Location: Dongxing, Fangchenggang City

May to October is the best time to travel to Fangchenggang.

0770-2825744

There are only three bus routes (No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3) serving all areas of urban Fangchenggang. The fare is 1 yuan for both air-conditioned and ordinary buses. The ticket price between Gangkou District and Fangcheng District is 2.5 yuan. Minibuses bound for Shangsi and Dongxing depart from downtown locations including the railway station, long-distance bus station and Xinggang Avenue, with fares of about 6 yuan per person.

Most taxis in Fangchenggang are Geely vehicles. The flag-down fare is 3 yuan, and the charge is 1.6 yuan per kilometre after the first two kilometres.

Motorcycle taxis are numerous and can be hailed on the street. Trips within the urban area usually cost 2 to 5 yuan. However, they are not very safe. Taxis are recommended for safety, comfort and affordability.

Self-drive car rental without a driver is generally unavailable in Fangchenggang. Tourists can charter a taxi. A full-day charter of a Geely taxi for touring the urban area, Wanwei Golden Beach, Jiangshan Peninsula and other scenic spots costs around 300 yuan, excluding bridge tolls and other extra expenses. You can negotiate a lower price for multi-day rentals.

(Fangchenggang Ping’an Taxi Company Address: Inside Jinlong Hotel on Xinggang Avenue, near the railway station Tel: 0770-2822026)

The Three Jing Ethnic Islands lie in Dongxing, Fangchenggang City, the westernmost point of China’s mainland coastline. Facing Pearl Harbour to the east and Beibu Gulf to the south, they stand across the sea from Vietnam in the west. Covering an area of 13.7 square kilometres, Jing Island Scenic Area is mainly inhabited by the Jing ethnic group. It features a subtropical climate with an average annual temperature of about 22°C, ranging from a maximum of 32°C down to a minimum of 10°C. The annual sunshine duration exceeds 2,100 hours. The winters are warm and summers cool, with refreshing sea breezes.

The 15-kilometre Golden Beach boasts fine sand, gentle waves, mild slopes and warm clean seawater free from pollution. It can accommodate 50,000 visitors for sea bathing and beach sports at the same time. Lush trees cover the islands, with over 4,000 mu of coastal shelterbelts that attract tens of thousands of white cranes. The area is steeped in Jing ethnic culture with simple and exotic folk customs, blending Chinese and Vietnamese traditions.

Nearby attractions include the "Snowfield in the South", "Ten-Thousand-Crane Mountain", Mangrove Nature Reserve, No.1 Boundary Stele of the Qing Dynasty and Shell Mound Ruins. Endowed with abundant tourism resources and complete supporting facilities, this region has become one of the most popular tourist destinations in Guangxi.

The main island Wanwei is located at 21°31′N and 108°22′E, south of the Tropic of Cancer. Under a subtropical monsoon climate, it enjoys abundant sunshine with a tourism season as long as eight months. The island is densely covered with evergreen vegetation all year round.

Stretching 15 kilometres, Golden Beach features wide, soft golden sand. Green islets, long shorelines, blue seawater and bright sunshine form a picturesque landscape. It serves as a natural seaside bathing beach, a coastal resort and a provincial-level scenic area. After years of development, Jing Island has taken initial shape with continuously improved tourist infrastructure, reception services and entertainment facilities. It has become another famous coastal tourist resort in Guangxi, second only to Beihai Silver Beach.

In Wutou Village on the Three Jing Ethnic Islands lies a sandy beach spanning several thousand mu. The pale white sand dotted with thick green trees creates a scene reminiscent of snow-covered forests in northern China, earning it the name "Snowfield in the South". A few hundred metres south of this beach stand small hills densely covered with masson pines — namely Wanniao Mountain (Ten-Thousand-Crane Mountain). The warm seawater teeming with fish and shrimp makes the Three Jing Ethnic Islands an ideal habitat for white cranes and little egrets. Tens of thousands of these birds have lived and multiplied here since ancient times. Dawn and dusk are when they fly out and return to their nests. The mountain echoes with crane cries as flocks soar through the air. White sand, green trees and elegant cranes form an incredible natural painting that draws countless tourists every day.

The shallow coastal waters around the Three Jing Ethnic Islands are rich in croakers, scads, squids and other seafood. Over centuries, the Jing people developed the unique fishing method of hauling giant nets. Each net stretches more than 1,000 metres long and weighs roughly 2,000 kilograms, costing over 10,000 RMB and jointly funded by village households. More than 30 villagers carry the net to the shore. Led by a foreman, they sail 70 metres offshore to lay the net along the coastline, forming a crescent-shaped trap over 800 metres long. Teams pull both ends of the net from early morning until noon to haul it onto the beach. Today one haul can catch several hundred to over 500 kilograms of fish, mainly croakers and scads. Back in the 1970s and 1980s, villagers once caught more than 5,000 kilograms of fish in a single haul.

Stilt fishing is another traditional fishing technique created by the Jing people. Small fish and shrimp live in shallow waters over one metre deep, deep enough to submerge a person. To solve this problem, fishermen strap tall stilts to their legs to stay above the water. As fishing technology advances, stilt fishing is gradually fading away. Only elders aged 50 and above still master this skill, while almost none of the younger generation can do it anymore.

The traditional Jing ethnic dress is also the national costume of Vietnam. Made of soft, breathable silk, it beautifully outlines women’s graceful figures and is perfectly suited to coastal weather. The traditional conical hat is woven from palm leaves abundant in Vietnam. It is lightweight with a deep brim covering nearly the entire face, effectively shielding fishermen from intense sunlight by the sea.