Last updated 2026-10-12

Silver Beach, Beihai's Long Quartz Shore on the Beibu Gulf

Silver Beach, Yintan in Chinese, lines the south side of the Beihai peninsula in Yinhai District. Chinese Wikipedia says it runs for about 24 kilometres from the fishing port at Qiaogang in the west to Daguansha in the east, with a resort area of some 38 square kilometres. The sand is fine quartz that shines in strong sun, which gave the beach its name. The slope into the sea is very gentle and the waves are usually small, so it works as a swimming beach for families more than a viewpoint. Entry is free.

a wide flat beach of pale sand with people walking near the water under a hazy sky — Silver Beach, Beihai. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, by PQ77wd, CC BY-SA 4.0.

From White Tiger Head to a national resort

The main stretch used to be called Baihutou, White Tiger Head, because the shoreline looked like a tiger with its mouth open. In 1990 the city government raised 10.72 million yuan to build a beach park there. Chinese Wikipedia dates the first phase to 23 November 1990, with the park opening in June 1991. Hotels, villas and shops followed as a second phase from December 1991. In October 1992 Silver Beach was named one of China's first national tourist resorts, and in 2002 it was in the first batch of national 4A scenic areas.

The phrase you will hear most often dates from 1997, when the former president Yang Shangkun visited and wrote that this was the first beach under heaven. Beihai was one of the fourteen coastal cities opened to investment in 1984, and the early 1990s building boom on the beach belonged to the same period of fast growth.

The Chao sculpture

The landmark on the sand is Chao, meaning tide. The Beihai-born sculptor Wei Xiaoming, now a professor at Tsinghua University's Academy of Arts and Design, won a national competition for it in 1992 against more than 200 entries, according to a 2019 report in the Nanguo Morning Post. His design is a hollow stainless steel sphere 20 metres across and 23 metres tall, ringed by seven bronze women diving for pearls, a nod to the Hepu pearls the city is known for. The name referred to the tide of reform and opening that Beihai was riding. It was finished in October 1993, just before the city's second international pearl festival. A large fountain pool with more than 3,000 jets was added around it and billed at the time as Asia's largest musical fountain.

Salt air corroded the original steel. Reports from Guangxi News describe a rebuild that began in late 2018, with the old sphere taken down in early 2019 and a new one in more corrosion-resistant stainless steel lifted into place in October 2019. In the evenings, travel listings describe a light and music fountain show around the sphere.

a large openwork metal sphere with figures of women around it against a blue evening sky — The original Chao sculpture, photographed before its 2019 rebuild. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, by 史氏, CC BY 3.0.

Swimming and the shape of the beach

Chinese Wikipedia gives the beach a width of anywhere from 30 metres to 3 kilometres depending on the tide and the stretch. Because the shore shelves so slowly, the tide goes a long way out, and the beach park area near the sculpture is the busiest part. Walk east or west along the sand and the crowds thin quickly. The water is warm enough to swim for much of the year, and July and August are peak season.

Beach umbrellas, water sports and electric carts in the beach park cost extra and are priced on site. The Beihai guide notes that summer sun here is fierce, so plan on hats, sunscreen and water.

Hours, tickets and getting there

Silver Beach is free. Travel listings in 2026 give the beach park hours as 6:00 to 23:00 from May to October and 6:00 to 22:30 from November to April, with the swimming area open from about 7:00 to 19:30. Those times come from listing sites, so check the day's notice from the scenic area before planning an early swim or a late walk. On busy holidays the city has opened extra free parking near the beach and Qiaogang, as it did over the 2026 Spring Festival.

The beach is about six kilometres south of the old city. City bus routes such as the 3 run to the beach park, and a taxi from the centre takes around a quarter of an hour.

Pairing it with other Beihai sights

Silver Beach sits between two of the city's other stops. Qiaogang, at the western end, is the harbour town settled by returned overseas Chinese fishing families in 1979 and the best place in Beihai for seafood at dusk. Guantou Ridge, west of the city, is the usual place to watch the sunset over the gulf. The Beihai guide puts the beach on the first day, from early afternoon through sunset at the sculpture, followed by dinner in Qiaogang. Keep the second day for the ferry to Weizhou Island.

Before you go

Swim only in the marked swimming area and during its hours.
Agree prices for umbrellas or rides before you use them.
Come late in the afternoon for softer light on the sculpture.
Keep off wet rocks when the tide turns.

Frequently asked questions

Is Silver Beach free?

Yes. There is no entry ticket. Rentals and activities on the beach cost extra.

When can you swim at Silver Beach?

The water is warm for most of the year, with July and August the busiest months. Listings give swimming area hours of about 7:00 to 19:30.

How do I get from central Beihai to Silver Beach?

City buses such as route 3 go to the beach park, or take a taxi of about fifteen minutes.

What is the big sphere on the beach?

It is Chao, a 1993 sculpture of pearl divers by the Beihai artist Wei Xiaoming, rebuilt in 2019.

Sources

Facts in this article were checked against the following sources, retrieved 12 October 2026.

Photos are from Wikimedia Commons under the licences shown in each caption.