Central part of the Beibu Gulf waters in Haicheng District, Beihai City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region
Weizhou Island is located in the central part of the Beibu Gulf waters in Haicheng District, Beihai City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, bordering the city of Beihai in Guangxi in the north, looking at the Leizhou Peninsula in the east, adjoining the island of Xiyang in the southeast, and looking at the Hainan Island in the south across the sea, and facing Vietnam in the west.
Location
Weizhou Island is located in the middle of the Beibu Gulf, north of Beihai City, Guangxi, east of Leizhou Peninsula, southeast of the island adjacent to the Xiyang Island, south of Hainan Island across the sea, the west side facing Vietnam. The latitude and longitude range is 20°54'-21°10'N, 109°00-109°15'E, with a total area of 24.74 square kilometers.
Geological Features
Weizhou Island is located on the continental shelf off the coast of Guangxi, which was once a vast ocean 300 million years ago, and has been on land since 285 million years ago. Until the early Tertiary period, 50 million years ago, it was still in a dry and hot continental climate. It was only in 25 million years that the Beibu Gulf area began to sink on a large scale, forming a shallow sea shelf. In 3 million years, the sea water in the northern part of Beibu Gulf gradually receded, and between 900,000 and 900,000 years, the Weizhou Island became land again, showing a state of weathering and erosion. The climate was still warm and humid with occasional droughts, and in the early Middle Pleistocene after 900,000 years, Weizhou Island was once again below sea level, and it was not until the late Late Pleistocene after 230,000 years that Weizhou Island completely rose to the surface and took on its present appearance. Between 2.5 million and 7,000 years later, hundreds of basal volcanic eruptions occurred in the Weizhou area in at least four phases, forming the main body of the island's stratigraphy. In between, many ocean storms as well as earthquakes and tsunamis occurred on Weizhou Island, which, together with the usual interactions between the sea and the coast, formed the colorful sea-erosion, marine accumulation, and beach landforms of the present-day Weizhou Island.
Humanities and Customs
Like fishermen in other parts of China's coastal regions, most Weizhou residents worship A-Ma-Zu (locally known as "San-Wa", because A-Ma-Zu is the third in line with her siblings) as a god. The Weizhou Sanpo Temple (also known as A-Ma Temple and Tin Hau Temple) is located in the northern part of the Nanwan Harbor in the southern part of Weizhou Island. The temple was built under the volcanic cliffs and is situated on the side of the mountain and by the sea, making it a unique building. Because the original Tin Hau Temple is located under the cliff, it is very dangerous, so a new Tin Hau Temple was built in front of it to imitate it. The temple is in Chu red color, and there is an old banyan tree in the courtyard which shades the sun. Every year, fishing boats and return to the sea, the residents with chickens, ducks, fish, meat, jewelry, worship, every year, the lunar calendar March 23rd A-Ma's birthday and the lunar calendar October harvest season, the fishermen are held in a grand celebration ceremony, thanks to the three grandma blessing of the peace, the grace of a good harvest. This is locally known as "returning blessings" to Sanma. The Weizhou Island Sanma Tour is held once a year, usually at the end of the year.
Tourist Information
The entrance fee to Weizhou Island Tourist Attractions is 98 yuan per person, with a discount of 49 yuan per person for children over 1.2 meters and under 1.4 meters, students, active-duty military personnel, people with disabilities, and senior citizens, and free of charge for children under 1.2 meters, journalists, guides with tours, and residents of the island. The fee for the battery car from the Weizhou Island Geology Museum to the crater is RMB 20/person (round trip).