Outpost veteran 'human anchor' of nation's marine safety

On the uninhabited island of Qianliyan, guarding the country means guarding the data. For over four decades, Jiang Wenkai has served as the "human anchor" of the Yellow Sea, once spending 217 days a year on a barren outpost. Today, the veteran observer is the final link in a chain that has transformed a primitive observation post into a smart hub for offshore wind power and marine ranching, proving that even as technology becomes automated, the human spirit remains the foundation of China's marine safety.

Nearly 50 kilometers away from the shore, the tiny island, covering just 0.135 square kilometers and rising to a maximum elevation of 93 meters, is home to the Haiyang marine station of the Beihai Forecasting and Disaster Reduction Center of the Ministry of Natural Resources, one of China's national benchmark marine observation stations.

The station operates around the clock. Since taking on the job in 1983, Jiang has helped collect extensive marine hydrological and meteorological data that have been widely used in marine disaster prevention, mitigation and economic development.

In the early years, when technology was still underdeveloped, the island had no electricity, and the observation equipment was extremely primitive. Under such harsh conditions, Jiang and his colleagues carried out uninterrupted marine and meteorological observations day after day, year after year.

"Every drop of water and every grain of rice we used had to be transported by boat," Jiang recalled, describing both the working and living conditions as extremely difficult.

As equipment and infrastructure gradually improved, the number of staff stationed on the island was reduced from six or seven people in the early days to just two rotating staff members today. However, Jiang said the demands on workers have become even greater.

"Now, once you arrive on the island, you have to know how to do everything," Jiang said. "You cannot rely on others to take care of you. People trained here become versatile — cooking, washing clothes and repairing instruments all by themselves."

With advances in technology and upgrades in observation equipment, working conditions on the island have improved significantly over the years. Tasks that once required manual readings in harsh weather have now become increasingly intelligent and automated.

New technologies, including intelligent video inversion for wave monitoring, drone-based sea ice identification and smart red tide monitoring, are gradually being introduced into daily operations. The data collected provide strong support for marine disaster prevention and mitigation, offshore wind power, marine ranching and other emerging industries.

Over four decades on the island, Jiang has not only recorded waves, monsoons and other marine data, but also witnessed major changes in the marine ecological environment and environmental governance.

"We are no longer merely recorders of marine data, but also guardians of marine ecology and practitioners of harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature," he said.

Jiang, now 59, is scheduled to retire soon. Looking back on a lifetime spent enduring storms and lonely nights on the isolated island, he said he has no regrets about dedicating 40 years to guarding the outpost.

"Guarding the island means guarding the country; guarding the sea means guarding our home," Jiang said.

lishangyi@chinadaily.com.cn