The largest island of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Weizhou is west of Leizhou Peninsula, south of Beihai, and east of Vietnam.

[5] From 1869 to 1879, the French built a Gothic-style 15 metre Catholic church (涠洲天主教堂) in Shengtang Village (盛塘村; pinyin: shèngtáng cūn), Weizhou.

Along with smaller Xieyang Island, Weizhou island is a nature reserve named Beihai Weizhoudao Volcano National Geopark to preserve its volcanic features, and protect rich local ecosystem engulfing 147 species of migratory and non-migratory birds, including threatened species such as black-faced spoonbills.

[6][7] Weizhou, along with nearby Xieyang, has been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports significant populations of Chinese egrets and fairy pittas.

[8] Calm and shallow waters around the two islands have shown recoveries in recent years, resulting in sustaining varieties of marine life from coral reefs[9] to megafaunas that are becoming increasingly common in the area.

[citation needed] Since 2015, seasonal presences of Bryde's whales around Weizhou and Xieyang Islands have been recognized, making the discovery the first confirmed case of large cetaceans regularly inhabiting mainland coasts of China.