Qianliyan Island

Qianliyan Island

Native name: 千里岩
Geography
Location	Yellow Sea
Coordinates	36°16′5.17″N 121°23′7.76″E
Area	1 km^2 (0.39 sq mi)
Highest elevation	100 m (300 ft)
Administration
China
Demographics
Population	3

Qianliyan Island
Chinese	千里岩
Literal meaning	Thousand-Li Cliff
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Qiānlǐyán Wade–Giles Ch'ien-li-yen

Qianliyan Island is an island in the Yellow Sea about 80 kilometers (50 mi) east of Qingdao, Shandong, China. The area around the island is nationally protected by the Chinese government as an important spawning ground for local seafood.

Name

Qianliyan is the pinyin romanization of the Chinese name, meaning "thousands of miles of rocks".[1]

Geography

Qianliyan is an isolated island in the Yellow Sea about 80 kilometers (50 mi) east of Qingdao. It is about 1 km^2 (0.39 sq mi) in size with a maximum elevation below 100 meters (330 ft). It has few plants and little fresh water.[1] The surrounding waters are protected by the Chinese government as an important spawning ground for local seafood.[2]

Structures

A scientific monitoring station was established in 1960. It is staffed by eight researchers working in rotation in teams of three, even through Chinese holidays. The sea's temperature, salinity, and wave activity is reported to China's State Oceanic Administration on an hourly basis. It is unable to be permanently manned, as after the initial excitement of the posting the researchers find "the overwhelming monotonousness is just suffocating."[1]

Qianliyan Island is also the site of the Qianliyan Lighthouse, constructed in 1979.

References

Citations

1. Xie (2019).
2. Shan & al. (2020), Tables 2 & 3.

Bibliography

• Shan Xiujuan; et al. (2020), Survey Report with Overlays to Analyze Gaps and Conservation Needs of Critical Nursery and Spawning Grounds of Priority Fish Species in the Yellow Sea... (PDF), Incheon: Yellow Sea Large Marine Ecosystem Project.
• Xie Chuanjiao (1 February 2019), "At Lonely Island Outpost in Yellow Sea, Teams of Experts Monitor Water, Weather", China Daily, Beijing: China Daily Information Company.