If I say that there is an island without a grain of sand in the vast South China Sea, will you believe it? Yes, there is such an island, and it is probably the only island in the world. Just this spring, the author had the privilege of going to Sansha and had the opportunity to go to Yagong Island, and today we will get to know this magical island together.
Bird's eye view of Duck Gong Island
Yagong Island is a miniature island located in the northeast of Yongle Atoll in the Western Sands of China, 2.2 km southwest of Yinyu Tsai and 2 km southeast of Quan Phu Island. The whole island is made up of reefs, and the island has a small lake that rises and falls with the tides of the sea. Yagong Island got its name not because the island is rich in ducks, but because the island resembles a duck, and Hainan fishermen also called it "Duck GongZhi" In 1983, the Chinese government announced Yagong Island as the standard name of the island.
It is only 0.01 square kilometers, which is about 1.5 times the area of a standard football field. Sanya is 320 km from the property and Sansha is 75 km away. At present, there are about 40 families on the island, with a population of about 100 people, all of whom come from Tanmen Town, Qionghai, and earn a living by fishing in the offshore waters.
Geographical map of Yagong Island
01
A touching story
There is a touching story on Yagong Island: legend has it that a fisherman came here a long time ago to make a living by fishing, and he brought a puppy with him, and the puppy and his owner stayed with him day and night. Although life on the island is monotonous and tedious, the dog has also slowly adapted to the daily routine life with the owner on the island, sending the owner out to sea in the morning and picking up the owner back in the evening.
One day, the fisherman went out to sea to fish as usual, but suddenly encountered a big storm, the fishing boat was blown far away, and the fisherman, who had experienced nine deaths, drifted at sea for several days before returning to Yagong Island, but when he returned, he found that the dog that accompanied him was dead.
The fisherman was very sad that the dog's body was buried on Yagong Island and carved a stone stele, and since then there has been a story about this legendary dog on Yagong Island. But anyone who knows this story, every time they walk into The Yagong Island in Xisha, they think of this loyal dog.
The dog's "tombstone" is clearly visible
02
The magic of Yagong Island
As soon as you set foot on Yagong Island, you will be surprised to find that what you step on is not the beach, but a small coral stone, and what is even more incredible is that There is not a single grain of sand on Yagong Island, the island is made of small and fragmented coral reef stones and shells, so you can't walk barefoot here, even if you wear slippers, from time to time there will be coral rubble or shell pieces into your shoes, which may stab your feet.
The road under this foot really makes people dare not slacken off
The houses on Yagong Island are built under the water level, which is lower than the land. In order to protect against the wind, the huts are connected to each other, and the roof is pressed with large pieces of coral stone, and even so, if a strong typhoon comes, the local fishermen will have to leave the place to avoid the typhoon.
There is also a small lake in the middle of Yagong Island, which is connected to the sea, the lake is turquoise and clear, and there are different scenes every day, which adds a mystery and fun to the island. Fishermen often place the caught seafood fish in small lakes to feed and watch. The ducklings raised by fishermen also often play on the shores of small lakes, which makes people look quite alive.
This small lake resembles a small pond next to an inland country hut
03
The "five-in-one" complex was completed
As early as the end of 2016, the "five in one" complex building on Yagong Island has been planned and started construction, which takes into account the five functions of the office building of the neighborhood committee, the residents' activity center, the shelter from the wind, the militia post, and the wartime command post.
Because Yagong Island is far from the mainland of the motherland, the relevant building materials are mainly transported by large supply ships, so it is not until recently that the "five-in-one" comprehensive building of Yagong Island has passed the completion acceptance and been put into use.
Yagong Island "five-in-one" complex building
Due to the remote and harsh climate of Yagong Island, which belongs to the area of high temperature, high salt, high humidity, high radiation and multiple typhoons, the "five-in-one" complex building completed this time is the only building with reinforced concrete structure on the island. The simple houses built by the island's fishermen with wooden planks are very weak in windproofing, and it is all "luck" to resist typhoons.
Simple wooden houses where fishermen live on the island
Although there are only about 100 people on the island, but once the typhoon is encountered, it is a "big day", in the past when the typhoon came, everyone could only wear a raincoat, hide under the bed, observe the wind at any time, once the situation changed, it was necessary to adapt to the situation and quickly find a stable house to hide.
After the completion of the "five-in-one" complex, it can provide temporary shelter for up to 400 people, which will completely solve the worries of more than 100 residents of Yagong Island for many years.
Simple wooden houses where fishermen live on the island
04
The fishermen watched TV
If the completion of the "five-in-one" complex has solved the safety problems of fishermen on the island, the installation of satellite TV reception equipment on Yagong Island has enriched the amateur cultural life of fishermen. Recently, Sansha City TV satellite equipment technicians installed satellite receiving equipment on Yagong Island, which can solve the problem of fishermen watching TV on the island.
Fishermen said that with television, you can watch all kinds of information in time, not only can you understand major events at home and abroad, but also solve the problem of boring amateur life after production.
A colleague who went with me inadvertently took a picture
At present, the problems of electricity, fresh water, domestic supplies, networks and inter-island transportation for fishermen on Yagong Island have also been initially solved.