Tourist attraction② "大小蓬莱"

Weizhou Island (涠洲岛)

Weizhou Island is located 21 nautical miles due south of Beihai, and it is China's youngest volcanic island. The total area of Weizhou is 24.74 km², and the population is over 16,000. The highest elevation is 79 m (259 feet) above sea level on Weizhou. There are over 2000 families living on the island, and over 75% of them are Hakka people (客家人).

◇      Now there are more than 3000 Catholics (most of them are from the north of Weizhou) on Weizhou (including Xieyang). They go to church to worship on Sundays, and hold celebrations on Easter, Pentecost, the Dormition of the Mother of God, Christmas. And November 1 (All Saints' Day) is like the Qingming Festival (清明节) of the Catholics of Weizhou. At that time, the Catholics who work in other regions will return to Weizhou and pray for their ancestors.

The topography of Weizhou can be generalized as, the south is high and the north is low. It has luxuriant vegetation and beautiful scenery, and it features distinctive landforms such as coastal erosion (海蚀), deposition (海积)^[1], volcanoes. Weizhou also has a reputation as the "Penglaidao" (蓬莱岛)^[2] of Nanhai (南海, South China Sea) because of the crystal-clear seawater, beautiful coral reefs, various marine products around the island.

Local products

The sea cucumbers, abalones, shark fins and Shandu (鳝肚, swim bladder) are famous both at home and abroad. And there is also bluespotted mud hopper (Boleophthalmus pectinirostris), cuttlefish, groupers, blood snapper (Lutjanus erythropterus), etc.

Weizhou abounds with peanuts, bananas, silk and jackfruit. The local peanut oil has a golden color and a low water content and is also storable. Now it has been sold to Hong Kong and Southeast Asia. And the jackfruit, also called "Muboluo" (木菠萝), is a kind of subtropical fruit. It has nearly a century of history of cultivation, and it is famous for the fragrant, sweet, soft flesh.

PS: There are also sea turtles, seahorses, dolphins, manatees around the island.

Zhuzailing (猪仔岭)

Zhuzailing is located in the center of Nanwan (南湾, the south bay of Weizhou), and it got its name because it looks like a lying pig. It is 100 m from the island, and the path that connects them is submerged when the tide comes in.

◇      In the east promontory of Weizhou that is about 200 m from Zhuzailing, there is a cave. The shape of the entrance is like a turtle, and therefore it is called "Guidong" (龟洞). And "Guitun Gongbi" (龟豚拱碧), one of the Eight Views of Beihai (北海八景), is a term for the view that you look at Zhuzailing when staying in the cave.

Eyushan (鳄鱼山)/Volcanic Crater Geopark (火山口地质公园)

Eyushan is located in Eyuling (鳄鱼岭) west of Nanwan, and it is rated as a 4A National Tourist Attraction (国家4A级旅游景区, there are 5 levels in total (from A to 5A)). It has the most abundant volcanic landscapes in China. And there are also other geological wonders, such as Haishizhu (海蚀柱, a stone pillar that is formed from coastal erosion), Haishidun (海蚀墩, a large and thick stone that is formed from coastal erosion), etc.

◇      Lighthouse is located at the top of Weizhou, and it was built in 1956. After reconstruction in 2002, it is 22 m high and its visibility range is 18 nautical miles. In the upper part there is an observation platform from which you can see the panorama of the island.

◇      Museum has a building area of 1500 m², and it has many specimens of volcanic rocks, coral, marine life. And there are 4D films that disseminate knowledge of oceanography and geology in "Donggan Dating" (动感大厅).

Tianzhu Jiaotang (天主教堂)/Weizhou Tianzhutang (涠洲天主堂旧址)

Tianzhutang is located in Shengtang Village (盛塘村), and it is a typical Gothic architecture building of the French Renaissance. In 1869, a missionary of the Paris Foreign Missions Society led the residents to build the church by using volcanic rocks, corallite, tiles of the area. It took ten years to finish, and it was one of the four largest Catholic churches in the late Qing dynasty (晚清四大天主教堂). The main building is 51.6 m (169.3 feet) long, 12.2 m (40.0 feet) wide, 15 m (49.2 feet) high, and it has a land area of 1000 m². There is a 21 m high belfry at the entrance. The accessory building is a two-story, Xuanlang^[3] style clergy house (神父楼) with a building area of 632 m². There are also other attached buildings, such as abbey, school, hospital, foundling hospital (育婴堂), etc. The total area of the church is over 2000 m².

◇      Shengmutang (圣母堂)/Weizhou Chengzai Jiaotang (涠洲岛城仔教堂旧址)

Shengmutang is located in Chengzai Village (城仔村), and it was erected in 1882. It is the first church built by the Paris Foreign Missions Society in the Beihai area. The church has an area of 774 m², and it is a typical Gothic style building of rural Europe. It has attached buildings such as abbey, school, hospital, foundling hospital, etc. The main building is a rectangular church with a building area of 265 m². In front of the church there is a three-story, square belfry with a width of 4.5 m (14.8 feet) and a height of 14 m (45.9 feet), and behind it there is a two-story clergy house with a building area of 405 m². And there is also a convent west of the church. It was originally a two-story building, but now it only has one story.

Dishui Danping (滴水丹屏)

Dishui Danping, one of the Eight Views of Beihai, is located to the south of Dishui Village (滴水村) in western Weizhou. Its original name is Dishuiyan (滴水岩), and it is a cliff that is formed from volcanic rocks. The cliff got its name because of its red color and constant water dropping. And it is the best spot to watch the sunset.

Wucaitan (五彩滩)

Wucaitan is located on the eastern coast. Its original name is Zhimatan (芝麻滩), and it got the name because there are many black pebbles that look like sesame seeds on the beach. There are sea cliffs (海蚀崖) with a length of 1.5 km and a height of 20-50 m in the area. When the tide goes out, you can see wave-cut platforms (海蚀平台) with a length of tens or hundreds of meters and sea caves (海蚀洞) with various shapes.

Shiluokou (石螺口)

Shiluokou is located on the western coast. Because the beach is wide and the seawater is clean and transparent, it is a good place to enjoy seaside amusements. Shiluokou is also a famous diving base. There are coral reefs that have the best growth and the largest area around it.

Sanpomiao (三婆庙)

Sanpomiao, also called Tianhougong (天后宫), is located in the cave that is in the cliffs northwest of Nanwan. It was built in 1732 and repaired in the 80's. The temple has a land area of 500 m² and a building area of 250 m². It enshrines Haishen Sanpopo (海神三婆婆, i.e. Mazu (妈祖)/Tianhou (天后)) in the center of the back hall (后殿), and enshrines the spirit tablet of Huang Kaiguang (黄开广, a Wuguan (武官, military bureaucrat) in the Qing dynasty (清朝), the person who built the Sanpomiao) in the right-hand room (右厢) of the back hall.

There is a Xianrenjing (仙人井) under the tree near the temple. It is said that the water from the well has the effects of "清凉解毒". In front of the temple there is a rectangular stele with a height of about 1.5 m and a width of about 0.7 m. It is called Fengdaobei (封岛碑), and it is the evidence of history which shows that the Weizhou Island was blockaded during the period of Jiaqing (嘉庆) of Qing.

The residents of the island visit the Sanpomiao on the first day and the 15th day of every month. And they also hold the "Sanpo Chuyou" (三婆出游) event at the end of every year. During that time, the Weizhou Island will be noisy and crowded.

Tang Xianzu Guanhaichu (汤显祖观海处)

In 1591, Tang Xianzu (汤显祖, a famous playwright of the Ming dynasty) sent a submission calling for the impeachment of Chancellor (宰相) Shen Shixing (申时行) and Kechen (科臣, a kind of bureaucrat) Yang Wenju (杨文举), Hu Runing (胡汝宁) to the emperor. Therefore, he provoked the emperor's anger and was demoted to the Dianshi (典史, a kind of bureaucrat) of Xuwen County (徐闻县). On the way to his post, he made a sightseeing trip to the Weizhou Island and composed a poem.

It is said that here is the place where Tang Xianzu watched the sunrise and sunset.

■ How to get there: → Beihai Port International Terminal (国际客运港)
Bus No. 3 (3路): 6:20~21:30, ¥2.00
Double-decker tourist line (双层巴士旅游专线): 15:00~19:00, ¥2.00
Beihai Port International Terminal ⇄ Weizhou Island
8:00~17:00 (uncertain), ¥120/150/180 (single), 60 minutes (fast)/150 minutes (general)

■ Admission: ¥90 for adults, ¥50 for students, seniors, etc., free for children, etc.

PS: It's best to learn the time of the tides and sunrise/sunset.

Xieyang Island (斜阳岛)

Xieyang Island is located about 9 nautical miles southeast of Weizhou Island. "Daxiao Penglai" (大小蓬莱) is a term referring to the two islands, Xieyang and Weizhou. Xieyang Island is formed from the ejecta of submarine volcanoes, and it has an area of 1.89 km². It is said that you can see the sun slants over the island from Weizhou and thus Xieyang got its name. There are about 290 people living on the island, and most of them make their living from fishing. They are simple and honest, and they never close their doors even at night. The place is like "Shiwai Taoyuan" (世外桃源, the Peach Spring beyond this world).

The central part of the island is flat and the peripheral areas are high. There are sea cliffs with a height of 30-60 m on the coast, and there are also wave-cut platforms with a width of 20-40 m under the cliffs. The coastal erosion and deposition landforms are concentrated in the eastern part of the island, and there is a famous place called "Niubidong" (牛鼻洞) in the north. And there are many plants growing on the island, such as Acacia confusa, Chinese red pine (马尾松, Pinus massoniana), Chinese Banyan (Ficus microcarpa), cactus, etc.

■ How to get there: Charter a boat from the Weizhou Island. Make reservations 3-4 days in advance.

1.     Coastal deposition landform (海积地貌) is a kind of landform that is formed when the loose substances which get into the coastal zone are pushed by the waves and accumulate under certain conditions.

2.     Penglaidao (蓬莱岛) is an island of the East Sea in Chinese legend, where the immortals live. There is the plant and the elixir of immortality on it.

3.     Xuanlang (券廊式) architecture is an East Indian style of architecture that has wide corridors and balconies.