2016年CRI Fishermen benefit from Sansha City's establishment in South China Sea

 

46-year-old Chen Yihu and his son Chen Siyu go out to sea almost every day, despite the toil¹ and hardship that fishing for a living often entails².

They have to travel quite a distance from their home port in order to find a place where the tide is not too high for safety reasons.

These days they also have to sail further out since the numbers and varieties of sea snails³ and fish they've traditionally caught along coastal⁴ waters have been declining over the past few years.

Chen Yihu says their decision to make the Xisha Islands their home base has helped their livelihood⁵.

"I had been fishing in the Zhongsha and Nansha islands for many years before coming here to the Xisha Islands. And I decided⁶ to settle here as I found the water full of resources. We now can harvest some 20 kilograms of sea snails each day, earning some 200 yuan."

Since no soldiers or police are stationed in the Xisha Islands, most local fishermen in the community of Zhaoshu island have joined the militia⁷ to guard against any foreign fishermen entering the waters.

A number of them have been detained and have had their property confiscated⁸ by Vietnamese authorities for fishing in disputed waters.

Chen Yihu's wife, Huang Lianhua, says the establishment of the city of Sansha has brought them new hope for a better life in the future.

"The most inconvenient⁹ thing on the island is the shortage of drinking water and vegetables, as well as daily necessities. The new Sansha municipal government has promised to improve our living conditions. We are very grateful and looking forward to all the changes."

In 2012, dubbed¹⁰ China's youngest city, Sansha was officially established to administer all the islands in the South China Sea, including the Xisha, Zhongsha and Nansha Islands and their surrounding waters.

1 toil   

vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事

参考例句：

• The wealth comes from the toil of the masses.财富来自大众的辛勤劳动。
• Every single grain is the result of toil.每一粒粮食都来之不易。

2 entails   

使…成为必要( entail的第三人称单数 )； 需要； 限定继承； 使必需

参考例句：

• The job entails a lot of hard work. 这工作需要十分艰苦的努力。
• This job entails a lot of hard work. 这项工作需要十分努力。

3 snails   

n.蜗牛；迟钝的人；蜗牛( snail的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• I think I'll try the snails for lunch—I'm feeling adventurous today. 我想我午餐要尝一下蜗牛——我今天很想冒险。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Most snails have shells on their backs. 大多数蜗牛背上有壳。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

5 livelihood   

n.生计，谋生之道

参考例句：

• Appropriate arrangements will be made for their work and livelihood.他们的工作和生活会得到妥善安排。
• My father gained a bare livelihood of family by his own hands.父亲靠自己的双手勉强维持家计。

6 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

7 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

8 confiscated   

没收，充公( confiscate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Their land was confiscated after the war. 他们的土地在战后被没收。
• The customs officer confiscated the smuggled goods. 海关官员没收了走私品。

9 inconvenient   

adj.不方便的，令人感到麻烦的

参考例句：

• You have come at a very inconvenient time.你来得最不适时。
• Will it be inconvenient for him to attend that meeting?他参加那次会议会不方便吗？

10 dubbed   

v.给…起绰号( dub的过去式和过去分词 )；把…称为；配音；复制

参考例句：

• Mathematics was once dubbed the handmaiden of the sciences. 数学曾一度被视为各门科学的基础。
• Is the movie dubbed or does it have subtitles? 这部电影是配音的还是打字幕的？ 来自《简明英汉词典》