Nanwan Macaque Peninsula
7 min readNanwan Macaque Peninsula is located in Lingshui County，Sanya City，Hainan Province.It is the only island-typed nature reservation of monkeys in the world.There are nearly 400 species of tropical plants，and over 100 species of animals.Because of the well-reserved original natural environment，more than 2，500 national second-class protected monkeys live here.Now 21 groups of the monkeys inhabit on the peninsula.Therefore，people call it”Monkey Island”.The island boasts so many special sites，such as the longest transoceanic ropeway in China，the charming coconut palms，the enchanting sand beaches，the natural bathing place，multicolored coral reefs，and the unique fishing rafts，as well as being the monkeys’paradise.
Nanwan Macaque Peninsula has a total area of about 10.2 square kilometers.It is 14 km long and its widest point is only 1 km，with an average elevation of 150 meters.There are three natural villages on the island，more than 3，000 people and more than 500 acres of agricultural land.The island is surrounded by the seas in three sides and one side is green mountains.With many rugged rocks，the island is like an anchor thrown into the vastness of the South China Sea.Between the blue water and white sand，the typical tropical scenery is just like a charming picture decorated with jade.Because of the mild climate and abundant rainfall，there are a great many of fruit trees，evergreen vegetation，flowers.It provides the monkeys with adequate food and suitable living conditions.
Story of Monkey Island:During the Tang Dynasty，there lived a village of Li fishermen in Lingshui County.One year，the village was hit by a mysterious pestilence，causing great numbers of the villagers to go blind and forcing many families to flee for their lives.Among the villagers a young man named Ya’nan was known for his great fishing skills.One day，he heard of a tale that black pearls could cure the villagers.He immediately ventured out in his boat to search for the pearls，but soon encountered a ferocious storm，which capsized his craft and endangered his life.To his great fortune，a group of mystical monkeys，following the instructions of the Monkey King，was passing by on a raft，heading for an enchanted island marked by a stone with the likeness ofa monkey，and the young man was saved by them.
Now, there are all together more than 1,800 macaques in the preserve. They are divided into 29 groups, among which four groups have been trained to entertain visitors. Yusheng Pool is the water paradise of the monkeys, where they are trained to show their special abilities(diving or swimming), put on funny clothes to give shows and acrobatics, and stand in line to welcome visitors. It is said that a monkey king who is elected through public elections leads each group of monkeys. However, there are no life-long monkey kings, and each time there will be fierce competitions during the election.
The systematic name of the monkey on the island is the macaque. They are primate, their wool is brown, their mouths are red, and they have a pair of blue eyes. These monkeys are approximate to the humanity, extremely intelligent. They are very clever. They have the significant research value, especially in the research of the origin of human. They are typically of small size, and the weight is generally not more than 20 jin. They commonly can live about 25 years. Its temperature is at about 38℃, which is slightly higher than human body temperature. The gestation period is 6 months, and a female monkey can have 8-12 baby monkeys, but few have twins. They usually have babies in May or June each year, which is seasonal. The youth monkeys can be weaned a few months after birth, and can live independently one year old. When the monkeys grow into 5 or 6 years old, they are mature. Then the majority of the males will be driven away from the group to live independently, and only a few that are loyal to the monkey king can stay inside. Monkeys are always living in groups, and mainly are females and the youth. Each group is led by a monkey king. They have their own living space, and have no connection between the groups in general. The number also varies from groups, which mainly depends on the strength of the monkey king. The stronger ones may occupy golden positions where there are plenty of food and water, while the weaker ones are only able to have remote areas. If a group accidentally enters the living space of another group, they will fight with each other until one group is beaten.
Apart from the macaque, Nanwan Macaque Peninsula is also famous for its special cable. In 1999, people were allowed to fully enjoy the scenery of Nanwan Macaque Peninsula. Hainan Sante Cable Co. LTD. built the cable, and the total length is 2,138 meters, which makes the cable the longest cross-sea sightseeing ropeway in China. Monkey Island cableway between the Village and the Monkey Island is like a color-chain across the Harbor Village. It connects the mysterious Nanwan Macaque Peninsula and fascinating tropical haven with the noisy fishing harbor. The fastest speed is 6 meters per second. So it only takes the visitors 7 minutes to reach the scenic area. The unilateral maximum capacity is 610 people per hour, and the management of computer monitoring has come into being. Riding the longest oversea ropeway, which is 2,138 meters long at the speed of 6 meters per second, you will feel unusually excited. You will be delighted to find that you have a wonderful view of the ocean, the neatly placed fishing rafts by the bank and the thick chains of mountains on the island with birds gently singing and monkeys’ shouts reverberating around your ears. Soon the mythical Monkey Island unfolds his arms in front of you.
Passing through a vegetation corridor, you will be amazed to find seven or eight macaques standing in a line along the path holding triangular flags or saluting to welcome their honored guests. Some naughty ones are wandering with their flags in their hands, and even some are imitating their visitors’ odd ways of walking. How funny they are! Walking and laughing, you will see young monkeys chase and fight with each other, and a stout one jump into a pond from quite a tall tree with an excellent 360-degree turn in the air. What perfect spray he has made that only a master sportsman could make! Not only is their jumping skill masterful, but also their swimming technique is quite superb. In the pond, some of them dive, some swim freestyle, and even some do the breaststroke. While watching, you will be amused and amazed, and you will not be able to help yourself applauding and clapping for them. In addition, you will enjoy yourself with the displays given by the monkeys in the circus performances. If you wish, you can have photos taken with these cute monkeys and play with them. However, one must remember not to wear red clothes inorder to avoid the naughty monkeys who might be annoyed with you, and be careful when feeding them.
Built in 1965，the nature reserve has more than 2，000 monkeys now.Because of the wild environment，the variety of plants and fruits，and numerous grottos，the island is regarded as the perfect paradise for monkeys.Also because of the good management，the island is very neat and clean.Guides all wear uniforms，and are always courteous.They offer visitors the most circumspect，original，novel zoology service for free charge and will guide you to play with the monkeys to experience the harmony between human beings and nature.It is really a place where you could drive all your pressures and burdens away.
After admiring the wonderful vistas of the Monkey Island，you can reward yourself with a special seafood meal on the fishing rafts that is known as”the street on the sea”.Not only the delicious food but also the excellent service given by the local Hainan fishermen will leave you with an unforgettable impression.
Surrounded by sea on three sides and with forest coverage reaching 95%，Nanwan Macaque Peninsula is endowed with beautiful natural scenery，including soft beaches，rows of graceful coconut trees，clean，blue water，colorful corals and fishing rafts.When”flying”to the island by ropeway，visitors can get different views of the island，from misty to clear.On the island visitors may also get to know about the unique life of the local people who live on boats and earn their livings through fishing.
The people here are called Dan people.They are a very special group.They have lived here for more than 500 years.Most of them are fishermen，and they live on fishes，and boats are their homes.Although the development of the economy brings them a lot of changes，some traditions still remain.They havetheir own language and fishing culture.Dan people spend most of time on the boats.Though nowadays，some of them have houses on the land，they merely live there during some main festivals，so they are called”people on the sea”.Their boats rank together as if a city on the sea.Many small boathouses are floating on the blue sea water，and it is really a peaceful picture.
The proprietor of Nanwan Macaque Peninsula has a human-based management.They say that on the peninsula，the proprietor is the servant of the monkeys，and they should provide them with clean environment and good service.They also insist that the monkeys are the masters，and the tourists are guests，and they should respect the monkeys and protect the environment while visiting.In order to maintain the ecological Monkey Island，they havemanaged to reduce the impact of human activities on the monkeys as much as possible.They have taken a series of ecological protection measures:disease control on the installation of disinfectant at the entrance channel，the use of closed-separated waste boxes，and checking to prevent visitors from bringing their own food into the park，etc.In 2001，the animal protection expert Professor Jiang Haisheng claims that monkeys in Nanwan Macaque Peninsula are in good health.
Nanwan Macaque Peninsula includes a kind of the original pure beauty，and welcome to Nanwan Macaque Peninsula，to experience a touching natural trip.Put the Monkey Island on your itinerary，and you will get rewarded with a lot of fun and pleasure.More than 2，000 monkeys are waiting to welcome you at any time！
