Here, I met the Coral Sea, coral islands, coral houses, the breath of the sea breeze, the whistle of homing, the children at the end of the alley...
"Hey, this is the West Island."
Xidao is a small island in Sanya, Hainan, surrounded by coral reefs. Here, you can enjoy the charming natural scenery of the Coconut Grove Coast, experience the ancient cultural history of the century-old fishing village, and experience the interesting sea events of snorkeling and gliding. Therefore, Xidao has become a popular tourist destination in Sanya.
Coral bleaching interactive installation work. Photo by Cui Yuchen
How to make this island's industry prosper and promote eco-tourism? How to protect this ecological island and achieve sustainable development? The reporter boarded this small island to find out.
Explore a new model of art-empowered eco-tourism
Listening to the waves and blowing the sea breeze, reading a favorite book in a houseboat full of books, what a pleasant scene. There is such a "sea study" on the West Island, which was transformed from three abandoned fishing boats. It runs through the concept of marine environmental protection culture. It has not only been rated as the "Beautiful Bookstore in Hainan Province", but has also become a public cultural service space in the West Island.
"That Island, That Person, That Thing" theme exhibition. Photo by Cui Yuchen
The concept of ecological and environmental protection has always run through the development of the West Island. On the June 5th Environment Day this year, the 2024 Sanya West Island Ecological Art Festival kicked off. At the environmental theme exhibition "That Island, That Person, That Thing" held at the same time, the reporter saw the changes of a century-old fishing village, one by one old photo, carrying the past of the West Island fishing village. With the passage of time, the island's style has changed. With the joint efforts of the government, residents, and enterprises, the West Island's cultural tourism and other industries have developed, forming a pattern of "half scenic spots, half fireworks homes".
The reporter learned that the West Island is currently mainly divided into two parts: Jingyu West Island Fishing Village and Scenic Spot. In November 2011, Sanya West Island Marine Cultural Tourism Zone was rated as a national 4A-level tourist attraction. On the mountains in the southern part of West Island, there are a small number of wild macaques and provincial-level protected animals swiftlet. The waters around the West Island belong to the Sanya National Coral Reef Nature Reserve, with many species of seabed organisms.
"The ecological environment of the island itself is relatively fragile. With the tourism development of the West Island, it also brings some challenges to the ecological environment." Wang Zhengshou, deputy director of the Xidao Community Residents Committee, believes that in order to ensure better economic development, the ecological environment must be protected.There are 1206 households living in the Xidao Fishing Village, with a permanent population of about 4600, and an average of 5000 tourists per day. Achieving a balance between protection and development requires ecological consensus and active participation from the government, residents, tourists, and enterprises.
At the opening site of the art festival, a group of interactive art works jointly planned and co-created by the Sanya City Tourism Development Bureau and the Sea Study Room invited tourists, volunteers, villagers, etc. to participate in the drawing. The 1206 art turtles represented 1206 residents in the village. Each art turtle represented the aspirations of a family of West Island residents who longed for turtles to return home. The participants felt the urgency and determination to protect the ecology of the West Island.
"That Island, That Person, That Thing" theme exhibition. Photo by Cui Yuchen
Held simultaneously with the opening of the festival, there was also an art exhibition called "Return Plan" organized by the Landscape and Public Art Laboratory of the Art Development Center of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. More than 20 groups of works were unveiled at the scene, through the sensitivity of multiple artists. Perspective, guide the audience to view the harmonious coexistence of man and nature from a multi-dimensional perspective.
Ma Juncheng, the academic support unit of the West Island Ecological Art Festival and dean of the School of Urban Design of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, said: "Sanya West Island, as an island featuring eco-tourism, has long become an attraction for tourists with its unique natural scenery and rich ecological resources. Highlights. However, in today's digital age, how to enhance a region's popularity, shape brand influence, and ensure its sustainable development is a challenge we must face. We hope that through the creation of artists, we can awaken the public's awareness of eco-tourism and ecology. Pay attention to development and ecological protection, and explore new models of art-empowered eco-tourism. Let us use art as a medium to explore the harmonious coexistence of ecology and tourism."
Actively explore paths to realize the value of ecological products
From the "most beautiful fishing village" and "beautiful rural demonstration village" to the "waste-free island", the exploration of ecological development in the West Island has always been on the road.
Under the guidance and support of the Sanya Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government and Tianya District Party Committee and District Government, in May 2018, Xidao took the lead in launching the construction of a "plastic-free ecological island". In order to explore the path of ecological sustainable development across the island, the local government invited environmental research experts from Austria, the United States, Canada and other countries to conduct multi-party research to promote the work in an orderly and effective manner. 2019 is the year of promotion for the construction of a "plastic-free ecological island" on the West Island, directly affecting 1 million residents and tourists.
Subsequently, Tianya District actively explored paths to realize the value of ecological products, pioneered the creation of a demonstration pilot for the value of ecological products in the West Island, promoted the construction of a "waste-free" island near the West Island, and carried out GEP accounting for the West Island. After preliminary calculations, from 2020 to 2022, the GDP of the West Island ecosystem will maintain steady growth, with a compound annual growth rate of more than 40%. It is estimated that the GDP of the West Island ecosystem will reach more than 430 million yuan in 2025.
At the same time, residents of the West Island jointly launched the "Ten-Year Ecological West Island Agreement Plan". All parties jointly contribute to the ecological protection and ecological construction of the West Island, create a waste-free island and ecological island, and jointly protect the ocean and homeland.
West Island scenery. Photo by Cui Yuchen
In the future, West Island's goal is a "zero-carbon island". So, how to build a "zero-carbon island"?
Yang Pingjian, chief scientist of the Management Center of the Chinese Academy of Environmental Sciences, said that the so-called "zero-carbon island" refers to the use of natural ecosystems or anthropogenic technology absorption to achieve a balanced state of carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases emitted by human activities on the West Island.
"The islands have the greatest impact on climate change. Many innovations in technologies, mechanisms, and management can be tried first by the West Island. For example, in terms of energy use, new energy sources such as photovoltaics and non-carbon energy sources should be used as much as possible. Reduce carbon emissions caused by human tourism, life, etc. through careful response measures, and make use of the good ecological conditions of the West Island to sequester carbon to offset carbon emissions." Yang Pingjian introduced that a systematic investigation will be carried out first, carbon emissions and pollution sources will be traced, key emission reduction areas will be identified, and finally a "zero-carbon island" system plan will be tailored for the "West Island".
The environment is beautiful, the ecology is good, and the industry is prosperous. We look forward to the future West Island embarking on a new path for the development of the ecological cultural tourism industry.