STORY: Guardian of tropical marine ranch in south China island
DATELINE: June 7, 2023
LENGTH: 0:01:41
LOCATION: HAIKOU, China
CATEGORY: ENVIRONMENT

SHOTLIST:
1. various of Wuzhizhou Island
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): WANG FENGGUO, Manager of Ocean Department, Wuzhizhou Island Resort
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): WANG AIMIN, Former professor, Hainan University
4. SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): WANG FENGGUO, Manager of Ocean Department, Wuzhizhou Island Resort

STORYLINE:

SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): WANG FENGGUO, Manager of Ocean Department, Wuzhizhou Island Resort
"I'm Wang Fengguo, 41 years old. I work for the Wuzhizhou Island Resort and I'm mainly in charge of works related to marine protection."
In the past, when we swam underwater, we could see schools of fish, at least once in a few days. But from 2009, the number of fish started to decrease. I felt sad about that."

The butterfly-shaped Wuzhizhou Island, a national-level tourist attraction, is located in Haitang Bay, south China's Hainan Province.

In 2010, Wuzhizhou Island launched a comprehensive drive to build a marine ranch, which involved placing artificial reefs at fixed sites under seawater to attract marine life to forage, rest and reproduce.

Since then, Wang Fengguo has taken on a new task, which includes dropping artificial reefs, collecting wastes, and restoring and transplanting corals.

Through years of hard work, Wang has known the marine system in the area like the back of his hand.

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): WANG AIMIN, Former professor, Hainan University
"When we're going to collect samples, or do some experiments in the ocean, Wang Fengguo is our 'walking map.' He can take us to the exact place we want to go under the sea. He knows everything about this area, about this ocean system."

By the end of April 2023, the marine ranch has transplanted more than 35,000 corals, and placed over 2,000 artificial reefs.

Currently, hundreds of marine species thrive in the marine ranch.

SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): WANG FENGGUO, Manager of Ocean Department, Wuzhizhou Island Resort
"My wish is that when you dive into the water from anywhere along the coast, you can see corals and fish. So I want to continue my job to restore more corals."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Haikou, China.
(XHTV)