Hainan Linqiangshi Island Nature Reserve

　　The Hainan Linqiangshi Island Coral Reef Local Nature Reserve includes Linqiangshi Island, also known as Dachan Reef, and its surrounding sea area, covering an area of 131 hectares. It was established in April 1992 with approval from the former Danzhou County People's Government, and its primary conservation targets are the coral reefs around Linqiangshi Island and nearby offshore areas, along with their ecosystems.

　　Linqiangshi Island itself is a coral island composed of coral, shell sand and gravel, various corals, shells, beach cliffs, and secondary coral reef gravel. It lies at the northern edge of the coral reef distribution zone. It serves as an important site for studying the regional distribution and developmental history of coral reefs in the Beibu Gulf and the South China Sea, as well as their biological composition and changes.

　　Conservation management activities in the reserve have helped maintain the marine ecological environment and biodiversity around Linqiangshi Island, thereby preserving marine biological resources related to coral reefs. The local marine ecological environment remains largely intact, but the coral reefs are in a state of natural decline.

　　Changpo Town in Danzhou City, Hainan, is a small town by the Xuanlun River, famous for its local snack, "milan." Also called milan zai, its preparation is complex and meticulous: rice is soaked in water for one to two days, then ground into a paste, wrapped in clean cheesecloth, and kneaded into milan dough balls. These are boiled in an iron pot, then removed and mashed in a stone mortar. An appropriate amount of “cooked slurry” is added and mixed evenly, before being gently shaken in a metal “milan sieve” so that the soft batter forms into strands and drips into a pot of boiling water. After about five minutes, the fine, noodle-like milan is ready.

　　Enjoying fresh seafood is naturally a must-do activity on Linqiangshi Island. Sea snake meat is tender, delicious, and highly nutritious, making it a premium delicacy. Moreover, sea snake has medicinal value: it helps ward off cold, remove dampness, and provides effective relief for rheumatism and lower back pain, making it a top choice for nourishment in autumn and winter.

　　Shark fin is actually the fin of a shark, with the fin meat mostly consisting of keratinous soft filaments that are dried to make the final shark fin product. As a high-grade tonic, it benefits qi, stimulates appetite, nourishes weakness, and aids digestion. It is commonly stewed with lean pork, benefiting the blood, qi, kidneys, and lungs.

　　Dried scallop, or scallop abductor muscle, has a chewy texture. When eating, the tough muscle fibers along the outer edge are cut off and cooked separately, leaving behind the cylindrical-shaped dried scallop. The cleaned dried scallops are placed in a bowl, mixed with wine, scallion, and an appropriate amount of water, and steamed in a steamer for one to two hours. They are then taken out and used along with the original broth to cook a variety of dishes.

　　Sea turtles from Dongfang, Hainan, have delicious meat rich in various vitamins and proteins, making them a nourishing food. Parts such as the turtle’s feet, blood, plastron, oil, eggs, liver, stomach, meat, and gallbladder can all be used medicinally, offering benefits such as moistening the lungs, strengthening the stomach, nourishing kidneys, clearing heat, improving vision, nourishing yin, strengthening bones, and enriching blood.