Wanning, or in local Hainanese dialect as Ban Ning, is a county-level city in the southeast of Hainan Province, China. Although called a "city", Wanning refers to both the county seat and to the entire county as a whole. The county-wide area has an estimated population of 65,871 (2006).

History

Wanning (万宁) first got its current name during the Southern Song dynasty, after being renamed from Wan'an (万安县). Wanning was later renamed back to Wan'an in 1143 until its name was changed to Wanzhou (万州) in 1370, but subsequently reverted to its present name after the Communist takeover in the 1950s. It was promoted from a county to a city on August 5, 1996.

Economy

Tourism plays a vital role in the city. Famous for its tropical scenery, Wanning proper lies approximately half an hour's drive from the beach and has several five-star hotels. The city of Wanning produces coffee, black pepper, rubber, rice, bananas, and sugarcane.

Transportation

Wanning is served by the Wanning Railway Station, part of the Hainan East Ring Intercity Rail.

Climate

Wanning has a tropical monsoon climate (Köppen: Am), falling just short of a tropical rainforest climate, as it is hot and very rainy most of the year. Only January and February have rainfall barely below 60 mm. The rainfall is more pronounced during the monsoon season, which runs through late June to early November. At times, it can become cold with temperatures between 5 and 8 degrees Celsius.