Beihai City (east longitude 108°50′45″～109°47′28″, north latitude 21°29′～21°55′34″) is located at the southern end of Guangxi and on the northeastern bank of Beibu Gulf. It covers a total area of 3,337 square kilometers, of which the city proper accounts for 957 square kilometers.

Beihai has jurisdiction over Haicheng district, Yinghai district, Tieshan port district and Hepu county including 27 towns or townships, 5 subdistricts, 87 neighbourhood commissions, 343 villager commissions and 6,630 villager squads.

The name of Beihai came from its position of bordering on the sea in the north. It was first used in the early years when Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty was in power. Since Emperor Jiaqing of the Qing Dynasty came into power, it has been called “city”.

In 1876, Beihai was designated as a trading port according to Sino-British Yantai Treaty. It was a town under the jurisdiction of Hepu county in 1949 when the People's Republic of China was founded. In January 1951, it became a municipality under the jurisdiction of Guangdong Province. In May of the same year, it was entrusted to Guangxi Province and incorporated into Guangxi formally in March 1952. While in May 1955, Guangdong resumed its jurisdiction. It's reduced to county level city in 1956 and further to Beihai People's Commune (similar to a town) under Hepu county in 1958. In 1959, it is converted to county level town and its position as county level city was restored in 1964. In 1965, Beihai was put under the administration of Guangxi again. In April 1984, Beihai was approved by the State Council as one of the fourteen coastal cities further opened to outside world and in July 1987, Hepu county was put under the jurisdiction of Beihai city.

Beihai City is a beautiful city with subtropical seaside scenery. Located in tropical zone, it boasts profuse sunshine, sufficient rainfall, and luxuriant vegetation. Naturally, there are full-bloom flowers, green plants, and mellow melons and fruits all the year around. Because the natural environment is well protected, there are numberous natural beaches at islands and along the coast. In addition, the seawater is clean and transparent and the waves are gentle.