Qianjiang Bay

Qianjiang Bay

Qianjiang Bay is located in Houzhai Town on the southern part of Nan’ao Island, Nan’ao County. It is a ria bay. The bay mouth faces south, is 8.1 km wide, extends 1.1 km inland, has a shoreline of 12 km, and covers a water area of 4.5 square kilometers. It is named Qianjiang (“Front River”) Bay because it lies to the south of Nan’ao Island and corresponds to Houjiang (“Rear River”) Bay to the north. The bay is semicircular in shape, with water depths ranging from 3 to 8 meters, and the seabed is relatively flat, consisting of gray-black soil with small amounts of shells. There is a 1.3-km-long sandy beach at the head of the bay, while the rest consists of rocky shores. The eastern coastline features numerous reefs, mainly including Dongmayin Reef, Reef 0, Tiexian Reef, and Xiawei Islet. Two small streams flow into the bay. It experiences an irregular semi-diurnal tide. During high tide, the current flows southwest at 0.5 knots; during low tide, it flows northeast at 0.8 knots. The bay is home to fish species such as ilisha, yellowfin seabream, blue mackerel, and hairtail. It serves as a major anchorage for fishing vessels from Nan’ao as well as from Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Fujian, capable of accommodating ships up to 7,000 tons, with over 1,000 fishing boats mooring here daily. In 1990, a 1,200-meter-long seawall and a 3,000-ton-capacity wharf were constructed at the head of the bay, along with a passenger wharf serving Shantou. In 1938, Japanese forces landed on Nan’ao Island twice from this bay. A road connects the bay to Houzhai.