The natural reserve is located in the southwest of the Leizhou Peninsula. The reserve covers an area of 10,900 hectares and is the only natural coral reef ecological system. It is the best protected and most diverse in China’s continental shelf. It was named a municipal natural reserve by the Zhanjiang government in 2002 and upgraded into a provincial one in 2003. It was named one of the most beautiful areas in Guangdong in 2006 and upgraded into a national natural reserve in April 2007. A total of 65 Anthozoa in 18 families have been discovered in the coral reef, accounting for 10 percent of all kinds in China. The natural reserve zone has become the largest and most typical of fringing reef-type coral reef marine ecosystems in the Chinese coastal area.