Native name: 蜈支洲岛 | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Wuzhizhou Island viewed fromHaitang Bay | |
 Interactive map of Wuzhizhou Island | |
| Administration | |
China | |
| Province | Hainan |
Wuzhizhou Island (Chinese:蜈支洲岛;pinyin:Wúzhīzhōu dǎo) is located off the coast ofHainan Province, China. This 1.48 square kilometre island is situated withinHaitang Bay, approximately 30 kilometres northeast ofSanya, betweenNanwan Monkey Island to the north, andYalong Bay to the south.
The Taoist priestWu Huacun of theQing dynasty built a house on the island after arriving in search of a place to create the "elixir of life".[1]
The island is 1.48 square kilometres with 5.7 kilometres of coastline, and has an irregular butterfly shape or heart shape, hence called "Lover's Island".
Over 2,700 plant varieties occur on the island, including exotic flowers and trees such asAlsophila spinulosa andDracaena draco, thought to be the oldest plant species in the world.
The waters surrounding the island contain numerous species such as sea cucumbers, urchins, and tropical fish.
In May 2011, a construction project began to create a marine ecology area. The "sea ranch" planned 18,000 cubic meters ofartificial reefs over an area of approximately 66.6 hectares. Thisaquaculture project is funded by a private investment of about US$3 million.[2]
As of September 2020, there is now a National Marine Ranch Demonstration Zone and 6 of the planned marine ranches are under construction with additional funding in alignment with the overall plan for the construction of Hainan Free Trade Port,[3] more ranches will follow to promote tourism as well as the recovery of the marine ecology.
The following named ranches are under construction:[4]
18°18′41″N109°45′43″E / 18.311521°N 109.761829°E /18.311521; 109.761829
Hainan topics | |
|---|---|
| General | |
| Geography | |
| Flora and fauna | |
| Media | |
| Transportation | |
| Education | |
| Demographics | |
| Buildings and structures | |
| Cuisine | |
| Visitor attractions | |
