History
Fishing activities in the South China Sea region surrounding the island had been documented in records since earlier Chinese dynasties. During the Ming Dynasty, Zheng He plotted the location of surrounding islands on a map. During the Qing Dynasty, the Xuantong Emperor sent the Guangdong Navy to survey the Paracel Islands, and on the island they erected a stele and raised a flag. Later, in 1932 the island was occupied by French Indochina.
The island was occupied by Japan during World War II. Following Japan's surrender at the end of the war, the Nationalist Chinese government sent four warships to the South China Sea in 1946 to reclaim the Spratly and Paracel Islands. Woody Island was renamed "Yongxing Island" after one of these Republic of China Navy warships, ROCS Yong-hsing (永興號).
After the Hainan Island Campaign in 1950 during the Chinese Civil War, the ROC garrison on Woody Island surrendered to the People's Liberation Army. Armed fishermen from the Chinese mainland in support of the communists gradually controlled Woody Island and a few other reefs within the eastern portion of the Paracels. Due to the struggle between the Nationalists and Communists, Chinese military presence in the Paracels was absent, and the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) gradually gained control of the west part of the Paracels Islands with the assistance of the United States. Within the 20 years thereafter, conflicts between the two sides have repeatedly erupted within the region. In 1974, the PLA Navy secured entire the Paracel islands during the Battle of the Paracel Islands.
Read more about this topic: Woody Island (South China Sea)
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