If Haikou served as an enthusiastic opening, Wenchang and Qionghai delivered a different kind of awe—a breathtaking, speechless sort of wonder.

For Wenchang and Qionghai, the past two days of the itinerary commenced at midnight, as a rocket pierced the night sky, making everyone forget their jet lag and fatigue. By the time the night drew to a close by the sea in Boao, this group of European influencers might not yet have realised that what they were taking away with them was far more than just a few photographs and videos.

Rocket Liftoff at 12:16 AM

As night deepened at the Wenchang Space Launch Site viewing platform, influencers from six European countries wrapped themselves against the night wind, looking up in anticipation.

The countdown began. “Ten, nine, eight…” someone in the crowd took the lead in shouting out the numbers, and more and more voices joined in. Chinese, English, French, and Italian interwove, converging into the same shared anticipation and excitement under the night sky.

At 12:16 AM, the Long March 7A carrier rocket ignited. Blazing flames erupted from the launch pad, instantly tearing the night sky apart—first a flash of blinding white light, followed by a rolling roar that swept across several kilometres of air, causing chests to vibrate. Trailing a long plume of exhaust, the rocket pierced through the clouds, growing smaller and smaller until it vanished into the starry sky.

On the viewing platform, some gasped, some applauded, and others found their eyes welling with tears.

UK influencer John Michael Chapman expressed what many were feeling: “I’m a 48-year-old man, but at this moment I feel like a little boy.” French influencer Jean-Bernard Corazzi, witnessing a live rocket launch for the first time, remarked with excitement: “Combining aerospace with tourism is truly a brilliant idea.”

An Italian influencer said he never imagined he would one day watch a rocket launch in China, noting that he could now cross a major item off his bucket list. A German influencer stated that the first thing she would do upon her return would be to check flights to Wenchang—not for work, but to bring her family back for another visit. Long after the launch concluded, several influencers remained standing on the platform, reluctant to leave. One reflected that while they had seen many fireworks in their life, none had ever felt quite like tonight, where they genuinely felt they were touching something bigger than themselves.

Exploring the Depths and Seeking Treasures: The Story of the South China Sea, Told from the Deep

Driving from Wenchang to Qionghai, the group stepped into the China (Hainan) Museum of the South China Sea.

In the “Exploring the Depths and Seeking Treasures” exhibition hall, the history of the South China Sea unfolded gradually through lighting and curated displays. Trade porcelain from the ancient Maritime Silk Road, shipwreck artifacts salvaged from the deep sea, and audio-visual records documenting the ecosystem of the South China Sea spanned from thousands of years ago to the present day. The influencers slowed their pace in front of the display cases; each object from the seabed felt like a letter from antiquity, quietly waiting to be understood.

A Spanish influencer lingered for a long time, gazing intently at a piece of Song Dynasty porcelain. He remarked that Europeans’ understanding of Chinese history is too one-sided, with most only knowing about the Great Wall and the Forbidden City, while remaining unaware that the Chinese were already using the ocean to connect the world hundreds of years ago. Meanwhile, a UK influencer commented that the museum completely overturned his preconceptions of Hainan as “just a holiday island”—it holds the memory of the entire South China Sea.

The grand finale, the “Fly Over the South China Sea” 5D flight cinema, completely electrified the atmosphere. Dynamic seats simulated weightlessness, diving, and drifting, allowing the influencers to fly over the Maritime Silk Road from a “God’s-eye view” and look down upon the vast South China Sea islands. In the blink of an eye, the scene shifted to the deep sea 1,500 metres below the surface, where the shipwreck sites of the Northwest Continental Slope No. 1 and No. 2 unfolded before their eyes. Those ancient vessels and artifacts, lying quietly on the seabed, serve as the authentic footprints left by ancient Chinese ancestors who opened up the Maritime Silk Road. As the seats vibrated and the lights shifted, some held their breath while others quietly gripped their armrests.

Upon leaving the cinema, several influencers were still eager for more. One mentioned feeling as though they had truly dived into the depths of the South China Sea, while an influencer from Switzerland joked: “Our country has no sea, but today I feel I understand the ocean.”

“Story of the Sea”: Drinking in a Night Belonging to the South China Sea in Boao

As night fell, the group arrived in Boao. This small town, known to the world because of the Boao Forum for Asia, had stripped away all its formal aura for the evening, leaving only the sea breeze, the beach, and the sound of waves rolling in from afar.

The “Story of the Sea” bar sits directly on the beach. At the entrance, the bow of a massive wooden ship breaks through the waves, and the characters for “Story of the Sea” stand proudly in the twilight—creating an imposing presence before one even steps inside.

Entering the courtyard, an open and expansive outdoor space reveals itself. The stone main building is covered with vines and bougainvillea, while multi-tiered wooden platforms extend towards the sea, furnished with long wooden tables and old benches that feel rugged and full of vitality. Red kerosene lamps dot the area, and the fading glow of the sunset casts a slanted light from the horizon, gilding the entire scene in a warm gold. In the distance, the silhouettes of coconut trees and hotel buildings are faintly visible; nearby are the beach, the waves, and the solid ground beneath their feet.

Here, the influencers completely unwound. Some sat by the wooden railings, letting the sea breeze tousle their hair while smiling into the camera; others stood at the edge of the deck holding their glasses, gazing out at the sea in a trance; most gathered around the long tables, chatting animatedly amidst the sunset and sea breeze. A ship’s wheel stood quietly in the middle of the crowd, like a silent witness.

A UK influencer remarked that he had visited many beach bars around the world, but it was his first time seeing one that managed to capture the character of an entire sea within a single space. Holding her glass toward the horizon, a German influencer said this moment was well worth remembering.

From Rockets to Fishing Lights

From Wenchang to Qionghai, the span of this single day was almost incredibly vast—watching a rocket launch at midnight, exploring the depths of the South China Sea during the day, and listening to the waves by the seaside in Boao by evening.

From looking up at the stars to peering into the deep sea, and from a thousand-year maritime history to today’s aerospace dreams, the story of Hainan has never been just about sand and sunshine. It possesses ample depth to allow every visitor to find their own layer—and these European eyes are now carrying the layer they have witnessed to even more distant places.

The journey continues. Wanning, Baoting, and Sanya await.