Woody Island and Rocky Island, China, Paracel Islands
Current as of May 23, 2025
Woody Island, a.k.a. Yongxing (PRC and ROK), Phu Lam (Vietnam) is maintained and operated by China.
Work and improvements continue to be made on Woody Island (and Rocky Island, which was incorporated). In 2025, the island looks more active, with aircraft and naval presence, and more density built in, and some new colors (blue trails along the northern coast and orange / peach paved park areas
By way of a simple comparison, this island is similar in shape to Philippines Thitu Island, except that island is civilian (~300 people live there) and does not have the density nor advancement of this island..
With newly reclaimed land, this now a combined island. It lies 5.6 miles south of the southernmost of the Three Sisters, or South Sand. It is an important island, and according to the NGA Pub 161, it is a military garrison with works in progress continuing to expand the island and harbors. Satellite Imagery is from 4/5/2023, and we see significant patches on the island that are newly reclaimed and are under construction with cranes and equipment, and new buildings.
Work and improvements continue to be made on Woody Island (and Rocky Island, which was incorporated). In 2025, the island looks more active, with aircraft and naval presence, and more density built in, and some new colors (blue trails along the northern coast and orange / peach paved park areas
By way of a simple comparison, this island is similar in shape to Philippines Thitu Island, except that island is civilian (~300 people live there) and does not have the density nor advancement of this island..
With newly reclaimed land, this now a combined island. It lies 5.6 miles south of the southernmost of the Three Sisters, or South Sand. It is an important island, and according to the NGA Pub 161, it is a military garrison with works in progress continuing to expand the island and harbors. Satellite Imagery is from 4/5/2023, and we see significant patches on the island that are newly reclaimed and are under construction with cranes and equipment, and new buildings.
Google Earth 3/2/2025 (except for the tip of the runway from 2023. We tilted orientation 45 degrees. We see a plane, new construction North, and some other innovations.
Copernicus Browser Sentinel-2 L1C False Color 200M, Yongxing or Woody Island. Significant development.
Thank you Google Earth for new imagery. Most of the island is the same, but we see an airplane (looks like an AWACS with four propellers and a rotating radar on top. and vessel parked. We see some continued construction.
Woody Island and Rocky Island (now combined), Google Earth, April 5, 2023 Imagery
Google Earth 3-2-2025 Triton Island, true north, facing north along the edge, we see 8 missile launch sites with movable blue covers. They thoughtfully left the doors open for us.
A few bulleted observations:
- It has two dredged harbors to the west of the island with significant space for ships to dock.
- It has many buildings of multiple story, including a government building with a metal dome.
- There are many radomes, spread throughout the island. Some painted green, and some in white. Some are in the triangle configuration.
- We see a field of satellite dishes. There is a hospital
- Many athletic fields and a pool with four swim lanes.
- Many of the buildings are topped with solar panels.
- Many large buildings.
- This is the island with the eight missile batteries with the blue roofs.
- There is an airport with concrete aircraft hangars.
- Near the airport there are rows of what might be barracks or office buildings, some with solar panels on the roofs.
This is the southern tip of the Amphitrite group of the Paracel Islands has a permanently inhabited island. It was previously two islands connected by a causeway but was combined through continued land reclamation. Woody Island was the larger land formation with a runway, and Rocky Island was a smaller island to the northeast.
Location: 16°50'39"N 112°18'57"E, and the satellite imagery is from 4/5/2023. This is a well developed island with a runway, two protected ports, and room for continued expansion.
We see a large ship, a few smaller ships, and a number of fixed wing and rotary aircraft making use of this facility.
We see significant new construction underway.
This island is 184.5 miles Southeast of Lingshui Bay in Hainan, China, at location: 16°50'53"N 112°18’18”E. The island is 2.0 miles in diameter from the tip of the runway to the edge of the protected bay with docking facilities.
The runway measures 1.67 miles long, with what looks like room for at least 25 aircraft to park. The satellite photograph is as of 04/27/2022, 3/8/2023 and 4/5/2023, so it is fairly new. We expect that more recent satellite imagery will show a different, more developed and militarized island.
We see significant new construction underway.
This island is 184.5 miles Southeast of Lingshui Bay in Hainan, China, at location: 16°50'53"N 112°18’18”E. The island is 2.0 miles in diameter from the tip of the runway to the edge of the protected bay with docking facilities.
The runway measures 1.67 miles long, with what looks like room for at least 25 aircraft to park. The satellite photograph is as of 04/27/2022, 3/8/2023 and 4/5/2023, so it is fairly new. We expect that more recent satellite imagery will show a different, more developed and militarized island.
We see an interesting structure of three radomes, or enclosed radar systems, atop tall towers, in what we estimate to be an equilateral triangle formation. They are elevated. There are many on this island. For example, we see a second set of ‘three radomes’ and what looks like an airport control tower at the southwest corner of the island by the naval vessel.
We also see a naval vessel in a recent satellite image.
We also see at least four hangars for aircraft storage and maintenance, then another twelve, then a bunch more. We also see large, cylindrical liquid storage tankers. Lots of warm weather structures as well. Significant number of buildings and parade grounds on this island. We also see significant telecommunications and radar gear, including six satellite uplink stations and two radar 'balls' in one building's lot.
We see so many radomes and communications gear on the island that we joke they might be trying to build a quantum computer.
We see extensive fitness and athletic facilities, a running track, and lots of housing. We also see many areas where construction continues.
One building is covered with a white, metallic mesh. We remember seeing a building like the one in the center in Beijing at the Olympic center. Beautiful architecture. Location of the cool building: 16°50'17"N 112°19’47"E.
We also see a naval vessel in a recent satellite image.
We also see at least four hangars for aircraft storage and maintenance, then another twelve, then a bunch more. We also see large, cylindrical liquid storage tankers. Lots of warm weather structures as well. Significant number of buildings and parade grounds on this island. We also see significant telecommunications and radar gear, including six satellite uplink stations and two radar 'balls' in one building's lot.
We see so many radomes and communications gear on the island that we joke they might be trying to build a quantum computer.
We see extensive fitness and athletic facilities, a running track, and lots of housing. We also see many areas where construction continues.
One building is covered with a white, metallic mesh. We remember seeing a building like the one in the center in Beijing at the Olympic center. Beautiful architecture. Location of the cool building: 16°50'17"N 112°19’47"E.
Google Earth, 4_5_2023, Four buildings with eight retractable, or sliding blue roofs could be used for island defense, or private sunbathing. We also note the large solar-powered buildings in this new construction area, along with what looks like a mobile defense facility with three vehicles to the left of the structures.
On a tastier note, the Kuanzhai Xiangzi hotpot restaurant is now open, a 120 seat hotpot restaurant. I do love hotpot and look forward to an opportunity to enjoy it again after times in Beijing and San Francisco's Chinatown. According to Radio Free Asia, here, the civilian population of Woody Island (and recently incorporated Rocky Island), rose to 2,300 in 2020. The island has a civil-military airport, a kindergarten and primary school, and has a courthouse, a cinema, banks, hospitals, a stadium, and post offices.
Area
Name 1
Nearest Land
Distance from Land (miles)
Location (latitude & longitude)
Diameter (miles)
Date of Satellite Imagery
Airport Present?
Helipad Present?
Port / Dock Facility Present?
Buildings Present?
Defensive Infrastructure Present?
Athletic Facilities Present?
Hospital Present?
Sand Only Island?
Dredging Infrastructure Only?
Paracel Islands
The Ice Skate (Island 10 in N.E. Corner)
China
Lingshui Bay in Hainan, China.
184.5
16°50'53"N 112°18'18"E
2.0
4/5/2023
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Not Sure
No
No
Name 1
Nearest Land
Distance from Land (miles)
Location (latitude & longitude)
Diameter (miles)
Date of Satellite Imagery
Airport Present?
Helipad Present?
Port / Dock Facility Present?
Buildings Present?
Defensive Infrastructure Present?
Athletic Facilities Present?
Hospital Present?
Sand Only Island?
Dredging Infrastructure Only?
Paracel Islands
The Ice Skate (Island 10 in N.E. Corner)
China
Lingshui Bay in Hainan, China.
184.5
16°50'53"N 112°18'18"E
2.0
4/5/2023
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Not Sure
No
No