HAILSHAM, a market-town of Sussex, England, 54 m. S.S.E. from London by the Southern Railway. Pop. (1921) 4,907. The church of St. Mary is Perpendicular. The Augustinian priory of Michelham, 2 M. W. by the Cuckmere river, is altered into a dwelling house, but retains a gate-house, crypt and other portions of Early English date. There was also a Premonstratensian house at Otham, 3 m. south. Hailsham has a considerable agricultural trade, and manufactures of bricks and pottery are carried on. HAINAN (or Kiung-chow-fu), a large Chinese island sepa rated from the Luichow peninsula of Kwangtung province by the shallow straits of Hainan, about 15 miles broad. It is the most southerly part of China (2o° 8' to 17° 52' N. and 108° 32' to III° 15' E.) and faces Tong-King (French Indo-China) across the gulf of that name. Its geology and build show it to belong physically to the mainland. The length of the island along its main N.E.–S.W. axis is 16o miles, its average width about 90 miles and its total area about 13,50o sq. miles. It is essentially rugged and mountainous with a central range (Wu-Chi-Shan) rising to a height of from 5-6,000 feet. On the north-west, north and eastern sides occur narrow coastal plains of which that facing the Strait of Hainan is the most important. Situated well to the south of the Tropic of Cancer and receiving a high rainfall, Hainan has a luxuriant tropical vegetation and the mountains are densely forested. The central mountain chain acts to some extent as a climatic divide, the coast plain to the north experiencing a relatively cool winter monsoon, while the southern districts are uniformly warm.
Hainan first came under Chinese control during the Early Han Dynasty, Lu-Po-Teh, one of Wu-Ti's generals, occupying the island in III B.C. Its connection with the Empire was, however, rather nominal until the Yuan Dynasty (A.D. 1275-1368) when it was incorporated with the immediate mainland in a new satrapy Hai-peh Hainan Tao (Circuit north and south of the sea) . Hence the popular designation of the island, meaning the district south of the sea. Since the administrative re-organisation of China under the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) Hainan has been attached to the province of Kwangtung. Although there were a consider able number of Chinese immigrants, the island remained relatively undeveloped until comparatively recent times. It was used as a penal settlement and was a favourite place of escape for refugees. In 1858 by the Treaty of Tientsin, Kiung-chow the chief port was opened to foreign trade, but it was only about 1876 that full use was made of the permission. Since then piracy has been brought under control and a fairly active trade developed.
The population of Hainan is estimated at about 3,000,000. It is composite in character, reflecting the relationship of the island to China and Indo-China. (a) The aborigines, known as the Sheng-li (barbarians) seem to be closely related to the Laos and kindred peoples of Siam and Indo-China. They are mostly fishers and hunters, living in the interior valleys. (b) The Shu-li (civilized savages) are of mixed descent, but are largely descendants of refugees from the mainland, especially Hakka and Miaotze peoples. (c) The Chinese are the most recent immigrants but are now the most numerous element (about 2,000,000). They are found prin cipally in the northern and north-western plains. Alike in the composition of its population and in the distribution of its con stituent elements Hainan shows a rather striking correspondence to Formosa.
The economic resources of Hainan are considerable and are still in a relatively early stage of development.
The strictly agricultural areas are mainly confined to the marginal plains, particularly the northern. Here rice is the staple product and is exported to South China via Hongkong. Upon rice most of the island credit is based. A new and important development is the introduction of the plantation system for both rubber and sugar production. Hainan is one of the few districts in China where strictly equatorial products of the type cultivated in Malaya find suitable climatic conditions. The first rubber trees for the new plantations were introduced from Singapore in 1915 and the product is now marketed in that port, with which Hainan has an increasing trade. In marked contrast to the mainland of South China, cattle and horses are very numerous in Hainan, the breed of cattle being apparently a cross between the small yellow cow of China and the "zebu" of Indo-China. Animals and animal products, such as bullocks, pigs and hides are among the most important exports.
Apart from agriculture and animal rearing, Hainan has great potential resources in the dense forests of the highlands. It is known to be particularly rich in valuable tropical woods such as mahogany, rosewood, red and white cedar and hard woods suitable for sleepers. Various species of Indo-Malayan type are found in Hainan alone in all China. The coconut palm is cultivated with success and the highly prized nuts of the areca catechu (pinlang) are reputed to be the best on the market. But the greater part of the forest wealth is at present quite inaccessible and will so remain until transport facilities are greatly increased.
The bulk of the trade of Hainan passes through Kiung-chow, the capital, situated in the Ta-Kiang basin in the centre of the Northern Plain and linked by a macadam road with its outport, an open roadstead, Hoi-hou. This lies on the important steamer route linking up Hongkong and the South China ports with those of the Gulf of Tong-King. Linkao and Tanchow further west are important centres for the sugar plantations. There are few towns of any size in the south, Yaichow in the centre of the chief dis trict for cattle and hides being the most important.