Hainan is an island province at the southernmost part of China, just across the Gulf of Tonkin from Vietnam. "Hainan" literally means "South of the Ocean." At one point, Hainan was considered a backwater and used as a place of exile for failed officials. Today, it is undergoing heavy tourist-oriented development with various international hotel chains establishing resorts, especially in the Sanya area. It has been popular with Russian tourists for decades. Now it is being promoted as "China's Hawaii". The entire island has been declared a Special Economic Zone.