Sansha timeline

July 24, 2012 China officially sets up the city of Sansha on Yongxing Island in the southernmost province of Hainan. The city government is located on the 2.13-square-km Yongxing Island, the largest island in the Xisha Islands group. Xiao Jie becomes the city's first mayor.

August 2012 Ferry services between Yongxing island and Hainan's Wenchang city open to the public. Four times a month, the ferry travels 15 hours, or 180 nautical miles, between the two cities, transporting 66,000 people and 28,000 metric tons of supplies in the past two years.

September 2012Sansha starts to build its airport.

May 20, 2013 Ten Sansha residents receive their new ID card, with "Sansha" as their place of residence.

July 19, 2013 Sansha's first and only hospital opens to the public. It has since been providing medical services to people on Yongxing Island and islets in the South China Sea.

September 2013Sansha residents and its government rescue 14 fishermen of Guangdong province who were hit by a typhoon. More than 350 people and 150 boats were involved in the rescue mission.

February 2014Fishermen settlement project begins. It includes constructing 19 residential buildings, which will be home to more than 1,000 locals.

March 2014Garbage disposal system launched. All garbage that cannot be disposed on islands will be collected and gathered at Yongxing Island before being shipped to Hainan.

April 2014Power grid system on Yongxing Island completed.

June 14, 2014

Sansha starts building its first school on Yongxing Island. Sansha will have a kindergarten and an elementary school when the project is completed.

July 2014Seawater desalination project completed on all islets in Xisha. The project largely solves one of Sansha's biggest problems, the lack of fresh water. It also protects the environment by reducing the use of groundwater.