Wuzhizhou Island

The island nobody was allowed to touch

Wuzhizhou lies off Haitang Bay, a small coral island of just under one and a half square kilometres. What stands out is how densely it is overgrown — unusual for an island of this size in this location.

The reason isn't nature alone. After 1949 Wuzhizhou became a military exclusion zone and remained one into the 1990s. For decades nothing was built, nothing cleared, nothing developed. Remains of the military installations can still be seen, and the so-called Lovers' Bridge was originally a rope bridge soldiers used to reach an observation post. The island only opened to tourism at the end of the 1990s.

A temple for the inventor of writing

According to local tradition, at the end of the 19th century a small temple stood on the island dedicated to Cang Jie — the legendary figure to whom the Chinese attribute the invention of writing. Such a temple on a remote fishing island is a rarity.

Later the fishermen worshipped Mazu there, the patron goddess of seafarers. The same goddess is honoured at the temple in Haikou's Qilou quarter, where emigrants prayed before setting off for Southeast Asia.

Sanya's clearest water

For Chinese visitors Wuzhizhou means one thing above all: Sanya's diving spot. Depending on the weather, the water around the island is clear to six and more than twenty metres, and the reef is in better condition than off the city beaches. Chinese travel portals like to call the island “China's Maldives” — a big claim, but the turquoise in high sun explains where it comes from.

You can walk round the island in three to four hours, though some sections are closed. More comfortable is the electric shuttle, which lets you get off at the viewpoints. The highest point is a rock from which you can watch the sunrise.

Quota instead of price

The most remarkable thing about Wuzhizhou isn't the water but how access is managed. The island could take up to 26,000 people a day. But at most 15,000 are admitted, and only 12,000 on national holidays. If 18,000 are on the island at the same time, sales are stopped.

Tickets are only available online and only with your real name, by 23:59 the day before at the latest. Day tickets are practically not sold at the pier. In July 2026 the island even suspended day-ticket sales entirely for a while.

China manages its most popular natural attractions by quota, not by price. You can't buy your way in: when the places are gone, they're gone — no matter what you'd be willing to pay. It's a principle hardly known in European holiday resorts.

What it really costs

The ticket covers admission and the ferry there and back, around 144 yuan in high season. Everything else costs extra: the shuttle, diving, jet skis, parasailing and the packages that bundle them. With the shuttle and one activity you realistically end up at 300 to 400 yuan per person, with the big packages at 500 to almost 700.

Chinese travel reports consistently advise against the expensive all-in packages: shuttle plus one single activity is enough. Everything on the island is more expensive than on land — bringing water and a few snacks pays off. There are paid lockers at the pier.

New since September 2026

The island has extended its hours. Crossings run from 08:30 to 16:00, returns until 19:30. On top of that there's a single night boat at 21:00, leaving from the so-called summer pier. For the first time you can experience the sunset on the island instead of having to return in the afternoon.

Right next door: Houhai

From the ferry pier it's only five to ten minutes on foot to Houhai, a former fishing village that is now China's best-known surf spot for beginners. If you finish the day on Wuzhizhou, you can spend the evening there — with a beach bonfire and Tanka seafood.