Boarding a boat at Sanya’s Xiaoqi Port, the roughly 20-minute ride saw the sea gradually open up from the bustle of the shore. The “Hainan Meets Palawan: Calling Filipino Content Creators to Experience Hainan Culture” tour arrived at the fishing village on Sanya’s West Island—an ancient fishing village with over 400 years of human history, welcoming the four guests with coconut shadows, sea waves, and coral-stone houses.

Filipino content creators visit Sanya’s West Island.

As soon as they stepped off the boat, the fresh, moist sea breeze greeted them, and the tranquility and gentleness of West Island instantly put the content creators at ease. In the winding lanes of the fishing village, century-old houses built of coral stones stood out. Their light brown walls bore the marks of wave erosion, combining with traditional tiled roofs to form West Island’s distinctive architectural style. Running fingers over the mottled stone walls felt like touching the ancient imprints of fishermen’s lives.

Filipino content creators visit Sanya’s West Island.

Filipino content creators visit Sanya’s West Island.

West Island currently has more than 150 boutique guesthouses converted from old village houses, where the traditional fishing village and modern cultural tourism coexist and thrive. But what touched the content creators most was not these new business forms, but the undiluted flavor of daily life on the island.

Filipino content creator Roce Ordoñez raved about the slow-paced atmosphere of West Island: “Walking along the fishing village paths, the sea breeze is gentle, and the whole island exudes a rare sense of tranquility, allowing one to calm down and feel what island life is really like.”

Filipino content creators visit Sanya’s West Island.

Kevin Montillano, on the other hand, was impressed by the quiet seaside of West Island: “There are no crowds or noisy sounds here. It’s perfect for taking photos—every casual shot captures the island’s most natural state.” In his view, West Island has preserved more of the original daily life of a fishing village. “Quiet, clean, and full of local life—this understated beauty is actually more memorable.”

The beautiful West Island in Sanya.

From the mottled stone walls of the old coral houses to the quiet fishing village afternoons by the sea, what the four content creators measured with their footsteps was not only the scenery of West Island but also the living warmth of a traditional Hainan fishing village that endures through changing times.