About this place

If you like seafood, go directly to this section of town.  A large market full of fresh fish and other seafood fresh off the boats opens up around 5 pm daily.  If you aren't much of a cook, then head for one of the several large, pavilion-type restaurants next to the market.  It can be difficult to tell one from the other.  As you approach, hostesses will beckon you inside.  Some may try to strong arm you in.  Take your time and see which one appeals to you.  I’ve been to several and loved them all. 

 
If you choose to dine out, first find a hostess. She will escort you through the market where you can point and choose the type and amount of fish you would like to eat.  Back at the table the staff will ask you how you want it prepared.  If you don’t speak Mandarin, smile, shrug, and nod.  Have a sense of humor and be flexible.  The food is generally excellent regardless of how its prepared. Waiters and waitresses will wander by with platters of fresh vegetables, nan (flat, fried bread), and various local specialties. Roving musicians will serenade you for the current going rate of 5 yuan per song.  If you are a foreigner the musicians will probably play either Celine Dion’s “Titanic Theme” or “Auld Lang Syne.”  These restaurants are almost always packed.
 
 
Detailed instructions on how to get there:  Across the street from the Old Clock Tower (a Haikou landmark) at the end of Jiefang Lu, take the #39 or #14 bus.  The bus will follow the river on the left for a ways, then turn right by a freeway overpass.  Eventually the bus will turn left onto Wenming Dong Lu.  The bus will cross the river.  Get off at the first stop after the river.  If you miss it, don’t worry, the bus will turn right and there’s another stop very close.  Across the street on the corner you will see a Bank of China.  Follow the street that the bank is on (Wenming Lu) to the first street on your left — Banqiu.  A Mobile Station is right across from it.  Go down about two blocks and you will come to the restaurants and market on your left.  Buses #13 & #34 also go by here, although I’m not sure where you catch them from.