Marvels along the marina

Zhanjiang sits on the Leizhou Peninsula that juts out into the South China Sea as if to touch Hainan Island. It is only natural it should have an extended marina that serves as the soul of the city.

The waterfront green belt starts at the north with Fishermen's Harbor, a park with 20 hectares of palm trees, meadows, lagoons and meandering trails. Even though you can freely access the park and its facilities from anywhere, there is a formal entrance with a sculpture of three fishermen dragging a sampan out of furious seawater.

Echoing this visual theme are remnants of real sampans stuck in the sand. Not far are docked modern ships that can withstand storms of any severity. In between are lovers strolling on the beach and swimmers frolicking in the shallow water.