Letter from China: Better days for Chinese fishermen in South China Sea

by Xinhua writer Cao Bin
HAIKOU, Oct. 29 (Xinhua) — “The Xisha Islands are located in the northwestern part of the South China Sea. It is a lovely place with beautiful scenery and rich resources.” This excerpt serves as the opening of an article in China’s most widely-used primary school textbook. The text is often recited by students across the country.
As part of the country’s patriotic education, Chinese people learn about the South China Sea and the Xisha Islands from a young age. However, interestingly, only a few Chinese people have ever had the opportunity to visit the Xisha Islands in their lifetime.
Due to its remote geography and delicate ecosystem, the development of this beautiful area, known as “China’s Maldives,” remains largely confined to fisheries, ecological protection and scientific research. The visitors are mainly military, government workers, relatives of fishermen, researchers, dispatched workers and media members.
In the absence of bustling tourists, fishermen are the primary presence in the area, benefiting from significantly improved living conditions over the years.
As early as 221 BC, Qin Shihuang, the first emperor of a unified China, set up a county in the South China Sea, which was one of the 42 counties in China. In 2007, the Chinese government officially established Sansha City on Xisha’s Yongxing Island, which has jurisdiction over the islands and reefs of Xisha, Zhongsha and Nansha and their adjacent waters.
As of November 2023, the official website of the local government states that Sansha encompasses a land and sea area of about 2 million square kilometers, with around 1,800 permanent residents. A local official describes Sansha as both the smallest and largest city in China. The term “the smallest” refers to its land area and “the largest” refers to the sea area under its jurisdiction.
Fisheries play a vital role in agriculture, intertwining with aspects such as territory, sea power, resources and environment, climate change, national defense, and diplomacy. One historical example of this interplay is the cod wars between Great Britain and Iceland.
Experts told me that fishery production is a concrete manifestation of safeguarding the sovereignty of the South China Sea and China’s fishery cultural heritage here further supports this purpose.
The expert also said that the existence of the fishery, which is “fully covered” in space, represents one of the most realistic and effective ways for China to safeguard its sovereignty and assert its presence in the region. As a result, the fishermen are taking significant risks, sometimes even endangering their lives, to protect the blue territory of their motherland.
Not long ago, with mixed feelings, I set foot on Yongle Islands, a part of Sansha. The world’s deepest known ocean blue hole, with a depth of 300.89 meters, is found in Yongle.
The administrative center of Yongle Islands is located on Jinqing Island, which is the habitat and breeding ground of sea turtles and birds. The island is oval in shape and has an area of about 0.21 square km.
Some islands in Xisha were once referred to as the “deserts of the South China Sea.” Without fresh water, arable land or green plants, the living environment was extremely poor.
It was my understanding that fishermen typically live in relatively humble dwellings. However, to my surprise, the fishermen’s settlement here is very comfortable. The island has not only a desalination plant, but also a vegetable garden, making the island’s once-scarce green leafy vegetables a “regular” on local dining tables.
While the islands do have access to modern conveniences such as electricity and the internet, traditional recreational activities are also highly popular here.
Just downstairs from the guesthouse where I stayed, there’s a basketball court. After dinner, everyone started gathering, and a game kicked off right away. Later, I took a stroll along the island path, soaking in the sea view and enjoying the peaceful island vibe.
Fishermen told me that they stick to fishing, diving and other traditional methods that are friendlier to the marine ecosystem. They know exactly which fish can be caught based on their size. Some need to be wider than three fingers, while others must be four fingers or more. Any smaller fish, deemed “unqualified,” is released back into the sea.
The next day, I took a ship to Zhaoshu Island. The first thing that surprised me was that the fishermen there had already moved into government-funded two-storey villas.
I walked into a house that had a living room and kitchen on the first floor. I noticed several freezers along the wall for storing fish. The living spaces were located on the second floor. The owner told me that the government also installed two air conditioners for free and provided 300 kwh of free electricity every month.
Drinking water shipped from Hainan Island, where the provincial capital of Haikou is located, is also free. Plus, there are 15 tonnes of desalinated water available for free each month.
Each family was assigned a plot of land to be used as a “vegetable garden.” There are even cherry and watermelon orchards. The clinic has doctors and nurses from hospitals in Hainan on duty. The indoor badminton court is also available for free.
A community worker on the island told me that fishermen are now spending more time on the island due to the improved living conditions. Online shopping is not a problem either. JD.com, one of the largest online shopping malls in China, has opened a commodity express line; additionally, SF Express, a Chinese courier service provider known for its timeliness, has also expanded its network on the island.
Many jobs on the island, such as property management and landscaping, provide opportunities for the families of fishermen to engage in meaningful work. In the handicraft workshop, the fishermen’s wives made use of the abundant sea resources, such as seashells and conches, to create souvenirs such as refrigerator magnets, ornaments, collages and lamps themed with island’s characteristics. I loved them so much that I bought more than a dozen magnets for my friends.
That evening, an open-air film was shown in the center square of the island. The movie happened to be “Island Keeper,” which depicts the story of a couple who fought against the harsh natural environment for 32 years to guard the island for their motherland. The production featured a number of popular Chinese movie stars and won an award at a prestigious official Chinese film festival. During the climactic moments, some fishermen in the audience were moved to tears.
One fisherman shared that he used to return to Haikou with his family once the fishing season ended, which this year ran from May 1 to August 16. However, as life on the island has improved, his family prefers to remain there. He is also the driver of the passenger boat that operates between Zhaoshu Island and Yongxing Island. So even when he’s not fishing, he still earns a steady salary.
The careful management and development of the islands in Xisha have led to limited tourist access, which in turn has created more job opportunities for local fishermen. ■