Maiden Voyage

The ocean liner Coconut Princess departs from a port in Sanya， southernmost Hainan Province， for the Xisha Islands in the South China Sea after a cruise route linking the two sites formally opened on September 2.

Located to the southeast of Hainan， the Xisha Islands are a cluster of islets， sandbanks and reefs famous for their unusual scenery and ecosystem.

The Chinese Government announced in 2009 that Hainan would be developed as a destination for international tourists， including the Xisha Islands.

Martyrs Day

On August 31， the Chinese top legislature approved the establishment of a national day to commemorate martyrs.

According to a decision by the Standing Committee of the National Peoples Congress （NPC）， Martyrs Day will be marked with events across the country on September 30 every year.

It is the third national memorial day in China， following Victory Day of the Chinese Peoples War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression on September 3 and National Memorial Day for Nanjing Massacre Victims on December 13， both ratified by the NPC Standing Committee in February.

Martyrs， as defined by the government， are “people who sacrificed their lives for the nations independence and prosperity， as well as the welfare of the people since the First Opium War （1840-42）.”

It is believed that China has about 20 million martyrs. However， as many of them did not leave their names during wartime， only 1.93 million martyrs have been listed in the government directory. About 300 more people have been identified as martyrs annually in recent years.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs initiated feasibility studies on setting the day back in 2005， and won public support after soliciting feedback in the following years， according to ministry officials.

Maritime Adjudication

China has become a maritime judicial center for the Asia-Pacific region after three decades of effort， according to a report by the Supreme Peoples Court（SPC） on September 2.

Since maritime courts were first set up in China in 1984， cases have increased annually by around 10 percent. By 2013， a total of 225，283 cases had been handled， of which 215，826 had been concluded， involving over 70 countries and regions， said the SPC.

It was revealed that the annual caseload rose from a little over 100 in the early years to more than 20，000 in 2013， the most in the world.