Wonder of sea sparkle [Photo by Jiang Xinheng]

Behold, it's that time of the year again! As the seasons turn and the moon rises, the island awakens from its slumber as millions of blue pixies dance in the waves. Known as sea sparkle, this natural phenomenon visits Pingtan every spring, drawing scores of eager tourists and media coverage to the island. The natural phenomenon is caused by a species of marine plankton that emits a blue bioluminescent glow in the water.

On the evening of March 17, reports of 2023's first sea sparkle sighting at Dongmei Village brought a large crowd and caught the attention of major media outlets. The waves waltzed onshore, leaving a trail of dreamy blue along the winding coastline. Media outlets including People's Daily, Xinhua News Agency, Guangming Daily, and Fujian Daily, praised the ethereal sight. People's Daily reciprocated, asking, "Just how dreamy is a luminous coastline?" Tencent likened the phenomenon to a cosmic shower! People's Daily also launched a hashtag campaign with the tagline #WheretoChaseSeaSparkleonPingtanIsland, garnering over 15 million views.

Pingtan, an island city in E. China's Fujian province welcomes its annual peak season of sea sparkle from April to June. Occurring only once in a blue moon, it is a traffic magnet and an internet sensation that draws coverage from CCTV, Weibo, and Douyin every year.

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