Wuzhizhou Island

Wuzhizhou Island, in Haitang Bay, has an area of some 148 hectares (366 acres). With an irregular butterfly-like shape and a total coastline of 5.7 km (3.5 miles), the island is about 38 km (24 miles) north-east of Sanya City.

The island was known as Guqizhou Island in ancient times and the earliest records date from the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), when a temple was built to commemorate the originator of Chinese characters, Cang Jie. Following the Qing Government's fall from power, the villagers rebuilt the temple to honor the Goddess Matsu, who bestowed good fortune on the local fishermen. From 1949 this island became an important strategic defense zone. However, from the 1990s, the island began to enjoy a completely new role as a romantic place for holiday and leisure.

 

Sunshade

Holidaymakers at the sea beach

As Wuzhizhou Island is in a tropical marine zone, the climate is temperate and pleasant all year round. It is an ideal place for vacation, winter swimming as well as entertainment. There are over 2,700 plant varieties on the island, including the tall trees and dense bushes. The eastern and southern parts of the island are hilly and two high mountains connect to form a peak about 79.9 meters (262 feet) high. In the west and north, the terrain is level. Soft white sand stretches as far as the eye can see beside a crystal clear blue sea, where protected coral reefs are rich in conches, sea urchins, sea cucumbers and tropical fishes of various colors.
 As well as Goddess Matsu Temple, there are many places of interest to visit including the Lover's Bridge, Sunrise Rock, the Gold Turtle Stretching toward the Sea, Lover's Island and the Life Well. The Sunrise Rock is an ideal spot for observing the sunrise. Apart from these natural sites, swimming pools, bars, gymnasiums and other places of entertainment are available in the northwest part of the island. For those who love extreme sports there are facilities for surfing，gliding，sailing and canoeing. For relaxation there is sun bathing and sea water bathing. In addition, Wuzhizhou Island is famous for scuba diving as coral reefs and brightly colored tropical fish abound in the warm water.
 In addition to the natural attractions of the island, tourists are certain to be pleased by the delightful catering facilities here. In the south of the island there are the Buffet Lunch Restaurant, the Pirate Bar, the Seafood Pool and the Chinese Restaurant all providing excellent food. The Summer Western Food Restaurant in the east corner and the Winter Western Food Restaurant in the west corner of the island also offer a choice of delicious food. Local caught lobsters, prawns, crabs, conch, sea cucumbers and jellyfish will make your mouth water! Furthermore, this island is rich in fruits; bananas, coconuts, mangos and other tropical fruits are plentiful and inexpensive.
 For those who want to spend a night on the island, Wuzhizhou Island Holiday Center offers 81 Guest Rooms with a choice of perfect facilities. Onshore Wooden Cabin and the Presidents' Villa on the southern seashore, and other rooms located in the inner island, such as Deluxe Mountain Room and Sea-view Wooden Building are all very pleasant. Furthermore, all the rooms have views of the fine scenery of the island.
 

Spoondrift

Riding motorboats

1. There are outlets on the island where one can rent diving equipment and under-water cameras.
2. In order to avoid sunburn, sun-bloc, hats and sunglasses are necessary. Summer clothes are suitable at most times as the annual average temperature is 75-85 °F (25-30 °C). But from January to March, long-sleeved T-shirts or similar should be taken as the temperatures in the morning and evening are low.

1. From downtown, take bus 28 or Haitangwan 1 to the Wuzhizhou Island Wharf, or take a taxi to the wharf. The price is around CNY100 but you need to bargain with the driver. Upon arrival, buy the entrance ticket at the tourist center and then take a 15-minute boat ride to the island. From 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, there are boats departing to the island every 20 minutes. The last returning boat departs at 5:30 pm.
2. From Sanya Phoenix Airport, you can take bus 27 and get off at Yalong Bay (Asian Dragon Bay) Railway Station and then transfer to bus 28 to the island wharf. If you take a taxi from the airport to the wharf, the price is about CNY 130 and a one-way trip takes about 50 minutes.