Descendants of Chinese Ancestors' Island: 600 Years Without Crime, Exchange a Bottle of Mineral Water for a Table of Seafood
In the midst of winter, we yearn for the warmth of summer. Now summer has arrived, and for many, summer is inseparable from air conditioning, cold drinks, and swimming. When it comes to swimming, for people who like to travel, island tourism is undoubtedly the most suitable. Enjoying fascinating underwater diving and witnessing the colorful underwater landscape, it's a place where you'll linger and forget to return. Today, let's introduce a quite interesting island.
What is the situation of this island? It's called Disappointment Islands, a French overseas territory comprising Île de Tâpon, Napuka Atoll, and a portion of the Pocâ Pocâ Atoll. It covers a total area of 17 square kilometers, an isolated island in the Pacific Ocean. The climate of this island is relatively dry, making it unsuitable for human habitation, but there are still about 500 residents living on the island.
Why is this island called Disappointment Island? There are two explanations for the name. One is that in 1521, Portuguese explorer Magellan led his ship's crew to the island to replenish supplies, but they found nothing, so they labeled it Disappointment Island. The other explanation is that British naval officer Byron led a ship to the island and was besieged and prevented from landing by the indigenous people, so he called it Disappointment Island.
As everyone knows, in the early 20th century, there were two world wars in the world. This island might have avoided the devastating wars. Currently, Disappointment Island is a French overseas territory. In 2018, French humanists visited the island and discovered that 1/3 of the island's residents have Chinese blood.
After investigating various materials and verifying it myself, I learned that Chinese people had traveled across the ocean over 800 years ago, and some of them survived here. As mentioned earlier, this island has a dry climate and rarely rains, making it unsuitable for human habitation. So, how do the island's residents live? In general, living conditions are quite harsh.
France has built basic infrastructure on the island. Due to the lack of freshwater, a seawater desalination system was built, and water and electricity networks were established. This was to develop the island's tourism industry, but it never took off. About 20,000 people visit the island to play every year, and France can no longer afford the high expenses, so it abandoned a batch of infrastructure.
However, Disappointment Island still has development potential. Although it is not suitable for human habitation, the island's residents are simple, kind, and hospitable, which is a very safe island. This can be verified by the fact that there have been no criminal incidents in 600 years. In addition, the coastal area of Disappointment Island has clear and bottom sea, very suitable for diving. There are also many coconut trees on the island. When the islanders don't have water, they rely on coconut to supplement their moisture.
The island cannot grow crops. The indigenous people of Disappointment Island mainly rely on catching fish and shrimp from the surrounding sea. In addition to eating their own food, they also exchange supplies with Grande Terre Island for the goods. Of course, the fish and shrimp in Disappointment Island are very cheap. You can exchange a bottle of mineral water for a table of seafood. However, for tourists who want to visit this place, there is a great inconvenience in transportation, because there is only one small plane arriving at Disappointment Island about once a month. If you are willing to play for a month and don't want to use your mobile phone to scroll Douyin or watch dramas, it's worth a try.
