On the outskirts of Haikou is the tomb of Li Suosun, father of former premier Li Peng, a leader of the communist underground killed there by the Nationalists in 1931. The tomb has become a shrine for devout communists from all over the country.
The small street that leads to the tomb reveals a China that a revolutionary such as Li would be shocked to see - a row of barber shops, with young women in mini-skirts outside urging male visitors to come in.
There are few cities in China where the oldest profession in the world is as blatant as in Haikou, capital of Hainan province, and the popular beach resort of Sanya, on its southern tip.
Locals call it one of three Ss that bring tourists to the island - sunshine, sand and sex.
The scarlet women are part of the mainland army that has flooded Hainan since it became a province 10 years ago this week in search of riches and opportunity they could not find at home.
Like the rest of the Hainan economy, the profession is experiencing a minor recession but the girls keep coming.