鸣谢：英文部分由热情大方善良的谁怕谁小可爱（编辑英文部分）

How many sea islands are there in China?

According to the latest “Statistical Communique on China’s Island Survey”,

China has over 11,000 islands, which is an undisputed “ Land of Ten Thousand Islands”.

Some of these islands, are surrounded by thousands of islands, and some are intermittently connected to one another.

Some are so big that can nurture millions of people, while some are too small for holding a lighthouse.

How did these islands come to be?

And why are they so diverse and wonderful?

On the Earth’s surface, constant collision of land and sea is playing out a grand natural war.

China’s tens of thousands of islands are the product of this protracted war.

中国究竟有多少海岛？根据最新的海岛统计调查公告，我国拥有海岛超过11000个，是当之无愧的海岛之国。这些海岛有了千百簇拥，有的断续相连，有的大岛养育着千万人口，有小岛只够建一座冰塔。他们究竟因何而生，又为何如此多样且精彩？

Part 1 Attack of the Sea

About 20,000 years ago, Earth’s climate was frigid, and the glaciers were widespread.

The sea level was about 120 meters lower than today.

China’s Bohai Sea, Yellow Sea and East China Sea were mostly covered with land.

The land area reached its peak during this period.

But thereafter, with global warming, sea level gradually rose.

The sea came in with a rage.

Large areas of land were submerged by the sea.

Only the higher elevations were lucky enough to survive this, and became what’s left in the sea.

These islands are named the continental islands.

陆地和海洋碰撞，不断演绎着一场宏大的自然战争。中国的上万座海岛便是这场旷世战争的产物。约2万年前，地球气候寒冷，冰川广阔，海平面比现在低约120年，我国渤海、黄海、东海所在地几乎都是陆地，大陆面积达到了这一时期的顶峰。但此后全球气候变暖，海平面逐渐上升，海洋汹涌袭来，成片陆地被海水淹没，只有海拔较高的地方才有幸躲过一劫，成为汪洋大海中的幸存者。

China’s two largest islands - Taiwan Island and Hainan Island, China’s largest archipelago - Zhoushan archipelago, and the Chang-shan archipelago, the Miaodao archipelago and many others are all continental islands.