With Xuwen being under the implementation and coordinated development of major national strategies such as the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Hainan Free Trade Port, Xuwen Port become more and more important.

The first recorded starting port of the Maritime Silk Road

During the Han Dynasty, the Xuwen Ancient Port was one of the starting ports of the Maritime Silk Road to Southeast Asia and South Asia. As one of the earliest official ports for foreign trade in ancient China, the Port was also the first starting port of the Maritime Silk Road with official historical records in the world.

Back to today, Xuwen County still plays a significant part as a bridge that tightly connects the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Hainan Free Trade Zone (Port).

Xuwen's quick development could not be achieved without fully reaping the reform dividends brought by the Hainan Free Trade Port and its support policies, or the talent and resources from the Greater Bay Area attracted by the strengthened cooperation between Guangdong and Hainan.

Specifically, since 2021, Xuwen has actively planned the cooperation with Hainan Free Trade Port, steadily promoting the Guangdong-Hainan (Xuwen) Special Cooperation Zone. Centered around Xuwen Port, the cooperation zone extends to the east and west, covering a total area of about 140 square kilometers according to the plan. The zone will also integrate into the Qiongzhou Strait Port Consortium as the pioneer and witness of the collaboration of Zhanjiang and Hainan.

The world's largest passenger-cargo ro-ro terminal

Located on the southernmost of the Chinese mainland Leizhou Peninsula, Xuwen Port is the strategic gate for the land part of the golden channel in the Qiongzhou Strait. Known as the Strait Channel Project, the port's total investment reaches 1.712 billion yuan, and the designed annual throughput capacity is 3.2 million vehicles and 17.28 million passengers. In brief, the Xuwen Port is a comprehensive and representative passenger roll-on/roll-off ferry terminal.

On September 26, 2020, Xuwen Port officially started to operate. After that, the sea distance from Xuwen to Haikou was shortened from 24 nautical miles to 12 nautical miles, taking just over one hour. The waiting hall at Xuwen Port is like an airport for its efficiency: passengers can complete the process from buying a ticket to boarding in as little as 8 minutes, and the inspection of vehicles just needs just over 20 seconds.

Since its operation, the throughput of vehicles and passengers at Xuwen Port has been increasing. During this year's Spring Festival, the throughput broke the record with about 31,000 vehicles and 123,000 passengers in a day.

带你认识一下中国大陆最南端的徐闻港

随着粤港澳大湾区、海南自由贸易港等重大国家战略的建设实施，徐闻又历史性地处在国家战略联动发展的最前沿，徐闻港的功能效用更显重要。

史上记载的首个海上丝绸之路始发港

历史上，徐闻古港是汉代通往东南亚和南亚的海上丝绸之路始发港之一，也是我国古代对外贸易最早的通商口岸之一，不仅是中国、也是世界上第一个有官方史书记载的海上丝绸之路始发港。

今天的徐闻，是把粤港澳大湾区和海南自贸区（港）这两大战略更紧密地融合起来的桥头堡。

徐闻用足用好海南自贸港“改革红利”溢出效应和政策叠加，加强粤琼两地合作，吸引大湾区人才、资源流入，借力借势推动振兴发展。

2021年以来，徐闻主动谋划与海南自贸港相向而行的思路和举措，稳步推进广东·海南(徐闻)特别合作区。这一合作区以徐闻港为核心、向东西两翼延伸，规划建设总面积约140平方公里，与海南共同组建琼州海峡港口联合体，成为湛江与海南相向而行的先行区。

全球最大客货滚装码头

徐闻港地处中国大陆最南端的雷州半岛上，是琼州海峡黄金通道大陆端咽喉，被誉为“海峡通道工程”，总投资17.12亿元，设计年吞吐能力为车辆320万辆次，旅客1728万人次，是功能齐全、具有示范性的新一代客滚轮渡码头。

2020年9月26日，徐闻港正式开港运营。徐闻至海口的海上航行距离从24海里缩短至12海里，航行时间缩短至1个多小时。徐闻港候航大厅有如机场，旅客从进港购票到上船，最快8分钟就可完成，小车最快20余秒可完成查验。

运营以来，徐闻港车客吞吐量不断增长，今年春节期间，车客吞吐是创下单日历史新高，其中车辆约3.1万辆次，旅客约12.3万人次。

文、图/羊城晚报全媒体记者 全良波 袁增伟
翻译/白心怡

责编 | 戚美青