Dazhou Island
2 min readLocated in the southeast of Wanning City，Hainan Province，Dazhou Island with an area of 42 thousand square kilometers，is the only oceanic island where the swifts dwell and construct large numbers of the edible bird’s nests year in year out.Therefore，Dazhou Island Marine Nature Reserve was approved by the State Council in 1990 as the national nature reserve of the marine ecology.
Dazhou Island embraces the 270-hectare South Ridge and the 150-hectare North Ridge，which are linked by a sand bank of about 800 m long，50 m wide，rising 289 m and 136 m above sea level respectively.The sand bank is exposed to the air only at low tide.There are two ports lying in the east and west respectively.The former one is called Front Port and the latter one is Back Port.
As an important area for the protection of varieties of plants and animals，the plants of the island are extremely rich and many species of outstanding shrubs and vines have been recorded.The vegetation and bushes on Dazhou Island are growing luxuriantly，which adapt to the oceanic climate.The wild animals on Dazhou Island are pangolins，foxes，pythons，lizards，eagles，parakeets，budgerigars，swifts，swallows，egrets，etc.There are 81 kinds of birds lodging in this place.
Dazhou Island is famous for its distinctive edible swifts，and it is，not only onaccount of the palatability of the birds，but of their wonderful nests，which are in general demand for conversion into bird-nest soup.The edible bird’s nests on Dazhou Island，white and transparent as well as elastic and nutritious，have the function of maintaining beauty and nourishing the lung.So it is a rare treatment called”treasure in the East”.
