Changdao Islands

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The Changdao Islands (长岛群岛), Miaodao Islands, or Temple Islands (庙岛群岛), or Changshan Islands (长山群岛) are a chain of islands in the Bohai Sea, north of Penglai, Shandong Province, China. Administratively they form Changdao County (长岛县) as part of Yantai Prefecture. They are known for their sandy beaches and picturesque limestone cliffs.^[1] The total land area is only 56 square km, but the coastline is 146 km long.

1 Demographics
2 Economy
3 Transportation
4 Tourism
5 Notes
6 External links

[edit] Demographics

Ten of the islands are occupied, and there are twenty-two uninhabited islands, some little more than sand spits. There is one large town, Touji Town (砣矶镇), population 8,495; and seven smaller towns with forty villages, with a total population in the county of 52,000.

[edit] Economy

The major occupation is marine farming, producing products such as sea cucumbers, abalone, sea urchins, bivalves, kelp, scallops, and even fish. Tourism is also important; many of the villages sport resort hotels.

[edit] Transportation

The islands are regularly served by a ferry from Penglai. There is a small military airport on the largest island, Changdao Island.

[edit] Tourism

Both Changdao National Forest Park and Changdao National Nature Reserve are located on the islands, which are on a cross-Bohai Sea flyway.

The islands are often referred to as the Temple Islands (Chinese: Miaodao Qundao) because of the large number of temples that were built there. Xianying Palace is a temple that was built during the Northern Song Dynasty, starting in 1122. It was originally a Taoist temple to the sea goddess Matsu, but became Buddhist later. At the present time the local government has restored the temple to its Ming Dynasty appearance, although many additions had been made during the Qing.