Sansha workers power through the hard times

Sansha boasts spectacular natural sights, but for newcomers it can prove hard settling in this tropical paradise in the South China Sea.

Being far from family and friends, boredom and loneliness are real factors, while the high temperature, humidity, salinity and intense ultraviolet rays also can challenge a resident's endurance.

Electricians from China Southern Power Grid have handled all these hardships off and on for six years on Yongxing, the largest of the islands that make up Sansha and the seat of the city government.