It has been called China’s Dubai — a huge, glitzy island city devoted to leisure and pleasure.
Ocean Flower Island is said to be the world largest artificial island, at one and a half times the size of The Palm Jumeirah, but it is actually three separate islands linked by causeways.
The project opened in 2020 after 12 years of construction and cost $25 billion (Dh88 billion).
But it has had its fair share of controversies: the project was approved by Zhang Qi, a local politician later convicted of corruption. He was also accused of overruling environment protection laws to permit construction, causing lasting damage to coral reefs and oyster populations.
The developer is the troubled Evergrande Group, the Chinese property company now struggling to pay an estimated $300 billion in liabilities.
Although not explicitly linked, the company’s shares were briefly suspended from trading this week at the same time Evergrande was ordered to demolish 39 buildings on part of Ocean Flower.
The partially completed apartment blocks, covering 435,000 square metres, are said to have been given the go-ahead only after building permits were obtained illegally, with the company given 10 days to comply with a demolition order.
Evergrande said it would actively communicate with authorities to resolve the issue.
The developer added that the order has no impact on the rest of the development.
The dispute has cast a cloud over what would otherwise be a triumph of Chinese architecture and engineering.
Ocean Flower Island is located in Hainan, an island province that sits off the southern coast of China, about 2,000 kilometres from Beijing, with year-round tropical weather.
Shaped like a peony flower, the island complex covers about eight square kilometres, much of it earmarked for accommodation for up to 200,000 visitors.
The central area, known as Ocean Flower Island No 1, is designed as a self-contained holiday destination. Among the attractions are “Fairyland”, a fantasy-themed amusement park, and “Snow Mountain”, a water park
Futuristic buildings sit next to reproductions of historic cityscapes, with an opera house, convention centre, hot springs, a wedding manor, botanical gardens and a marine aquarium adding to the mix.
Duty-free shopping malls, 12 Michelin-starred restaurants and luxury hotels, including a Hilton, are designed to appeal to China’s growing middle class, with operators aiming to bring in 5.5 million visitors during the first year of operation, including 200,000 for the country's national day.
As the official English language video for the resort puts it: “China has done it again. There is no other entertainment venue on this planet that can top the Ocean Flower Island.”
For the present, though, Ocean Flower Island remains out of bounds to the rest of the world, its ambition to become an international tourist destination to equal or eclipse Dubai put on hold by China’s strict zero-Covid-19 policy.
Dubai's 2040 master plan: in pictures
Slow loris biog
From: Lonely Loris is a Sunda slow loris, one of nine species of the animal native to Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore
Status: Critically endangered, and listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list due to growing demand in the global exotic pet trade. It is one of the most popular primate species found at Indonesian pet markets
Likes: Sleeping, which they do for up to 18 hours a day. When they are awake, they like to eat fruit, insects, small birds and reptiles and some types of vegetation
Dislikes: Sunlight. Being a nocturnal animal, the slow loris wakes around sunset and is active throughout the night
Superpowers: His dangerous elbows. The slow loris’s doe eyes may make it look cute, but it is also deadly. The only known venomous primate, it hisses and clasps its paws and can produce a venom from its elbow that can cause anaphylactic shock and even death in humans
Three ways to limit your social media use
Clinical psychologist, Dr Saliha Afridi at The Lighthouse Arabia suggests three easy things you can do every day to cut back on the time you spend online.
1. Put the social media app in a folder on the second or third screen of your phone so it has to remain a conscious decision to open, rather than something your fingers gravitate towards without consideration.
2. Schedule a time to use social media instead of consistently throughout the day. I recommend setting aside certain times of the day or week when you upload pictures or share information.
3. Take a mental snapshot rather than a photo on your phone. Instead of sharing it with your social world, try to absorb the moment, connect with your feeling, experience the moment with all five of your senses. You will have a memory of that moment more vividly and for far longer than if you take a picture of it.
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Meydan race card
6pm Dubai Trophy – Conditions(TB) $100,000 (Turf) 1,200m
6.35Dubai Trophy – Conditions(TB) $100,000 (Turf) 1,200m
1,800m
7.10pm Jumeirah Derby Trial – Conditions (TB) $60,000 (T)
1,800m ,400m
7.45pm Al Rashidiya – Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,800m
8.20pm Al Fahidi Fort – Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,400m
8.55pm Dubawi Stakes – Group 3 (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,200m
9.30pm Aliyah – Rated Conditions (TB) $80,000 (D) 2,000m
Match info:
Portugal 1
Ronaldo (4')
Morocco 0
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Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Pad Man
Dir: R Balki
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Sonam Kapoor, Radhika Apte
Three-and-a-half stars
