Beihai Silver Beach (Yintan)

Beihai Silver Beach, known locally as Yintan, is a broad stretch of fine, pale quartz sand on the Guangxi coast facing the Gulf of Tonkin. The sand is notably soft and light-coloured, giving the beach its name, and the water is generally calm with a gentle, gradually sloping entry that suits wading and swimming rather than surfing. The beach runs for several kilometres along an open bay with only moderate wind exposure, making it a broad, open shoreline rather than a sheltered cove. It draws a mixed crowd of local families, domestic tourists, and day-trippers from Beihai, giving it a lively but largely family-oriented atmosphere, especially on weekends and during the April-to-October high season. Along the promenade behind the beach are rows of vendors renting beach chairs, umbrellas, and inflatable rings, alongside seafood restaurants and snack stalls selling grilled squid and coconuts. Showers and changing facilities are available near the main entrances, and lifeguards patrol the central swimming sections during peak season, though coverage thins on the quieter eastern and western ends. Parking is available near the main entrance off Yintan Middle Road, and the beach is easily reached from central Beihai by public bus or taxi. Water sports operators offer jet ski and banana boat rides in a marked-off zone away from the main swimming area. The water tends toward a greenish-grey rather than turquoise clarity typical of the South China Sea further south, reflecting its position in the more sediment-rich Gulf of Tonkin.