Beihai (北海; Běihǎi) is a city with an urban population of 570,000 (2010) in Guangxi on the southwest coast of China. It is said to be the fastest growing city in the world. Its centre is Beibuwan Square (北部湾广场; Beibuwan Guangchang) with a huge monument in the middle representing the Pearl of the South. There is an excellent beach, Silver Beach (quite different from the polluted North Beach), and lots of cheap food, including Vietnamese food, since many refugees came here.
Beihai is not much frequented by foreigners, and English is not widespread. The dialect spoken in Beihai is a form of Cantonese, but quite a few people also understand or even speak Mandarin. The Qiaogang area is home to numerous ethnic Chinese who fled Vietnam as refugees during the Sino-Vietnamese War. There is a lively expat scene in the city, even though insiders guess there are only about 50-75 Westerners around.
There are many taxis, motorbike taxis and tricycles. However, they will often try to overcharge you if they know you are not a native of China, or Beihai. Minimum rate for everything moving around apart from taxis stands at ¥4, even though the formal rate is ¥3. Haggling is customary, so do not be afraid to ask for a lower rate. Getting a motorbike ride from the bus station to the port is about ¥10. Using Didi taxi is also common and easy. Taxis should use a meter; there is a surcharge of ¥1 to be paid in addition to the fare shown on the meter. There are many buses going everywhere in the city, but bus lines partly seem to follow rather irrational routes, apparently because the city has bee…
1 Old Street (take bus 3 for ¥2 from Beibuwan Square, they usually do not run after 21:30). The street is famous for its old colonial buildings, which are rotting away. This is the original site of the first Western trade centres in Beihai. Now there are quite a few bars there and a busy nightlife. At daytime it is a relaxed pedestrian zone filled with souvenir stores and a few coffee shops. Underwater World (halfway between the long distance train station and the Silver Beach along the route of bus 3). Oceanorama and exhibition center of shellfish and coral. A must-see for aquarium enthusiasts.
Silver Beach (a few km outside town). Beach with grey-white quartz sand which is well worth visiting. Do not expect clear blue water, as the quartz sand makes the water appear quite murky, even though it is considered to be safe for swimming. If you have the chance to stick around the beach after dark, you will be in for a wonderful sight. If the sky is clear and the light from the moon is shining on the water, you will be treated to the fluorescence of the seaweed that grows fairly close to the shore line. But the main effect is the reflection of the moonlight by the quartz sand of the beach. You should stay close to crowd in order to avoid mosquitoes.
There is seafood everywhere and it is very cheap, about half the price of Shanghai or Hangzhou. When ordering anything with meat in a restaurant there is a chance of getting rat meat although you ordered beef. There are two big seafood markets in Beihai, Donghai Market and Nanzhu Market. The price in Donghai Market is much more reasonable, but the quality is a little bit lower than Nanzhu Market. At Beiyun Market (北云市场) and Guizhong Market you can buy raw seafood. Salted and dried aquatic products can be bought in Shuichanpin Market (水产市场). A delicacy in Beihai (as in other coastal/sub tropical Chinese cities) is half a pineapple on a stick.
There are a couple of music bars (discos) in the city centre, for example The Nest not far from the main office of China Mobile near Beibuwan Square, and at Old Street and No ONE bar in the Triumph building opposite McDonalds and N0. 88 bar in Guizhou Rd, not far from The Nest. In some of these places you have to order a sixpack at a price range above ¥100 if you want a beer, in others you accordingly get charged more for a single drink. Music is usually trendy, noisy and very little room for dancing. As mentioned above there are 4 western-owned bars: The Rusty Nail in Haijiao Rd. Sports bar, pooltable, soccertable and darts boards.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
In Jul, Beihai typically sees ~31°C daytime highs and 26 rainy days.
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