Sansha (三沙)

1. Introduction

Sansha City is a prefecture-level city established by Hainan Province of the People's Republic of China on the islands and reefs in the South China Sea. It administers two districts—Xisha District and Nansha District—and nominally governs all islands, reefs, and surrounding waters of the Xisha Islands, Zhongsha Islands, and Nansha Islands. However, some islands, reefs, and waters of the Nansha Islands are not under its actual control. Vietnam, the Philippines, the Republic of China (Taiwan), and Malaysia also claim sovereignty over parts of these islands, reefs, and waters, with some Nansha Islands and reefs under their actual control. The seat of the Sansha Municipal Government is located on Yongxing Island in the Xisha Islands.

The total land area of the islands under Sansha City’s jurisdiction is approximately 27 square kilometers (including artificial islands in the Nansha Islands), with about 24 square kilometers under actual control. The water area within the territorial sea baseline of the Xisha Islands is about 17,000 square kilometers, while the managed maritime area extends to approximately 2 million square kilometers. Sansha City is the southernmost prefecture-level city in China, with the largest legally managed maritime area, the smallest land area, and the smallest population. It is the second prefecture-level administrative division established on an archipelago in the People’s Republic of China, following Zhoushan City.

Sansha TV Station began broadcasting on September 3, 2013. On December 14, 2015, Yongxing School in Sansha City was completed and put into use. The seat of the Municipal People’s Government is located on Yongxing Island in Xisha District.

2. Etymology

The name of Sansha City originates from the ancient appellation "Thousand-Mile Long Sands, Ten-Thousand-Mile Stone Ponds," symbolizing the vastness and beauty of this maritime area. The name Sansha combines the meanings of the Xisha Islands, Zhongsha Islands, and Nansha Islands, clearly indicating its jurisdictional scope and naming principle.

3. History

After the establishment of the Republic of China in 1912, the Guangdong Provincial Government announced that the Xisha, Zhongsha, and Nansha Islands would be placed under the jurisdiction of Yaxian County, Hainan. Following the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937, Japan, in pursuit of its southward expansion strategy, militarily occupied the Xisha and Nansha Islands in 1939. Part of the Nansha Islands was renamed the "New Southern Archipelago" and incorporated into Takao Prefecture, Taiwan. After Japan's surrender in 1945, the Republic of China took over the South China Sea islands, initially administered by the Taiwan Provincial Administrative Executive Office. In 1946, the Republic of China government successively established administrative offices under the Guangdong Provincial Government, building radio stations and meteorological observatories. In September 1946, the "Dongsha Administrative Office" was established. On November 24, the Nationalist government dispatched the naval vessels "Yongxing" and "Zhongjian" to take over the Xisha Islands, erecting a "Monument for the Recovery of the Xisha Islands" and establishing the "Xisha Islands Administrative Office." On December 12, the vessels "Taiping" and "Zhongye" were sent to take over the Nansha Islands, where the "Nansha Islands Administrative Office" was established on Taiping Island, with troops stationed there. In 1947, the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of China renamed all 159 islands, reefs, and shoals in the South China Sea, and the new names were promulgated and implemented. On December 1, 1947, the Ministry of the Interior newly approved 172 place names for the South China Sea islands (including 12 group names), with explanations provided for some names. Among these changes, "Various Islands in the South China Sea" was renamed "South China Sea Islands," and one of the two "Dongsha Islands" was changed to "Dongsha Archipelago." In 1949, preparations were made to establish Hainan Island as a province, transferring it from Guangdong Province to the Hainan Special Administrative Region.

In May 1950, the People's Liberation Army occupied Hainan Island. At that time, the South China Sea islands still belonged to Guangdong Province, with administrative relations under the Hainan Administrative Region of Guangdong Province. In January 1958, the Hainan Region Xisha Fishery Production Command Headquarters was established on Yongxing Island. In 1959, the Guangdong Province Xisha Islands, Nansha Islands, and Zhongsha Islands Office was established, under the jurisdiction of the Hainan Administrative Region. On January 19, 1974, a conflict broke out between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) in the waters of the Yongle Islands in the western part of the Xisha Islands. The People's Liberation Army Navy repelled the South Vietnamese navy, occupied the three islands of Shanhu, Ganquan, and Jinyin, and consolidated control over the entire Xisha Islands and their surrounding waters. On March 14, 1988, the People's Republic of China and Vietnam clashed in the Johnson South Reef Skirmish in the Nansha Islands. After the battle, the People's Republic of China gained control of six important reefs, including Fiery Cross Reef and Johnson South Reef, filling the gap in its actual control over the Nansha Islands. Vietnam occupied reefs such as Collins Reef and Lansdowne Reef. On September 19, 1988, the Xisha Islands, Nansha Islands, and Zhongsha Islands Office was officially renamed the "Hainan Province Xisha Islands, Nansha Islands, and Zhongsha Islands Office," placed under the jurisdiction of the newly established Hainan Province. However, as the office was only an agency dispatched by the Hainan Provincial People's Government, its administrative capacity was limited. Although it nominally governed the Xisha, Zhongsha, and Nansha Islands, its activities were largely confined to Yongxing Island in the Xisha Islands. The office had no maritime law enforcement capabilities, relying only on the supply ship "Qiongsha No. 3" for provisioning Yongxing Island. In 1996, the State Council of the People's Republic of China announced the national territorial sea baselines, including those of the Xisha Islands.

The concept of establishing Sansha City dates back to the 1990s. Initially proposed as "Yongxing," the name was changed to "Sansha" to avoid duplication with Yongxing County in Hunan Province. Between 1992 and 1996, Xu Tianren, the eighth secretary of the Xisha, Zhongsha, and Nansha Islands Office, reported the idea of establishing Sansha City to the State Council and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on several occasions. The reasons included asserting the People's Republic of China's sovereignty over the South China Sea and promoting economic development in the region. Xu Tianren believed that effective management and assertion of sovereignty over an area required corresponding administrative jurisdiction under relevant international law. He also argued that establishing a city would allow for legal handling of intrusions by other countries into the jurisdiction. On November 19, 2007, an official from the Propaganda Department of the Wenchang Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China, Mr. Zhang, stated in a telephone interview with Hong Kong's Ming Pao that the State Council of the People's Republic of China had approved the proposal of the Hainan Provincial People's Government to upgrade the Xisha Office and establish a formal county-level city, "Sansha City," to replace the Hainan Province Xisha Islands, Nansha Islands, and Zhongsha Islands Office in managing the three archipelagos. He added that Wenchang City, the closest to the Xisha Islands, would undertake the supply work for Sansha City, with its logistics supply base and port supply base to be built at Qinglan Port in Wenchang City. Sansha City would become one of the "nine development highlights" of Wenchang City, including the satellite launch center. The Ming Pao report also noted that Xie Mingzhong, Secretary of the Wenchang Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China, had revealed the State Council's approval of establishing a county-level city as early as the municipal committee plenary session on October 26, using the placeholder "× City" to refer to the yet-to-be-established city. The report further stated that tourism on Yongxing Island would be developed in the future. After the news broke, the Vietnamese government lodged a strong protest, leading to the suspension of Sansha City's establishment.

In 2010, Professor Su Zuqin from the Public Management Research Institute of South-Central University for Nationalities pointed out that, according to administrative division theory, the basic elements of a general administrative division should be residents and territory, especially for establishing a prefecture-level city, where a dense population is a necessary and primary condition. However, the Sansha Special Zone had a sparse permanent population, almost like an uninhabited area, making the "residents" element incomplete and far from meeting the requirements for establishing a prefecture-level city. Moreover, the Sansha Special Zone did not meet the quantitative standards set in the 1993 State Council-approved document "Report on Adjusting the Criteria for Establishing Cities" by the Ministry of Civil Affairs, which required the non-agricultural household population at the municipal government seat to exceed 200,000, the non-agricultural industry population in the urban area to exceed 250,000, and the total industrial and agricultural output value of the urban area to exceed 2.5 billion yuan.

On June 21, 2012, the Ministry of Civil Affairs announced that the State Council had recently approved the abolition of the Xisha Islands, Nansha Islands, and Zhongsha Islands Office and the establishment of the prefecture-level Sansha City, with the government stationed on Yongxing Island in the Xisha Islands. On the morning of July 17, 2012, the 32nd meeting of the Standing Committee of the Fourth Hainan Provincial People's Congress passed the "Decision of the Standing Committee of the Hainan Provincial People's Congress on Establishing the Sansha City People's Congress Preparatory Group," officially initiating the establishment of Sansha City's political power. On July 19, 2012, the Central Military Commission approved the Guangzhou Military Region's proposal to establish the People's Liberation Army Hainan Province Sansha Garrison Command, responsible for national defense mobilization, militia, and reserve duties in Sansha City, coordinating military-civilian relations, undertaking urban garrison tasks, supporting local disaster relief efforts, and commanding militia and reserve forces in military operations. On the same day, the preparatory group for the first Sansha City People's Congress was established, which would elect 60 representatives. The Sansha Garrison Command is the southernmost army unit of the People's Republic of China, tasked with safeguarding territorial sea security in the region. On July 23, 2012, the first Sansha City People's Congress opened, attended by 45 representatives from the Xisha, Zhongsha, and Nansha Islands. On the morning of July 24, 2012, the inauguration ceremony and plaque unveiling for Sansha City were held on Yongxing Island. The 68-ton monument for Sansha City was officially unveiled, and the Communist Party of China Sansha City Committee, Sansha City People's Congress Standing Committee, Sansha City People's Government, and the People's Liberation Army Sansha Garrison Command were established. New postal codes and postmarks were put into use, and signs for banks, hospitals, and other institutions were replaced. The Sansha City Public Security Bureau also issued temporary license plates for vehicles on Yongxing Island. Since then, Sansha City has been officially established.

In April 2013, a 4G base station was built and activated on Yongxing Island. In April 2014, the 4G network construction project covering the Xisha Islands was launched. On September 14, 2015, seven reefs in Sansha City achieved full 4G network coverage. On July 13, 2016, newly built airports on Mischief Reef and Subi Reef in the Nansha Islands successfully conducted test flights. On July 14, the first "air-sea integrated" search and rescue exercise was held in the waters of Sansha City.

On April 18, 2020, the State Council approved the establishment of two municipal districts, Xisha and Nansha, in Sansha City, Hainan Province.

4. Geography

Sansha City is located in the South China Sea of China. It borders Sanya City to the north, the Philippines to the east, Indonesia and Brunei to the south, and Vietnam to the west, positioning it at a crucial maritime transportation hub and crossroads. Currently, approximately 25% of the world's maritime shipping passes through this area, with over 50% of the world's super cargo ships navigating these waters. About 50% of imported oil and 80% of strategic materials for Western countries, along with over 80% of China's international trade, depend on the South China Sea shipping routes. It is hailed as the "World's Third Golden Waterway."

Sansha City consists of more than 280 islands, sandbanks, submerged reefs, shoals, and submerged reef flats along with their surrounding waters, scattered across the South China Sea. It spans about 900 kilometers from east to west and extends approximately 1,800 kilometers from north to south. The total land area is around 13 square kilometers, while the jurisdictional maritime area exceeds 2 million square kilometers. From north to south, it is divided into the Xisha (Paracel), Zhongsha (Macclesfield Bank), and Nansha (Spratly) Islands. The Xisha, Zhongsha, and Nansha Islands are all oceanic islands. Except for Gaojianshi in the Xisha Islands, which is a volcanic island formed by submarine volcanic eruptions exposing lava above sea level, all the others are coral islands and reefs.

• Xisha Islands (Paracel Islands): The northernmost archipelago of Sansha City, comprising 40 islands and reefs. The land area is about 8 square kilometers, and the maritime area exceeds 500,000 square kilometers. It is divided into the Yongle Islands in the west and the Xuande Islands in the east. The Xuande Islands consist of 8 islands, 6 sandbanks, and 7 submerged shoals (reefs), located between 15°43′N to 17°00′N and 112°10′E to 112°54′E. Yongxing Island, part of the Xuande Islands, is situated at 16°50′N, 112°20′E. It is approximately 1,950 meters long from east to west and 1,350 meters wide from north to south. Due to land reclamation, its land area has continuously expanded and now exceeds 2.6 square kilometers, making it the largest island in the South China Sea Islands and the political, military, economic, and cultural center of Sansha City. Shidao Island has the highest elevation at 15.9 meters. Gaojianshi, part of the Dongdao Atoll, is the only volcanic breccia island in the South China Sea.
• Zhongsha Islands (Macclesfield Bank): Located about 100 kilometers southeast of the Xisha Islands, it is a crucial passage for South China Sea navigation. It consists of over 20 submerged reefs, shoals, banks, and Huangyan Island (Scarborough Shoal), with a maritime area exceeding 600,000 square kilometers. Among these, Huangyan Island, about 100 nautical miles from Subic Bay in the Philippines, is the only island/reef exposed at high tide. The Zhongsha Atoll is the largest atoll in the South China Sea Islands, approximately 140 kilometers long and 55 kilometers wide, with water depths generally ranging from 9 to 26 meters. The southern part of the Zhongsha Atoll is the deepest point in the South China Sea, reaching 5,559 meters.
• Nansha Islands (Spratly Islands): The southernmost, most numerous, and most widely distributed archipelago of Sansha City. It spans about 905 kilometers east-west and 887 kilometers north-south, with a maritime area of 886,000 square kilometers. It is mainly divided into five major island/reef groups: Northern, Northeastern, Central, Southwestern, and Southern. It consists of over 230 islands, cays, reefs, shoals, and banks, with about one-fifth exposed above water. The total land area is approximately 11 square kilometers. The Nansha Islands are the most disputed island group, with up to seven countries occupying various islands and reefs in a standoff. Taiping Island (Itu Aba), held by the Republic of China (Taiwan), is the largest island in the Nansha Islands, with an area of about 0.43 square kilometers. There are two submarine canyons in the Nansha waters: one north of Nanhua Reef, running nearly east-west, and one east of Xiyue Island (West York Island), running north-south. The status of the five major island/reef groups is as follows:
  • Northern Island/Reef Group: Located between 9°42′N–11°31′N and 114°02′E–115°02′E, comprising 53 islands/reefs: 8 islands, 5 submerged sandbanks, 33 submerged reefs, 6 shoals, and 1 bank. It can be further divided into three subgroups: the northern islands/reefs led by Beizi Island (North Danger Reef), the central islands/reefs led by Taiping Island, and the southern islands/reefs led by Jinghong Island (Sin Cowe Island).
  • Northeastern Island/Reef Group: Located between 8°48′N–11°55′N and 115°04′E–117°50′E, stretching from Xiongnan Reef (Royal Charlotte Reef) in the north to Banyue Reef (Half Moon Shoal) in the south, and from Haima Bank (Sea Horse Bank) in the east to Heng Reef (Hicks Reef) in the west. It comprises 47 islands/reefs: 2 islands, 34 submerged reefs, 5 shoals, and 6 banks.
  • Central Island/Reef Group: Located between 6°57′N–9°40′N and 111°37′E–115°55′E, approximately 260 nautical miles long east-west and over 140 nautical miles wide north-south. It comprises 41 islands/reefs/shoals/banks: 1 island, 26 submerged reefs, 12 shoals, and 2 banks. Based on a semi-circular distribution pattern, it can be categorized into four subgroups: Nanhua Waterway, Eastern Arc, Western Arc, and Central Trough Area.
  • Southwestern Island/Reef Group: Located within 7°28′N–8°08′N and 109°44′E–110°38′E, including five banks: Guangya Bank (Prince of Wales Bank), Renjun Bank (Prince Consort Bank), Lizhun Bank (Grainger Bank), Xiwei Bank (Prince of Wales Bank area), and Wan'an Bank (Vanguard Bank), distributed in a northeast-southwest alternating pattern.
  • Southern Island/Reef Group: Distributed roughly between 3°57′44″N–5°59′55″N and 112°16′25″E–112°56′00″E, including three subgroups: Beikang Shoals (North Luconia Shoals), Nankang Shoals (South Luconia Shoals), and Zengmu Shoal (James Shoal). It comprises 16 shoals/reefs (7 shoals and 9 submerged reefs).

4.1 Climate and Hydrology

The climatic characteristics of Sansha can be simply summarized as "four highs": high temperature, high humidity, high salinity, and high sunshine. The Nansha Islands of Sansha City are in the equatorial zone, while the Xisha and Zhongsha Islands are in the sub-equatorial zone, belonging to a tropical maritime monsoon climate. It has long summers and no winter, accompanied by monsoons. From October to March of the following year, northeast winds prevail; from May to September, southwest winds prevail. On average, 6–7 typhoons occur annually, with the peak typhoon season from July to October. The hottest month of the year is May, with the average temperature in the Nansha Islands around 28.8°C, and the annual average temperature varies little. Most areas receive over 1,800 mm of annual rainfall, while the Nansha Islands receive over 2,800 mm. However, there is a distinct dry season and rainy season: the low-rainfall period is from December to May of the following year, and the high-rainfall period is from June to November.

The Sansha waters are minimally influenced by continental climate and land runoff. The deep-sea basin has deep water bodies, high salinity, high transparency, and small seasonal variations in water temperature. Ocean currents flow northeast in summer and southwest in winter, with speeds ranging from 0.1 to 1.0 knots per hour. The average sea surface temperature ranges between 24–30°C. The annual temperature difference of seawater is small (about 2–5°C), but the temperature difference between the sea surface and the bottom layer (below 500 meters depth) can be significant, up to 20°C. Seawater salinity ranges between 32‰–35‰, and transparency ranges between 20–30 meters.

4.2 Natural Resources

The Xisha Islands are rich in plant resources. The islands host a total of 296 plant species belonging to 211 genera and 80 families. Medicinal plants include betel nut,蔓京子 (Vitex trifolia fruit?),青箱子 (Celosia argentea seed?),香附 (Cyperus rotundus rhizome),茅根 (Imperata cylindrica rhizome),穿心莲 (Andrographis paniculata),上牛膝 (Achyranthes bidentata?),土丁桂 (Evolvulus alsinoides),曼陀罗 (Datura stramonium),飞杨草 (likely a local name),土高丽参 (likely a local name for a ginseng-like plant), etc. The Sansha sea area hosts thousands of species of lower plants, including algae. Marine animals include coelenterates, echinoderms, fish, shrimp, shellfish, reptiles, mammals, etc. Among them, there are 110 species and 5 subspecies of coelenterate coral polyps; approximately 2,000 species of fish; other precious aquatic products include pearl oysters, conches, abalone, sea cucumbers, sea urchins, lobsters, sea turtles, hawksbill turtles, sperm whales, etc. Terrestrial animals on the islands are mainly seabirds, including over 60 species such as boobies, egrets, gulls, and frigatebirds, totaling over 100,000 individuals. In 1981, the Chinese government designated Dongdao Island as a White Booby Nature Reserve. The fish in the waters under Sansha City's jurisdiction belong to the Indo-Pacific tropical fauna, categorized into four major groups: demersal fish, intertidal fish, reef-swimming fish, and pelagic fish. Coral reef fish and tropical pelagic fish constitute the vast majority, accounting for about 90% of the total species. Among these, 364 species are cosmopolitan species distributed in the Pacific and Indian Oceans; 140 species are distributed in the Pacific Ocean; and 31 species are common to the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic Oceans. The waters under Sansha City's jurisdiction are not only rich in fishery resources but also abundant in mineral resources. The seawater in the Sansha area has high salinity, with a total salt content exceeding 70 trillion tons; seabed minerals are valuable, with rich reserves of manganese nodules and cobalt crusts; the estimated reserves of "combustible ice" (gas hydrates) are about 19.4 billion cubic meters; the potential reserves of oil and gas resources exceed 70 billion tons, including potential oil reserves of 29.2 billion tons and potential natural gas reserves of 58 trillion cubic meters.

5. Administrative Divisions

Sansha City administers the Xisha District and Nansha District. Xisha District governs the Xisha Islands and also acts on behalf of the Zhongsha Islands, with the People's Government of Xisha District stationed on Yongxing Island. Nansha District governs the Nansha Islands, with the People's Government of Nansha District stationed on Yongshu Reef.

Before 2009, the Sansha Special Administrative Zone had no formal village-level autonomous units. In September 2009, Yongxing Village and Qilianyu Village were established, implementing villager autonomy. In October 2010, Jinqing Village, Yagong Village, and Lingyang Village were established. In June 2012, Sansha City was established. In July 2013, the Yongle Islands Management Committee of Sansha City was established. In 2014, Sansha City established three management committees: Yongxing (Town), Qilianyu, and Nansha. In September 2015, the Yingqu Community Neighborhood Committee of Sansha City was established, bringing the total number of communities to ten.

The Xisha Islands are fully controlled by the People's Republic of China. Within the region, there is the Yongxing Border Defense Police Station and the Xisha Rainwater Squad, the only one of its kind in the entire military. Administratively, the Xisha Islands are divided into three management committees: the Yongxing (Town) Management Committee, the Yongle Islands Management Committee, and the Qilianyu Management Committee. Among them, the Yongxing (Town) Management Committee is based on Yongxing Island and governs Yongxing Island, Shi Island, and their surrounding waters in the Xuande Islands. Within its jurisdiction, there are two village-level grassroots mass autonomous areas: Yongxing Community and Yingqu Community. The Yongle Islands Management Committee is based on Jinqing Island and governs all islands, reefs, and their surrounding waters in the Yongle Islands. Within its jurisdiction, there are village-level grassroots mass autonomous areas such as Jinqing Community, Lingyang Community, Ganquan Community, Yagong Community, and Yinyu Community. The Qilianyu Management Committee is based on Zhaoshu Island and governs all islands, reefs, and their surrounding waters in the Qilianyu Islands. Within its jurisdiction, there are village-level grassroots mass autonomous areas such as Zhaoshu Community and Beidao Community.

The Nansha Islands have the Nansha Islands Management Committee, which oversees the village-level grassroots mass autonomous area of Meiji Community. The Meiji Community Residents Committee is stationed on Meiji Reef in the Nansha Islands.

6. Economy

Sansha City is endowed with abundant natural resources, including rich fishery resources and enormous reserves of petroleum and natural gas. In the South China Sea, there are over 200 oil and gas structures and 180 oil and gas fields, with estimated petroleum geological reserves of approximately 23 to 30 billion tons. However, due to its unique geographical location, long-term military administration, and frequent sovereignty disputes in the South China Sea, the economic development of Sansha City has been relatively slow. Currently, the economy of Sansha City is primarily based on fisheries. According to assessments, the total potential fish catch in the South China Sea is estimated to be between 6.5 and 7 million tons. This includes approximately 5 million tons from the continental shelf area (including the Gulf of Tonkin), about 1 million tons from the reef waters of the Southwest, Central, and Southern Sand Islands, and around 300,000 tons from the waters within China's traditional boundary line in the southern part of the Nansha Islands. Additionally, within the dotted line of the South China Sea, there is a deep-water area of 1.5 million square kilometers with a potential fish catch of about 600,000 tons.

After the establishment of Sansha City in 2012, due to factors such as its remote location and inconvenient transportation, the city had few financial institutions, a small-scale financial industry, limited types of financial services, and an underdeveloped financial system. With accelerated investment and the entry of enterprises, the level of financial services in Sansha City has been continuously improving. Currently, Sansha City is served by financial institutions such as the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (Xisha, Zhongsha, and Nansha Islands Branch), Hainan Rural Credit Cooperative, China Postal Savings Bank, and Bank of China (Sansha Branch).

In terms of urban development, Sansha City has been equipped with infrastructure such as hospitals, libraries, banks, and post offices. It also features five main roads: Beijing Road, Hainan Road, Xuande Road, Yongxing Road, and Yongle Road. On September 15, 2015, seven islands and reefs in Sansha City achieved full coverage of China Mobile's 4G network. On January 1, 2016, the "Maritime Silk Road" Sansha Postal Station, established by the Sansha City Branch of China Post Group Corporation, officially opened for business.

7. Transportation

7.1 Aviation

Sansha City has constructed four airports on Yongxing Island, Yongshu Reef, Meiji Reef, and Zhubi Reef, all with runways approximately 3,000 meters in length. At 8:30 and 8:40 on July 13, 2016, two civil airliners from China Southern Airlines and Hainan Airlines, chartered by the government, took off from Haikou Meilan International Airport. After nearly two hours of flight, they landed smoothly at the newly built airports on Meiji Reef and Zhubi Reef at 10:29 and 10:28, respectively, and returned to Haikou that afternoon, marking a successful test flight.

The Yongxing Island Airport in the Xisha Islands is managed by HNA Airport Group. It is a dual-use military and civilian regional airport and was the first airport built by the government of the People's Republic of China in the South China Sea. Construction began in 1990, with a 1,000-meter runway completed the following year. The runway was subsequently extended multiple times, reaching 3,000 meters after an expansion in 2014, enabling it to handle aircraft such as the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737.

The Yongshu Reef Airport in the Nansha Islands was completed in 2016. On January 6, 2016, two civil airliners chartered by the government took off from Haikou Meilan Airport. After nearly two hours of flight, they landed smoothly at the newly built Yongshu Reef Airport in the Nansha Islands at 10:21 and 10:46, respectively, and returned to Haikou that afternoon. The successful test flight marked the operational opening of the new Yongshu Reef Airport. Its 3,000-meter runway meets the requirements for a third-class airport and can accommodate the takeoff and landing of most combat aircraft from mainland China.

The Zhubi Reef Airport in the Nansha Islands was completed in 2016, with a runway length of 3,250 meters.

The Meiji Reef Airport in the Nansha Islands was completed in 2016, with a runway length of 3,000 meters.

7.2 Waterway

Yongxing Island in the Xisha Islands has two ports and one fishery administration base capable of berthing 5,000-ton vessels. It is approximately 337 kilometers from Sanya Yulin Port and about 344 kilometers from Wenchang Qinglan Port. Chenhang Island in the Xisha Islands is situated on an atoll. An opening in the atoll forms a channel connecting the internal lagoon to the open sea, providing a port with excellent navigational conditions. The island is named after the Qing Dynasty warship "Chenhang," which visited the area.

Sansha City previously used the vessels "Qiongsha 1," "Qiongsha 2," and "Qiongsha 3" for supply runs between Wenchang Qinglan Port and Yongxing Island. On January 5, 2015, and August 20, 2019, Sansha City commissioned new large transport and supply vessels named "Sansha 1" and "Sansha 2," respectively. Their operational range covers transportation, supply, and administrative management for the three major island groups of the Xisha, Zhongsha, and Nansha Islands.

On August 4, 2015, staff from the Xisha Navigation Mark Office of the South China Sea Navigation Security Center under the Ministry of Transport, stationed on Yongxing Island, deployed one red and one green emergency light buoy at the entrance channel of Zhaoshu Island in Sansha City to guide navigation routes and help avoid grounding risks, thereby facilitating shipping.

nix

8. Population

In December 2013, the registered population of the Xisha, Zhongsha, and Nansha Islands was 216 households and 276 individuals. By December 2015, the permanent resident population of Sansha City was over 2,500 (excluding military personnel stationed in the city). In 2020, Sansha City had approximately 1,800 permanent residents (excluding military personnel stationed in the city) and a registered population of 621 individuals.

As of December 2015, the permanent resident population was over 2,500 (excluding military personnel stationed in the city), with a total of 348 registered households and a registered population of 448 individuals, including 269 males and 179 females. All 448 individuals were urban residents. The population of Sansha City is predominantly Han Chinese. Among the registered population of 448, Han Chinese accounted for 443 individuals, while ethnic minorities accounted for 5 individuals, including 4 Li people and 1 Zhuang person. The ethnic minority population accounted for 1.12% of the total registered population.

According to the data from the Seventh National Population Census, as of 00:00 on November 1, 2020, the permanent resident population of Sansha City was 2,333 individuals.

nix

9. Culture

• During archaeological excavations in the Xisha Islands in the 1970s, a large number of historical artifacts were discovered, including over 6,000 pieces of ceramics and approximately 130,000 coins. A residential site of fishermen from the Tang and Song dynasties was found on Ganquan Island, which later became part of the sixth batch of nationally protected cultural heritage sites. A sunken ship from Zheng He's fleet was also discovered near North Reef.
• In 2009, the predecessor of the Sansha City Library, the Xisha Branch of the Hainan Provincial Library, was opened.
• In April 2014, the first school in Sansha City began construction on Yongxing Island in the Xisha Islands and was completed and put into use in December 2015. The school, named Yongxing School of Sansha City, consists of both a primary school and a kindergarten.
• Sansha TV Station began broadcasting on September 3, 2013. It was approved for establishment in February 2013 and is operated by Hainan Radio and Television Station under the commission of the Sansha Municipal People's Government.
• Lü Yuan and Su Qixiong created musical works such as "Xisha, My Lovely Hometown" and "I Love Sansha."

nix

nix

nix

nix

nix

Yongxing Island, Xisha District

Xisha District Yongxing Island

nix

Banyan tree

Bougainvillea