Although China’s southernmost province of Hainan is also the country’s youngest, the past decade has seen a continuous deepening of the process of reform and opening up. As the province has been growing into its role as a Free Trade Port with Chinese characteristics, it has become a microcosm of China's development story and the indelible proof that the country is "opening ever wider the door to the outside world." As the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) gets underway, Hainan International Media Center (HIMC) continues to bring you the Ten Years on in Hainan: An Expat Perspective video series. Presenting China's development achievements and the construction process of the Hainan Free Trade Port with "fresh eyes", this series features several long-term foreign residents of Hainan sharing what they see, think, and feel concerning both Hainan and greater China. Although the guests on this program hail from different countries and work in different industries, one thing they have in common is they have spent years witnessing Hainan change and grow. What special ties do they have with China and Hainan? What do they make of China's development achievements and future plans? What are their views on the blueprint for the construction of the Hainan Free Trade Port? Starting on September 28, the Ten Years on in Hainan: An Expat Perspective program will share with you these expats’ unique stories and perspectives.

Both urban and rural infrastructure and the quality of public services across Hainan have improved immensely since the implementation of China’s rural revitalization program and the construction of the Hainan Free Trade Port began. Cities are now comfortable places to live and work, while the countryside has become ever more beautiful and abundant, leading to a notable improvement in people’s quality of life. 

72-year-old British expat, Bob, and his Chinese wife, Wang Huan, visited Hainan’s Wuzhishan by chance 15 years ago. Drawn by Wuzhishan’s excellent ecological environment, climate, and the warmth and customs of the local people, they both decided to buy a home in the area so that they could come and retire here. 

In 2015, the couple finally retired and did indeed settle in Wuzhishan. In the years that have followed, they have become intimately familiar with the streets and alleys of Wuzhishan City, and have visited a great number of surrounding villages, where they have captured the changes they have witnessed on camera. Public transportation, medical facilities, and public amenities; all have undergone drastic development, developments that did not go unnoticed by Bob.