County-level city (县级市)
Qionghai
Home to Boao Lecheng — the medical pilot zone where treatments licensed abroad can reach patients in China first.
琼海市 · Part of Eastern coastal belt
Qionghai sits on Hainan's east coast and contains Boao, known internationally for the Boao Forum for Asia. Its commercial significance, though, rests on the Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone.
Lecheng operates a policy found nowhere else in China: approved institutions inside the zone can use selected drugs and medical devices that are licensed overseas but not yet approved on the Chinese mainland. For pharmaceutical and device companies, that makes Lecheng a route to Chinese patients — and to Chinese clinical evidence — years ahead of ordinary registration timelines.
The zone's remit extends across specialist medical services, medical aesthetics and anti-ageing, rehabilitation, and stem-cell clinical research, and the province's investment programme for Qionghai is dominated by medical and biomedical projects.
At a glance
- Administrative tier
- County-level city (县级市)
- Economic circle
- Eastern coastal belt
- Anchor zone
- Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone
What it is being built for
Pharmaceuticals and medical devices
Early access for products licensed overseas, and the clinical evidence that follows from real-world use in the zone.
Specialist and elective medicine
Medical aesthetics, anti-ageing, rehabilitation and specialist treatment for domestic and international patients.
Biomanufacturing and medical foods
Biomanufacturing and special medical food production identified in the province's 2026 investment programme.
Clinical research
Stem-cell and other clinical research conducted under the zone's regime.
Free Trade Port zones located here
Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone (博鳌乐城国际医疗旅游先行区)
Early access to overseas-licensed drugs and devices; specialist medicine, medical aesthetics, rehabilitation and clinical research.
Getting things and people in and out
- Air
- Boao Airport
- Rail
- Hainan ring high-speed railway — a continuous loop of more than 600 km around the island
- Sea
- East-coast port facilities; Haikou and Yangpu within road reach
How the incentives apply here
- Lecheng's early-access regime for overseas-licensed drugs and devices is a zone-specific policy, not an island-wide one. It applies to approved institutions operating inside the zone.
- Medical, pharmaceutical and health activities feature in the encouraged-industries catalogue governing the 15% corporate income tax rate.
- Import of medical equipment interacts with the island's zero-tariff regime, which materially affects the cost base of a clinical operation here.
Who this place suits
- Pharmaceutical and medical device companies seeking early Chinese market access
- Specialist clinics, medical aesthetics and rehabilitation operators
- Clinical research organisations
- Biomanufacturing and medical nutrition businesses
Last reviewed September 2026. This page is general information about the Hainan Free Trade Port, not legal, tax or investment advice. Eligibility for every incentive described here turns on facts specific to your entity, your industry classification and your substance in Hainan. Nothing on this page should be relied on without advice on your own position.
Considering Qionghai? Speak with an expert about what establishing there actually involves.