Across the water from Beihai's Silver Beach is Weizhou Island -- also called "Great Penglai,"a legendary fairy island in the East China Sea. It lies 36 sea miles from Beihai and, with an area of 25 square kilometers, is Guangxi's biggest island and China's largest and youngest volcanic island. The island has a natural harbor formed by volcanic action. Open to the south and with mountains on the other three sides, it looks like a huge crab wielding its pincers. The cliffs are covered with pines and huge cacti. Thick vegetation covers the island and there are blossoming flowers and fruits all year round. Sea birds can be seen perched on the reefs or hovering over the waves, and the sea is so limpid that corals and other sea creatures are clearly visible. It is also an ideal place to go fishing, swimming and diving, or simply collecting shells on the beaches.
The waves, currents and tides have eroded the coastal rocks into a wide array of forms --cavees, trenches, cliffs, pillars, terraces and windows among them. By a wharf on the island stands a mushroom-shaped rock three meters high and six meters wide. At one spot, several caves have been eroded into one giant one, taking a niche-shaped bite out of the land. The lifelike shapes of the rocks and reefs near the coast -- tortoise, seal, sea cow, whale, dolphin, crab,sea cucumber, turtle, squid, abalone, sea horse, grouper, snail, jellyfish, shrimps and prawns --have won this beach the label "Nature's Aquarium." The thing that leaves the most lasting impression is a harbor by the fishing village, a haven of working fishing boats and fishermen. Behind the banana grove are cottages, in front of which are women weaving nets. Walking through the simple village, visitors may feel excited to find one or two Western-style churches, both over a century old. These century-old struc-tures add a certain foreign touch to the pretty island village.
