China might be the last place you’d think of for a surf trip, but its scene is booming, and it has a genuine tropical surf paradise up its sleeve. That’s Hainan, the palm-fringed island off the country’s southern tip, where warm water and a reliable winter monsoon light up Riyue Bay (Sun Moon Bay), a point good enough to host international contests, alongside some of Asia’s friendliest learner beaches. Up on the mainland, the Zhoushan Islands near Shanghai and the city breaks of Qingdao come alive on summer and autumn typhoon swells. It’s not Indonesia, but for warm-water winter surf, a fast-growing local scene and a fascinating, very different trip, China is a real and rising destination. It sits high on our guide to the world’s best places to surf. Here’s China, region by region, plus when to go and what to pack.
Which China wave fits you?
From the winter point of Riyue Bay to the pristine learner sands of Hainan and the typhoon breaks near Shanghai, answer three quick questions and we'll match you with two Chinese waves.
Quick surf guide to China
- Best season: November to March for Hainan (winter NE monsoon); August to October brings typhoon swells to the north (Qingdao, Zhoushan) and summer surf to Hainan
- Best for beginners: Shimei Bay, Houhai and Dadonghai (Hainan)
- Best for advanced: Riyue Bay on a solid swell
- Water temp: warm 22 to 26°C in Hainan (a springsuit or 3/2 in winter for the windchill); cold in the north, near freezing in a Qingdao winter
- Getting around: internal flights and high-speed rail link Hainan, Shanghai (for Zhoushan) and Qingdao; a translation app helps
- Gateways: Sanya (SYX) or Haikou (HAK) for Hainan; Shanghai (PVG) for Zhoushan; Qingdao (TAO)
- Budget: mid-range, $50 to $120 a day
Where to surf in China
Chinese surf clusters in three areas: the tropical island of Hainan in the far south, which is the heart of it all, the Zhoushan Islands off the east coast near Shanghai, and the city of Qingdao up north in Shandong. We’ve laid them out below from south to north. Tap a marker to preview a spot, then click its name to jump straight to it.
Hainan: China’s surf capital
The tropical island of Hainan, off China’s southern tip, is the undisputed capital of Chinese surf: warm water, palm-lined bays and a fast-growing scene centred on Wanning’s Riyue Bay, which now hosts international contests. From beginner-friendly beaches to the island’s best point, it’s where Chinese surfing was born and where nearly all visiting surfers head.
Dadonghai
Right in the resort heart of Sanya, Dadonghai is a small, sheltered bay with gentle, beginner-friendly waves and easy access from the city’s hotels, making it a convenient spot to try surfing between beach days. The waves are modest, best when a summer typhoon swell nudges in, but the warm water and holiday setting make it a relaxed introduction. More about convenience and fun than quality.
Houhai
A laid-back fishing village turned surf town on the edge of Sanya, Houhai (in Haitang Bay) has become Hainan’s most popular beginner beach: gentle, rolling waves over sand, a huge cluster of surf schools and board hire, and a buzzing young backpacker scene. It’s warm, forgiving and sociable, the go-to place for a first surf in China, and an easy day trip from the resorts of Sanya. Busy but fun.
Wuzhizhou Island
A small tropical island off Sanya’s Haitang Bay, Wuzhizhou is best known for diving and day trips but picks up fun reef and beach waves when a swell runs, in some of the clearest water around Hainan. It’s a scenic, more adventurous option away from the mainland beaches, reached by boat, though it’s very much a tourist island. A pretty, warm-water novelty for a change of scene.
Riyue Bay
Also called Sun Moon Bay, Riyue Bay near Wanning is the birthplace and beating heart of Chinese surf, a right-hand point and reef good enough to have hosted top-level ISA and world-tour events. On the winter NE monsoon it produces powerful, consistent waves up to a couple of metres, with a long season from October to March. It’s the island’s best and most serious wave, ringed by surf shops and camps, and the natural focus of any Hainan trip.
Shimei Bay
Just up the coast from Riyue Bay, Shimei Bay is a stunning six-kilometre arc of white sand, praised as one of Hainan’s most pristine beaches, with a flat seafloor that produces regular, smaller, forgiving waves ideal for learning. Savvy surfers increasingly head here for quieter, less-crowded line-ups than the main point. Warm water, easy waves and gorgeous scenery make it a favourite for beginners and cruisers.
Eastern China: the Zhoushan Islands
For the millions in and around Shanghai, the Zhoushan Islands off the Zhejiang coast are the closest surf: an emerging scene of typhoon-fed beach and reef breaks that come alive in the warmer months. Cold in winter, but a genuine mainland option.
Zhoushan
The Zhoushan archipelago, China’s largest island group off Ningbo and within reach of Shanghai, is the surf outpost for the eastern megacities, with beach and reef breaks scattered across its islands that fire on summer and autumn typhoon swells. The season runs June to October in warmish water, dropping cold in winter. It’s fickle and lightly surfed, but for Shanghai-based surfers it’s the nearest fix, and a growing local scene.
Daishan
One of the Zhoushan islands, Daishan has sandy beaches that pick up typhoon-season swell and offer some of the more accessible, forgiving waves in eastern China, drawing weekend surfers up from Shanghai and Ningbo. It’s quiet, undeveloped for surf and very seasonal, but part of the pioneering east-coast scene. A mellow, off-the-map spot for those exploring China’s emerging mainland surf.
Northern China: Qingdao
Up north in Shandong, the breezy seaside city of Qingdao is the surf hub of northern China, with beach breaks that work best in the typhoon season. The water turns genuinely cold in winter, so this is a summer-and-autumn scene.
Shilaoren
Qingdao’s main surf beach, Shilaoren is a long city beach that can serve up fun, two-to-three-foot waves in the typhoon season, especially August and September, making it the focus of northern China’s small surf scene. The best window is roughly May to November, before the water turns bitterly cold. It’s modest, urban surf rather than world-class, but for the north it’s the reliable option, with a growing crew and surf schools.
Huangdao
Across the bay from central Qingdao, Huangdao (the West Coast New Area) has long sandy beaches, including the popular Golden Beach, that pick up the same typhoon-season swells as Shilaoren with a bit more space and fewer crowds. It’s a gentle, beginner-friendly option in the warmer months, and a pleasant, low-key alternative for surfers exploring northern China. Cold and flat outside the summer-autumn window.
When to surf in China
Shoulder
Typhoon season (August to October, best in the north and for Hainan summer swells)
China’s surf splits by region and season. Hainan, the tropical south and the country’s surf heart, has its prime window in the winter, from November to March, when the northeast monsoon delivers consistent, powerful swell to Riyue Bay and the Wanning coast, with the great majority of surfable days falling in these months. The water stays warm, a light wetsuit is only needed for the windchill, making it the obvious time and place for a Chinese surf trip.
The mainland coasts, Zhoushan near Shanghai and Qingdao in the north, run on the summer and autumn typhoon season, roughly August to October, when passing storms send swell into the east and north, which are otherwise flat and, in winter, bitterly cold. Hainan also picks up some summer south swells then. So come to Hainan in winter for the best and warmest surf, or chase typhoon swells up the mainland coast in late summer, wetsuit at the ready in the north.
What are the best surf camps in China?
China’s surf-camp scene is overwhelmingly on Hainan, where Riyue Bay, Shimei Bay and especially Houhai near Sanya have a booming cluster of surf schools, camps and board hire aimed at the country’s fast-growing crop of new surfers, from cheap backpacker set-ups to luxury beachfront retreats. Lessons, rentals and English-speaking instructors are increasingly easy to find. The mainland scenes around Shanghai and Qingdao are smaller and more do-it-yourself. Learn at Houhai or Shimei Bay, then test yourself at the Riyue Bay point. It pairs with wider Asian surf like Japan or the Philippines.
Compare surf camps in China on BookSurfCamps
What to pack for China
Warm Hainan, a cold north and some travel admin set the packing list. Your China checklist:
- For Hainan: boardshorts and a rash vest, plus a springsuit or thin 3/2 wetsuit for the winter windchill
- For the north (Qingdao, Zhoushan): a proper 4/3 or thicker, since the water is cold outside high summer
- Reef booties for the Riyue Bay reef and the rockier spots
- Strong, reef-safe SPF and a surf hat for the tropical Hainan sun
- A surf watch to track the tides
- The right board: a shortboard for Riyue Bay, a longboard or midlength for the mellow beaches; see our best beginner surfboards and check your board volume
- Spares (fins, leashes, wax): outside Hainan, surf shops are scarce
- A translation app and a VPN, useful for getting around and staying connected in China
Getting to China
For Hainan, the surf heartland, fly into Sanya (SYX) or Haikou (HAK), then it’s a short drive to Houhai and the Sanya beaches or on to Wanning for Riyue Bay and Shimei Bay. For the Zhoushan Islands, fly into Shanghai (PVG or SHA) and travel on by road and ferry; for Qingdao, fly into Qingdao (TAO). China is a huge, superbly connected country by high-speed rail and domestic flights, but a translation app, a VPN and a little patience with visas and language go a long way. Focus on Hainan for the best surf, and time the mainland spots for typhoon season. It combines with a wider Asian trip taking in Japan or the Philippines.
Frequently asked questions
When is the best time to surf in China?
For Hainan, the country’s surf capital, November to March is prime, when the winter northeast monsoon delivers consistent swell in warm water. The mainland coasts (Qingdao, Zhoushan) work best in the August-to-October typhoon season. Hainan in winter is the classic choice.
Where is the best surfing in China?
Hainan Island, in the tropical south, is the undisputed hub, with Riyue Bay (Sun Moon Bay) its best wave, good enough for international contests, and Shimei Bay and Houhai its top beginner beaches. The mainland spots around Shanghai (Zhoushan) and Qingdao are smaller, more seasonal scenes.
Is China good for beginners?
Yes, on Hainan. Houhai near Sanya, Shimei Bay and Dadonghai are gentle, warm-water beaches with a big and growing cluster of surf schools and board hire, making Hainan a genuinely good, if unexpected, place to learn to surf.
Do I need a wetsuit in China?
It depends on the region. Hainan is warm year-round (22 to 26 degrees Celsius), needing only boardshorts or a light springsuit for the winter windchill. The north (Qingdao, Zhoushan) is cold outside high summer, dropping near freezing in winter, so a thick wetsuit is essential there off-season.
Is there really good surf in China?
Yes, mainly on Hainan. It’s not Indonesia, but Riyue Bay is a quality point that hosts world-tour events, and the island has a warm, consistent winter season and a booming scene. The mainland has more modest, typhoon-fed waves. It’s an emerging but genuine surf destination.
Is it easy to travel in China for surf?
It takes a little planning. China is vast but superbly connected by high-speed rail and flights, so reaching Hainan or the mainland spots is straightforward. A translation app, a VPN for familiar apps, and awareness of visa requirements make the trip much smoother.
China is one of surfing’s most surprising frontiers: the warm winter point of Riyue Bay, the pristine learner beaches of Hainan, and the typhoon-fed breaks of the mainland coast near Shanghai and Qingdao. Head to Hainan in the winter monsoon, learn in bath-warm water, and discover a surf scene growing faster than almost anywhere on Earth. See you in the line-up.
