‘LOST’ IN LIAONING

Always wanted to own an island? That dream may become surprising attainable in Liaoning province, which is selling rights to develop uninhabited islands starting at 3,700 RMB (540 USD) per hectare per year.

The northeastern province is home to 633 islands, the largest number in China; 589 of these isles are uninhabited. The scheme aims to involve the private sector in protecting the ecology of the islands and the sea, an anonymous government official told the state-run newspaper Global Times.

According to a government notice from late July, new developers may put these islands toward nine “levels” of uses, including tourism, transportation, national defense, fishing, and agriculture. Would-be Robinson Crusoes are warned, though, that there’s a lengthy application process requiring detailed plans for utilization and assessment of ecological impact. Similar plans to develop islands in several provinces in 2003 and 2005 were scrapped due to unregulated construction.