Tourists visit disputed islands in the South China Sea, deeming them better than Maldives. (Photo : Getty Images)
China’s disputed islands along the South China Sea are now open for tourists as the country plans to develop the area to be more tourist-friendly.
As the bout on which country has jurisdiction over the islets continues, Chinese tourists begin going to some islands to appreciate the beauty of the controversial location.
A report from the Global Times featured tourists who have visited and are planning to go to some of the islands in the South China Sea, asking them what they thought should be done with the area.
Tourist Destination
Shanghaiist reported in January about how the Fiery Cross Reef welcomed its first batch of guests comprised of the families of frontline soldiers stationed on the island known in China as the Yongshu Reef.
Before they arrived, two civil airlines were allowed to test land on the island to determine if it complied with civil aviation standards.
Now, tourists like Yan Lizhu, a retiree who is currently in her 50s, decided to visit the Xisha Islands in the South China Sea if only to take pride in the islands' natural beauty and rich history.
"We've known about the Xisha Islands for many years, ever since the Vietnam War. At that time it seemed remote and unreachable, but now these islands are open to the public and we felt we had to go," she stated.
Like her, many tourists took cruises via massive ships as well as private yachts so they could appreciate the historic islands that served as witness to some of China's battles.
"We also know that China and Vietnam fought a war over the islands in 1974, and now we have fishermen living on these isles, there's even a residential committee, it must be the smallest in the country," she said, further expressing how she felt a sense of pride when she joined a flag-raising ceremony conducted by the crew of the ship she rode in.
The Beauty of the Islands and the Service
Zhang Tianchen, a 23-year-old model, described the waters to be "so unpolluted that it looked transparent, like bottled water," adding that she liked how the area was "primitive, unexploited" in a good way.
According to the Global Times, there was only a single boat known as the Coconut-fragrance Princess taking tourists to the disputed islands from Sanya in the southern island province of Hainan.
Since the islets are fairly small at about 0.01 or 0.02 square kilometers, the guests can finish touring them within a day.
Despite this, tourists seemed to have enjoyed their stay which entails eating fresh seafood, walking around on the white sand, swimming in the clear waters, and enjoying the round-the-clock service of "butlers" who accompany tourists during their entire stay in the islands.
"In the Chinese mainland, there's no service on any boat that can compare to ours," a butler of the Coconut-fragrance Princess code-named "devilfish" proudly stated.
"They'll choose for themselves. The islands and corals in the Xisha Islands are totally undeveloped and are 10 times more beautiful than the Maldives," he added.
