Ganquan Island

Ganquan island is located on Yongle atoll of Paracel Islands, China, 2 miles southwest of Coral Island. Ganquan island is the island with the longest time in the Paracel Islands. Chinese fishermen also call the island "Yuanzhi" and "Yuandao", which is famous for its sweet spring and well water. Ganquan island is an inherent territory of China, administratively under the jurisdiction of Sansha City, Hainan Province.

The soil on the island is mainly phosphorous calcareous soil, and the middle part is stony coarse bone phosphorous calcareous soil. There are not many white frost avoiding flowers, many grass and seaweed, coastal Tung forest on the sand bank, and drinking water wells with better water quality. There is a coral stone temple built by Chinese fishermen in the northwest of the island. In March 1974, a residential site of the Tang and Song Dynasties was found in the northwest of the island.

Ganquan Island

Ganquan island is located on the Yongle atoll of Paracel Islands, China, and is located 2 miles southwest of Coral Island. On the island there is a southernmost cultural relic protection unit in China, namely, the Tang and song ruins of Ganquan Island, Xisha.

Ganquan island is the island with the longest time in the Paracel Islands.

Chinese fishermen also call the island "Yuanzhi" and "Yuandao", which is famous for its sweet spring and well water.

Ganquan island is an inherent territory of China, administratively under the jurisdiction of Sansha City, Hainan Province.

On January 20, 1974, it was recovered from South Vietnam in the second stage of the battle of Xisha.

Practical information

Safety tips

For safety reasons, tourists with a history of heart disease, hypertension, diabetes and other diseases are not allowed to sign up. Moreover, due to the limited conditions on board, obese people, people with mobility difficulties and people with special diet are not recommended to participate.

Traffic information

Official tourism channel

The most official channel is to take the coconut fragrance Princess cruise to Xisha cruise. Xisha cruise line opened on April 28, 2013. Tourists take the "coconut fragrance Princess" cruise ship, pass Haikou Beijiao Xisha Yongle islands, and arrive at Xisha sea area. The price of Xisha cruise is between 4000 yuan and 9000 yuan.

Outdoor club charter

The introduction of official channels is not long, and the quota is also very limited. The most popular way is to take part in the outdoor club's charter ships in the name of "sea fishing" and start the Paracel Islands tour. The safety factor and environmental protection factor need to be discussed.

Take the supply ship Qionghai 2

In addition, you can apply for a visit to Yongxing island in Paracel Islands on the name of investigation (with relatively complete facilities and the capital of the city of San Sha), and then start the Paracel Islands tour from Yongxing island. Every month from Wenchang's port of Qing Lan, there is a supply ship for Paracel Islands, 2, and a supply ship which starts from the Yulin military port in Sanya. It can reach the island in 15 hours or so on the Yongxing island. It takes 2 weeks to apply to Xisha working committee to apply for the Island certificate.

Main attractions

Tang and Song Dynasty sites

During two archaeological investigations in March 1974 and 1975, two residential sites of the Tang and Song dynasties were found in the inner side of the sandbank at the northwest end of the island.

According to the report of archaeological investigation in 1974, the Museum of Guangdong Province and the Cultural Bureau of Hainan Administrative Region conducted the first investigation of Xisha cultural relics in the spring of 1974, and the second investigation and excavation in the spring of the next year. The Zhongsha Islands team, 0147, was taken by the TAM men commune No. 3, Qionghai county. With the help of the officers stationed in the island, the Revolutionary Committee of the southwest Zhongsha Islands and the 81 film studio of the Chinese people's Liberation Army, the archaeologists almost traveled to the vast majority of the Paracel Islands's reef and sandy beaches, and all the historical relics and relics of ancient China could be found in the footprints. It can be imagined that the Paracel Islands was few people tread, limited by traffic conditions and strict jurisdiction at that time, only sporadic fishermen landed on the island, and the original relics were not destroyed by human beings, and they were basically preserved.

In March 1974, PLA soldiers dug out seven pieces of Tang and song porcelain in the northwest of Ganquan island. On this basis, the archaeologists explored in situ and unearthed 37 pieces of porcelain. Among them, there are the brim of the four series blue glaze pot, the blue and white porcelain powder box, the patterned flat bottom bowl, and the brim of an iron pot

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In the northwest of Ganquan Island, archaeologists found a small brick temple built by fishermen in the Tang and Song dynasties. In addition, there are 13 small temples built by coral stones. More than 50 pieces of daily life ceramics have been unearthed, including the Tang Dynasty blue glazed pottery double ear jar, roll along jar, song Dynasty blue and white glazed vase, four series jar, blue glazed bowl, carved bowl, lotus shaped bowl, protruding lip bowl, powder box and so on The utensils are similar in texture, style and color to those unearthed from Xicun kiln site in Guangzhou. In addition, iron knives, iron chisels and other production tools were also unearthed, including several pieces of iron pots of Tang Dynasty cooking utensils, pieces of clay gray brown pottery Lei Ti of Song Dynasty, and several copper coins of song and Ming Dynasties.

Therefore, archaeologists speculated that the earliest use of fresh water on the island was the ancestors of the Tang Dynasty. The owners of these utensils were also the earliest inhabitants of Paracel Islands. They might be immigrants from the mainland of Guangdong.

In 1994, the Tang and song residential sites in Ganquan Island were identified as the first batch of provincial cultural relics protection units by Hainan provincial government.

In 1996, during the general survey of cultural relics in Xisha, the archaeologists specially set up a stone tablet beside the site, which is the first cultural relic protection tablet set up in the South China Sea by China.

In 2006, the government announced that Ganquan Island site (No. i-174) was listed in the Sixth Batch of national key cultural relics protection units.

summary

Ganquan Dao is located in the west of Yongle islands, about 0.5 nautical miles from antelope reef in the South and 2 nautical miles from coral island in the north. It can wade over coral island at low tide. The island is oval, 700 meters long from north to South and 500 meters wide from east to west, covering an area of about 0.3 square kilometers.

The terrain is high, surrounded by sand dike, low and flat in the middle, surrounded by coral reefs, and there is a shallow water wharf on the southeast side to dock sampans.

The soil on the island is mainly phosphorous calcareous soil, and the middle part is stony coarse bone phosphorous calcareous soil. There are not many white frost avoiding flowers, many grass and seaweed, coastal Tung forest on the sand bank, and drinking water wells with better water quality.

There is a coral stone temple built by Chinese fishermen in the northwest of the island. In March 1974, a residential site of the Tang and Song Dynasties was found in the northwest of the island.

name

In 1909, Li Zhun, the commander-in-chief of Guangdong Navy in the Qing Dynasty, discovered that there were two freshwater wells in the lowlands of the central part of the island. The spring water was sweet and drinkable. He said, "you have got fresh water, you can eat it very sweetly, you can't dig more than twenty ears, you can taste it, and you can taste it very sweetly. That is to say, you can take Ganquan island as a memorial. It's named Ganquan island because of its name.

In 1935, the government of the Republic of China announced the name of Robert island;

In 1947, the government of the Republic of China announced the name of Ganquan island;

In 1983, the government of the people's Republic of China announced the name of Ganquan island.

Chinese fishermen call the island Yuanzhi and Yuandao, and some foreign books call it Robert island.

terrain

Ganquan island is a gray sand island developed from coral atolls, with an oval shape and an area of 0.3 square kilometers. There is soil, fresh water and vegetation on the island.

Ganquan Island presents multiple concentric annular landscapes: the center of the island is formed by the dry evolution of the lagoon, the soil is mainly phosphorous lime soil, the outer part is annular forest belt, the outer part of the island is surrounded by sand dike, and the outer part of the sand dike is reef flat.

Freshwater resources

Ganquan island is an uninhabited island and one of the few islands with fresh water in Xisha. There is an ancient well on the island. The water is clear and sweet, which is suitable for use. However, because there are too many reefs around the island, it is not conducive for fishermen and fishing vessels to carry out offshore operations, so it is not suitable for residents. There are only some temporary wooden houses left by the fishermen around the monument of Ganquan island. The island maintains a very primitive ecological environment.

Naval battle

On January 20, 1974, it was recovered from South Vietnam in the second stage of the battle of Xisha.

On January 19, 1974, Xu Shiyou, commander of the Guangzhou Military Region of the Chinese army, decided to send three companies, one Amphibious Reconnaissance Team and some strengthened units to attack the three islands by naval vessels and fishing boats, in accordance with Deng Xiaoping's order on recovering Ganquan Island, coral island and Jinyin island. At the same time, the Command Office of the general staff combat Department mobilized four East China Sea fleets The frigate went south to support.

On the morning of the 20th, the landing troops launched an attack and landing operation on Ganquan Island, located between coral island and Jinyin Island, in a multi-directional manner. The South Vietnamese army who occupied the island hastily withdrew from the beachhead to the middle of the island. After occupying the beachhead position, the 4th company, as the main attack task, immediately pursued the South Vietnamese army who fled to the middle of the island. After more than 10 minutes of fighting, all the officers and soldiers of South Vietnam were captured. Subsequently, the 5th company, the Amphibious Reconnaissance Team and some militia, together with four frigates and one Minesweeper, quickly entered the sea near the reef on the south side of the coral island and launched an attack on the South Vietnamese army. The 5th company quickly occupied the beachhead position, and the officers and soldiers of South Vietnam who occupied the island were forced to retreat to the center of the island. With the cooperation of Amphibious Reconnaissance Team, the 5th company quickly advanced to the center of the island to search for prisoners. In the afternoon of that day, the South Vietnamese authorities sent a warship to reinforce the coral island. The Chinese Navy and air force immediately sent planes and warships to meet the attack. The Yue ship then returned to Danang from the waters of Yongle islands.

After the recovery of Ganquan island and coral island, China sent a company

Chinese PinYin : Gan Quan Dao