Song of the Sea Yeli Island

2 min read

In the eyes of the locals, the island is primarily a scenic park for a leisurely walk after dinner. fcomplete isolation from the mainland, being reachable only by boat, is an essential requirement for inclusion in your “island itinerary in Zhuhai, then perhaps Yeli isn’t for you. If, on the other hand, you can open up your view a bit, you can appreciate the charm of the city’s Yeli Island, ideally positioned only a few hundred meters away from the city’s “beating heart”, feeling as if it were placed by the Creator to be “the eye of the city,” from which the inviting waterfront vista radiates to all corners. The island’s real name, “Yeli”, as well as its “island nature, seem to have long ago sunken into the subconscious of the locals, due to its close proximity to the city. So, if you feel the need to ask the way from the locals, referring to it as “Mingting Park”may be the more effective way of ensuring an accurate response. In fact, “Mingting Park”has almost become the synonym of”Yeli”and, in the eyes of the locals the island is primarily a scenic park for a leisurely walk after dinner.

The 0.3-square-kilometer, petite island used to be easily accessible from the middle section of the seaside Love Promenade via Haiyan Bridge (literally “Sea Swallow Bridge”) 340-meter-long span opened to traffic in 1995 as the only way to get to the island from the city proper. But the new Xinyue Bridge (“New Moon” Bridge)was unveiled in 2016, marking the retirement of Haiyan Bridge.

The island, or the “park”, hosts the city’s most eye-catching landmark, Zhuhai Opera House, known as the “shell”-the country’s only city theater built on an island. Sitting majestically on a prime piece of real estate, the opera house sizzles with a dizzying variety of cultural events throughout the year, and is the indisputable symbol of the city’s extraordinary taste.

The sprawling lawns along the 3.5-kilometer-lon orbit road are perfect for kite flying, and seafront walkways and trails on the hillsides are favorite destinations for morning exercise. The user-friendly island is also favored by night joggers.