Chinese soldiers and residents on one the islands the country controls in the contested South China Sea can now visit the cinema after the first movie theater in the strategic waterway opened its doors Saturday, according to state media.

Over 200 residents and soldiers of Sansha city on Woody Island, called Yongxing Island by China, turned out to view a Chinese film and mark the opening of the country's southernmost cinema, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

"The cinema will show at least one film every day, so residents and soldiers on Yongxing Island can enjoy films simultaneously with moviegoers across the country," Xinhua quoted Gu Xiaojing, general manager of Hainan Media Croup, as saying.