Nei Lingding Island
Encyclopedia
Nei Lingding Island
Nei Lingding Island .gif", event)' onMouseout='HidePop("86976")' href="/topics/Pearl_River_(China)">Pearl River
estuary
in the southern Chinese
province of Guangdong
. Although it is located closer to the eastern (Hong Kong
and Shenzhen
) shore of the estuary, it is administratively part of the prefecture-level city
of Zhuhai
, whose main administrative center is located on the west shore of the river.
When the Portuguese explorer Jorge Álvares
landed on Nei Lingding Island (known in early European sources as Lintin Island) in May 1513, it was the first known arrival of a European-flagged boat to China.
In the early 19th century Nei Lingding (Lintin) Island was known as the "outer anchorage" for the European ships traveling to Guangzhou
. They would have to stop at the island, have their cargo measured by the Chinese customs officials stationed at the island, and pay customs duties. When in 1821 Chinese government prohibited importation of opium
into the country's ports, Lintin became the base of drug smugglers; old boat hulks
, anchored near the island, would serve as warehouses and depots where imported opium would be reloaded to smaller boats to be smuggled into Guangzhou and other ports. From the 1830s and until the conquest of Hong Kong
in the 1840s, Lintin Island was the main base for the British merchants in the Pearl River Delta
area.
s and other animals, such as pangolin
s and pythons.
Nei Lingding Island .gif", event)' onMouseout='HidePop("86976")' href="/topics/Pearl_River_(China)">Pearl River
Pearl River (China)
The Pearl River or less commonly, the "Guangdong River" or "Canton River" etc., , is an extensive river system in southern China. The name Pearl River is usually used as a catchment term to refer to the watersheds of the Xi Jiang , the Bei Jiang , and the Dong Jiang...
estuary
Estuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
in the southern Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
province of Guangdong
Guangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
. Although it is located closer to the eastern (Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
and Shenzhen
Shenzhen
Shenzhen is a major city in the south of Southern China's Guangdong Province, situated immediately north of Hong Kong. The area became China's first—and one of the most successful—Special Economic Zones...
) shore of the estuary, it is administratively part of the prefecture-level city
Prefecture-level city
A prefectural level city , prefectural city or prefectural level municipality is an administrative division of the People's Republic of China, ranking below a province and above a county in China's administrative structure. Prefectural level cities form the second level of the administrative...
of Zhuhai
Zhuhai
Zhuhai is a prefecture-level city on the southern coast of Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in the Pearl River Delta, Zhuhai borders Jiangmen to the northwest, Zhongshan to the north, and Macau to the south. Zhuhai was one of the original Special Economic Zones...
, whose main administrative center is located on the west shore of the river.
History
Jorge Álvares
Jorge Álvares is credited as the first Portuguese explorer to have reached China and Hong Kong. The Fundação Jorge Álvares , founded by Vasco Joaquim Rocha Vieira prior to the handover of Macau, got its name from him also having reached there.-Exploration:In May 1513 Álvares sailed under the...
landed on Nei Lingding Island (known in early European sources as Lintin Island) in May 1513, it was the first known arrival of a European-flagged boat to China.
In the early 19th century Nei Lingding (Lintin) Island was known as the "outer anchorage" for the European ships traveling to Guangzhou
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
. They would have to stop at the island, have their cargo measured by the Chinese customs officials stationed at the island, and pay customs duties. When in 1821 Chinese government prohibited importation of opium
Opium
Opium is the dried latex obtained from the opium poppy . Opium contains up to 12% morphine, an alkaloid, which is frequently processed chemically to produce heroin for the illegal drug trade. The latex also includes codeine and non-narcotic alkaloids such as papaverine, thebaine and noscapine...
into the country's ports, Lintin became the base of drug smugglers; old boat hulks
Hulk (ship)
A hulk is a ship that is afloat, but incapable of going to sea. Although sometimes used to describe a ship that has been launched but not completed, the term most often refers to an old ship that has had its rigging or internal equipment removed, retaining only its flotational qualities...
, anchored near the island, would serve as warehouses and depots where imported opium would be reloaded to smaller boats to be smuggled into Guangzhou and other ports. From the 1830s and until the conquest of Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
in the 1840s, Lintin Island was the main base for the British merchants in the Pearl River Delta
Pearl River Delta
The Pearl River Delta , Zhujiang Delta or Zhusanjiao in Guangdong province, People's Republic of China is the low-lying area surrounding the Pearl River estuary where the Pearl River flows into the South China Sea...
area.
Nature reserve
Since 1984, a part of the island forms the "Neilingding Island and Futian (福田) Nature Reserve". The reserve covers 7.8 km2, including 4.5 km2 of land area and 3.0 km2 of mangrove forest, and is created to protect some 300 rhesus macaqueRhesus Macaque
The Rhesus macaque , also called the Rhesus monkey, is one of the best-known species of Old World monkeys. It is listed as Least Concern in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in view of its wide distribution, presumed large population, and its tolerance of a broad range of habitats...
s and other animals, such as pangolin
Pangolin
A pangolin , also scaly anteater or Trenggiling, is a mammal of the order Pholidota. There is only one extant family and one genus of pangolins, comprising eight species. There are also a number of extinct taxa. Pangolins have large keratin scales covering their skin and are the only mammals with...
s and pythons.
See also
- There is also Wai Lingding Island ('Outer Lingding Island') some 40 km to the southeast, in Wanshan Archipelago.