Earlier sources, including the
Draft History of Qing (1928), used “Wenzhou Bay” to denote the
mouth of the
Ou River, which is sheltered from the open sea by
Lingkun Island. Later definitions broadened the term to encompass the waters associated with the
Dongtou Islands. Under this broader usage, Wenzhou Bay adjoins
Yueqing Bay to the northeast, extends westwards to the Shuicheng area near Tongpan Island, and reaches southwards to Damen Island and Niyu Island. The bay measures roughly from east to west and about from north to south, covering an area of approximately . Modern sources, such as the
China Bay Gazetteer (1993), note that Wenzhou Bay lacks a distinct bay shape beyond the estuarine bays of the Ou River,
Feiyun River, and
Ao River; in essence, it is an open sea area enclosed by the Wenzhou coastal plain and the Dongtou Islands. Zhejiang provincial government once defined Wenzhou Bay as extending northwards to the line between Qitouzui in Yueqing and Dawuxing, where it adjoins Yueqing Bay. Its eastern boundary runs sequentially through Xiaomen Island, Damen Island, Qingshan Island, Zhuangyuan’ao, Sanpan Island, Dongtou Island, Banping Mountain, Beice Island, Nance Island, and Beilong Mountain, while its southern boundary reaches Pingyangzui in Cangnan County. The designated sea area spans 27°27′55″ to 27°59′09″ N and 120°35′50″ to 121°11′30″ E. == References ==