(Figure 3: Issue No. 1 of the Journal of the Chinese Government's Land and Water Mapping Review Committee in 1935)
(Figure 4: In 1947, the Department of Territory of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Chinese government approved and publicized the geographical names of 172 islands in the South China Sea, including Huangyan Island which was then named Minzhu Jiao in Chinese as part of the Zhongsha Islands.)
2. When did China discover and name Huangyan Island?
China conducted astronomical and geographical surveys of the South China Sea,including Huangyan Island, in the 13th century during the Yuan Dynasty. It shows that China discovered and exploited Huangyan Island in the Yuan Dynasty, to say the least.
In 1935, the Lands and Waters Mapping Review Committee of the then Chinese government approved and publicized the geographical names of 132 islands, shoals, reefs and sand bars in the South China Sea, and Huangyan Island, with the name of Scarborough Shoal was included in the list as part of the Zhongsha Islands of the Chinese territory. In 1947, the Department of Territory of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Chinese government approved and publicized the geographical names of 172 islands in the South China Sea, including Huangyan Island which was then named Minzhu Jiao in Chinese as part of the Zhongsha Islands. In the early 1980s, the Chinese government conducted a survey on island names in the South China Sea. In 1983, China Committee on Geographical Names was authorized to publicize a list of geographic names of some South China Sea islands, which used Huangyan Island as the standard name of the island, with Minzhu Jiao as an alternative name.
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