Food
As a expanding city lying on the Beibu Gulf Peninsula, Beihai has quite a lot
delicious food and cuisine available. Beibu Gulf provides abundant seafood supplies
and there are plenty of restaurants to try, especially on the north coastal
area. Around Outer Sands (Waisha) and Sichuan lu, there are restaurants with
outdoor seating areas under the sun umbrellas where you enjoy both the palatable
food and the great sea breeze.
A special Chicken Rice Food, made of local chicken, is one of the specialties.
Salted fish is also one particularly tasty dish that local people eat almost
everyday. Clams, shrimp and flying fish are major ingredients for the traditional
seafood dishes of Beihai. More exotic foods include shark's fins and sea cucumbers,
for which Beihai actually has the country's largest breeding farm.
The local cuisine is mostly influenced by the mild and light Guangdong Cuisine.
But if you hanker after some spicy food, Sichuan and Hunan cuisine can also
be found around Wuzicun. For those who need forks and knives, the Beihai Shangri-la
Hotel on Chating lu has several restaurants and serves high quality western
food. There are some cheap, hole-in-the-wall seafood restaurants beside the
ferry terminal.
Beihai offers you numerous local specialties, especially products of the Beibu Gulf. "Southern Pearls" (Nan zhu), a unique product of Beihai used to be the spectacular tribute to the court in ancient China, is one of the top grade product among the pearl family. In Beihai there is an area of 33 acres of pearl cultivation.These unique saltwater pearls are used to make various jewels including necklaces, rings, brooches and earrings, as well as many beautiful pearl decorations. Pearl powder is a Chinese traditional medicine with a secret formula to help maintain youth and beauty. There are numerous shops in Beihai specializing in pearl jewelry, gifts and pearl powder. The newly-opened South Pearl Palace (Nanzhu Gong) on Chating Lu is a good place to go shopping.Other products are artistic shell carvings and horn carvings.There are several big shopping centers along the Beibuwan Zhong Lu, of which the Qidong Shopping Center may be the best place to select some souvenirs.
Water sports and sports on the beach are the major daytime entertainment in Beihai: Swimming, surfing, waterskiing, scuba diving and beach volleyball are very popular now.Neon lights illuminate the night of Beihai. The most famous spots are the Star of the Sea Night Club in the Shangri-la Hotel; the Athena Night Club in Kaidy Grand Hotel and the Dulaozhi Night Club in the Grand Hotel. Bowling alleys, tennis courts, discos, tea houses and internet cafes are open late and enrich the nightlife in Beiha