People's Daily: Guardians of the 'East Gate' of the Greater Bay Area

On the eve of the Spring Festival, waves were surging in Dapeng Bay, Shenzhen.
Early in the morning, the reporter took a transport boat out of here and arrived at Sanmen Island 45 minutes later, entering Sanmen Island Customs under Shenzhen Customs.
Sanmen Island, also known as Tuoning Island, is located at the confluence of Dapeng Bay and Daya Bay in Guangdong Province. It guards the eastern sea route of the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area and is the "eastern gateway" of the region.
Sanmen Island Customs is one of the four intermediate supervision stations in China and also one of the nine difficult island border checkpoints. In recent years, enterprises have increasingly high requirements for customs clearance and inspection efficiency. We continuously improve the level of intelligent customs supervision to efficiently supervise and safeguard the high-quality development of the Greater Bay Area. "As soon as we arrived on the island, Wu Ying, the director of Sanmen Island Customs, talked to reporters about the characteristics and mission of Sanmen Island Customs.
Entering the monitoring and command center, the large screen flickered with light and shadow. We have utilized the maritime logistics intelligent practical platform developed by Shenzhen Customs to establish five ship basic databases, improving the accuracy of control and inspection. Now, the inspection time for passing ships has been reduced from over 1 hour in the past to about 40 minutes, "said Wang Yang, Deputy Director of the Supervision Department of Sanmen Island Customs.
Defending the country's borders and promoting development, Sanmen Island Customs is racing against time, racing against itself, promoting the convenience and efficiency of maritime logistics elements, and helping enterprises seize business opportunities.
At around 8 pm, a passing ship docked at Sanmen Island Pier for inspection. Amidst the noisy sound of the engine, Wang Yang and his colleagues carefully reviewed the navigation log while inquiring about the situation with the chief engineer. Then he went back into the cabin to check if there were any smuggled items hidden inside.
Upon returning from inspection, Wang Yang told reporters that he joined Shenzhen Customs in 2018. He first worked at Shenzhen Bay Customs under Shenzhen Customs and was transferred to Sanmen Island Customs in May 2024.
Is there a psychological gap between bustling cities and remote islands
To say there is no gap is false. But guarding the country's borders is the responsibility of customs, and the more difficult the place, the more someone needs to step forward and take on the responsibility
The next day, at dawn, the reporter woke up to the loud sound of horns. All customs officers must gather for exercises, which has been their habit for many years.
The Sanmen Island area is prone to extreme weather such as typhoons. By 2025, it will be affected by up to 9 extreme weather events such as typhoons, thunderstorms, and heavy rainfall. Every time a strong typhoon comes, it is accompanied by howling winds and crashing waves. In the harsh environment, the customs officers of Sanmen Island built the "Island Pass Farm" by themselves, diverting water from the valley, cultivating land for vegetables, and raising poultry. There are no commercial supermarkets or commercial ships here. Growing vegetables and poultry is not only necessary for daily life, but also allows everyone to feel the warmth of home, "said Wang Yang.
In 2025, the number of ships inspected by Sanmen Island Customs will increase by 66% year-on-year. The first case of illegal domestic transportation by inbound and outbound ships detected has been listed as a typical case of boarding inspection by the General Administration of Customs.
Approaching noon, embarking on the journey home. The reporter boarded the boat and looked back, and the Customs Building stood tall and majestic; On the sea, ocean going vessels are faintly visible.
We will adhere to the customs culture of 'upholding integrity, innovation, and pursuing excellence' in Shenzhen, apply intelligent supervision methods, weave a dense maritime supervision network, strengthen the defense line east of the Greater Bay Area, maintain customs supervision order, and contribute customs strength to the construction of the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area.