Sun, surf and patriotism ... life as a tourist cruising the South China Sea
Cruises take visitors to Paracel Islands, but some complain that apart from displays of patriotism there’s not much to do
“The Philippines has brought a legal case to the international court against us. But unquestionably Huangyan Island (Scarborough Shoal) is ours!” said Yang Bo, the master of ceremonies at the night show on the small cruise liner Star of Northern Bay.
“Yes!” replied the audience sitting on the ship’s Sunshine Deck under a starlight sky on a hot, humid and windless night in the South China Sea’s Paracel (Xisha) Islands.
As a Chinese navy entertainment troupe, headed by popular folk singer Song Zuying, entertained troops on a tour around the islands on a large landing dock, the audience on the Star of Northern Bay enjoyed a less high-profile singing and dancing performance
I have been dreaming of visiting Xisha since I read a chapter in a textbook about ‘Beautiful and Prosperous Xisha’ in primary school
In the intervals, Yang gave brief but enthusiastic introductions to China’s policy on the ongoing disputes over the South China Sea and the current situation. He condemned the Philippines and Vietnam for “illegally occupying Chinese islands” in the 2 million square kilometre area claimed by China and said that even though James Shoal, 80km off the Malaysian coast, was always under the sea, it remained China’s southernmost territory.
The night came to a climax when Yang put the 1974 Battle of Xisha, a two-episode state television documentary, on the big screen. It tells the story of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s first proper sea battle, describing how the PLA’s ships, “brave underdogs”, heroically collided with and damaged the South Vietnamese fleet to claim a close victory and take control of the Paracels.
It was a fitting location for the screening. Ahead of the small cruise liner lay Duncan Island, where a failed Vietnamese landing attempt started the fighting on that January morning 42 years ago. On the starboard side, lights flickered on Pattle Island, where a successful Chinese occupation a day later brought the incident to an end.
As the show went on, a thin new moon appeared in the sky above the Crescent Group, in the western part of the Paracels. The golden curve was silently reflected on the surface of the sea, in between naval vessels lying at anchor.