volcanic rocks nearby dazzlingly bright.