Fisherman island troops' only link

After carefully checking a pile of parcels bound for young soldiers stationed on remote islands in the South China Sea, fisherman Deng Dazhi paid the money to the deliveryman and signed his name.

The labels on the boxes tell a story about the life of these soldiers: shorts, chili sauce, mobile phones and sunscreen.

In a few days when he sets out to sea again, these goods will travel with him on the treacherous waters of the South China Sea for a whole day and a night.

"Those small islands where they live are remote and inaccessible to mailmen, so they ordered these online and specified me as the recipient," said Deng, a 49-year-old fisherman with a tanned face and a big voice.

The islands mentioned by Deng are located in the Xisha Islands of the South China Sea, which include the islands of Chenhang, Zhongjian and Shanhu. Most of these islands are very small.

As a member of a family that has fished for generations in Hainan province, Deng has gone to the sea with his father since he was a child.

"I have been to nearly all the islands in Xisha and Nansha islands," said Deng.

However, Deng's first encounter with the soldiers 16 years ago was not pleasant.

"When I was driving my boat near Chenhang Island one day in 1996, I heard a guard on the island asking me to approach," Deng said. "I was scared."

He realized the soldiers suspected he was a smuggler. After a search, they released him.

"After several encounters, they realized I was not carrying illegal materials and we ended up becoming acquainted," he said.

Later, an officer on the island asked whether he would like to sell them fresh vegetables because the soldiers were living on canned food most of the time and there was not enough food from the supply ship.

"Back then, the living conditions were not good," said Qiu Hua, an officer who has served on Zhongjian Island for 13 years. "Sometimes the vegetables sent by the supply ship could only support us for half a month."

Deng agreed to send them vegetables the next time he went fishing.

"It wasn't much trouble for me since I usually passed through the waters near the island," Deng said. "Besides, I could make a little extra money."

The vegetables are sold at a slightly higher price to the soldiers than he pays at the markets in his hometown.

"I have to cover the fuel cost because it is such a long journey," he said. "But I don't count on it to make a profit. My major source of income comes from fishing."

As his reputation improved among the soldiers, Deng expanded his business and began to sell food to soldiers in nearby islands, including Shanhu and Zhongjian islands. He even acted as an unofficial mailman because there is only one post office in the Xisha Islands.

Deng's 16-year voluntary service has won him the mutual trust of the soldiers.

"Once or twice every month when Deng's boat appears, we feel happy," said Qiu.

"I have developed a sort of emotional bond with these guys," Deng said. "It has become fun for me."

Huang Yiming in Haikou contributed to this story.

wangxiaodong@chinadaily.com.cn