West Island — the coral-stone village

The island in the bay

West Island lies in the middle of Sanya Bay, about eight nautical miles from the city centre, and at 2.8 square kilometres is the second-largest island off Hainan's coast. From the promenade you see it every evening as a dark silhouette against the sunset.

Together with the smaller East Island opposite, it has long been compared to two hawksbill turtles swimming in the sea — hence its other name, “Turtle Island”. Around it lies part of Sanya's national coral reef reserve; the water here is much clearer than off the city beaches.

A village of coral stone

In the flat north of the island lies a fishing village whose history goes back more than four hundred years. Several thousand people live here, many still from fishing. The oldest houses are more than a hundred years old and built of coral stone — the building material the inhabitants found right on their doorstep.

That's no longer allowed today. The corals are protected, and the old houses have become a monument to a building style that will never be seen again. Between them stand new concrete houses, small shops, guesthouses and food stalls.

Eight sisters at the cannon

West Island and East Island lie at the entrance to the bay and were therefore long regarded as outposts of coastal defence. In 1959 a militia battalion was set up on the island. A few years later young women from the village formed their own gun crew, which became known as the “Eight Sisters”.

In 1969 this became an entire women's militia company — named the “Red Detachment of Women”, a deliberate nod to the unit from Qionghai whose story you met in section 5. Since 1990 it has been called the West Island Women's Militia Company. A small memorial hall in the village tells its story, with photos of the young women in uniform.

The most beautiful fishing village

In recent years the village has smartened itself up. In 2017 it was named one of the most beautiful fishing villages in China, a year later a model village of the province. Small artworks stand on the low coral walls, murals decorate the house walls, and colourful fishing boats lie in the harbour next to sculptures made of driftwood.

There's something staged about it. But it has remained an inhabited village, where nets dry, children play in the street and the old folks sit in front of their houses in the evening.

An island without plastic

Since 2018 West Island has been trying to be plastic-free. Disposable plastic bags and tableware are banned, and waste is sorted and taken to the mainland. The residents have committed themselves in a joint agreement to keep the island clean for ten years.

For visitors this means: better take your own plastic bottles and packaging back with you. It's a small but visible attempt to reconcile tourism and the environment on an island that lives from both.

Two worlds on one island

Most visitors see little of the village. On the beach in the west there's a leisure area with more than twenty water sports: jet skis, banana boats, parasailing, diving, glass-bottom boat rides. There are also restaurants and loungers.

A long wooden boardwalk also leads to a small rocky islet, “Ox King Island”, with a statue of a golden ox gazing at the moon. From the top you look north to Sanya's skyline and south to the open sea.

Under water

The reef around the island is considered one of the best diving and snorkelling spots around Sanya. There are dedicated diving zones where you swim among corals and colourful fish; beginners can go under with a guide too.

As with all such offers, it's worth looking closely: many operators sell packages with photos, videos and extras that quickly double the price. Clarify beforehand what's included, and don't touch the coral.

How to get there

The boats leave from Xiaoqi harbour at the western end of Sanya Bay; the crossing takes only a few minutes. The island ticket includes the boat trip, and there are various packages with and without water sports — compare prices on Trip.com beforehand.

From the hotel on Sanya Bay you're quickly at the harbour by Didi. In the morning a free shuttle bus also runs from some hotels in the city to the harbour, which must be booked in advance. Buses stop there too, but route numbers changed in 2024 — check in Amap.

How to approach the day

It's best to come in the morning and go to the village first, before the day groups arrive. Then there's time for the beach, the water or Ox King Island. At lunchtime eat fresh fish in the village, paid by weight.

Ask about the boats' return times on site — the last boats leave in the late afternoon. If you want to be back at the bay for the sunset, don't wait for the last boat.