Changdao Island lies between the Bohai and Yellow Seas and is known for its clean sandy beaches and limestone cliffs.

It consists of 151 islands northwest of Yantai and covers an area of 56.8 square kilometers over a sea area of 3,541 square kilometers.

The Changdao Marine Ecological Civilization Comprehensive Pilot Zone was established in 2008 with the support of the local government to promote the island's ecological development.

The zone takes advantage of the island's unique marine resources to develop marine tourism and fishing industries.

The island is home to some picturesque scenery and attracts a large number of tourists every summer. Its cuisine includes Chinese abalone, scallops, and seaweed.

With support from the local government, Yantai aims to build Changdao into a comprehensive zone integrating the marine and tourism industries with ecological development.

The zone's marine ranches have also seen significant development, and four national-level marine ranches and six provincial-level marine ranches have been approved. A total of 267,000 mu (17,800 hectares) of ecological marine ranches have been developed there.

Several cute harbor seals take a rest on a rock in Changdao Island, Yantai, East China's Shandong province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

A marine ranch in the sea area of Changdao Island [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]