Entertainment unit sent to receive troops in S China Sea

The People's Liberation Army (PLA) has sent a song-and-dance unit to Xisha Islands in the South China Sea to provide entertainment for officers and soldiers garrisoned at the tropical territory.

The unit, commissioned by the PLA's General Political Department, sent regards and appreciation to the garrison with art performances through a tour to five major islands, including the largest Yongxing Island, in the area from May 9 to 12.

Comprising a tenor who was taught by Placido Dominggo, a pop singing star and a Tibetan singer, the unit entertained the soldiers some of whom have served on the islands for more than 16 years.

The Xisha Islands, known as the Paracel Islands for the West, has been a traditional fishing area of Chinese for hundreds of years. Chinese government recovered the islands in 1946 after Japanese invaders surrendered.

In 1974, China took the complete control of the Xisha Islands through a naval conflict with the South Vietnam.

Chinese government's administrative division for the South China Sea, Administration Office for the Xisha, Zhongsha and Nansha Islands of Hainan Province, is stationed at Yongxing Island.