Paracel Islands, 2011
Xisha Qundao, the international community named The Paracel Islands, located in the South China Sea from more than 180 nautical miles to the South East of Hainan Island, belong to the Hainan Province. The East side of Paracel Islands is Xuande Islands, mainly include Yongxin Island, Shi island, Zhao island , etc.
In 1997, the Chinese Government opened the paracel islands to public. Due to the Paracel Islands is far away from mainland China, the only vehicle to the Islands is supply ships which makes a difficult trip. In addition, tourists to the Paracel Islands must be approved by the designated government departments.