Sansha City, Hainan Province, south China - Recent
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1. Aerial shots of island

2. Various of growers preparing fresh water
3. Various of growers watering plants

FILE: Sansha City, Hainan Province, south China - July 2014 (exact date unknown)
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4. Aerial shots of island

Sansha City, Hainan Province, south China - Recent
5. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Wang Chun, deputy director of management committee of Qilianyu Viliage, Sansha City:
"Wind and tide caused serious displacement and erosion of the shoal. Our efforts at afforestation help put that under control. Now the terrain of the island is stable and trees grow taller, attracting more birds there. The island has become more habitable."
6. Birds flying
7. Various of bird eggs, new-born birds
8. Aerial shots of Beidao Island
9. Various of protection staff at work
10. Protection zone
11. Various of sea turtle
12. Various of new-born sea turtles going to sea

FILE: Sansha City, Hainan Province, south China - Date Unknown
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13. Old pictures of Yongxing Island

Sansha City, Hainan Province, south China - Recent
14. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Chen Rufeng, director general of management administration of Yongxing:
"There was nothing in the island. No water, no land, no vegetable and very few habitants. It was like a barren island."
15. Various of Chen Rufeng at work
16. Various of canteen
17. Street scene
18. Various of hospital
19. Supply station

Sansha City in south China's Hainan Province has changed from desolate islands into a habitable new city five years after its establishment.

The local government has made continuous efforts to afforest the islands.

High temperature, high humidity, high salinity and lack of fresh water have made it very hard to grow any plants in the ground. Seedlings and earth had to be transported from Hainan Island. Even fresh water had to be shipped in barrels from a nearby island.

A forest of casuarina was once planted on the island in 2008, but only a few survived in 2012 when Sansha City was established.

Desalination facilities were installed on the island in 2015, thus solving the problem of drinking water.

Under the care of growers of one group after another, 138,000 trees are growing on the island.

"Wind and tide caused serious displacement and erosion of the shoal. Our efforts at afforestation help put that under control. Now the terrain of the island is stable and trees grow taller, attracting more birds there. The island has become more habitable," said Wang Chun, deputy director of management committee of Qilianyu Viliage, Sansha City.

The trees also attract many sea birds, turning the once desolate island into a heaven for birds.

Besides making the city green, the local government has also yielded fruitful results in the protection of marine life.

After it was established, the city set up a protection zone for sea turtles in Beidao Island. Now the island has become a cozy home for sea turtle babies.

Over the past years, the number of sea turtles that laid eggs on the island has increased from 52 nests in 2014 to 152 nests in 2016.

The city also intends to set up a protection center for sea turtles to attract more researchers and volunteers to protect this animal.

Yongxing island, where Sansha City's government is located, has also undergone great changes.

For Chen Rufeng, director of the Office Administration of Yongxing, the memory when he first came to the island in 1990 as a teenager was still fresh.

"There was nothing in the island. No water, no land, no vegetable and very few habitants. It was like a barren island," said Chen.

He said that rain water was precious at that time and it could be used only for drinking and cooking. Whenever the supply ships came, it was like New Year's Day.

Great improvements have been made in infrastructure construction and people's livelihood on Yongxing Island five years after the establishment of Sansha City. Now it compares favorably with Hainan Island in material supplies, supplies of water for daily life, transportation and communication.

Chen is very confident about the city's development in the future.