Liuqiu, also known by several other names, is a

coral island A coral island is a type of island formed from coral detritus and associated organic material. It occurs in tropical and sub-tropical areas, typically as part of a coral reef which has grown to cover a far larger area under the sea. Ecosystem ...

in the

Taiwan Strait The Taiwan Strait is a -wide strait separating the island of Taiwan and continental Asia. The strait is part of the South China Sea and connects to the East China Sea to the north. The narrowest part is wide. The Taiwan Strait is itself a ...

about southwest of the main island of

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the no ...

. It has an area of and approximately 13,000 residents, the vast majority of whom share only 10

surnames In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name, ...

. It is administered as a

township A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, ...

Pingtung County Pingtung County is a county located in southern Taiwan. It has a warm tropical monsoon climate and is known for its agriculture and tourism. Kenting National Park, Taiwan's oldest national park, is located in the county. The county seat is Pi ...

. the township chief is Chen Lung-chin.

Names

''Liúqiú'' is the

pinyin Hanyu Pinyin (), often shortened to just pinyin, is the official romanization system for Standard Mandarin Chinese in China, and to some extent, in Singapore and Malaysia. It is often used to teach Mandarin, normally written in Chinese fo ...

romanization Romanization or romanisation, in linguistics, is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, a ...

of the Mandarin pronunciation of the Chinese name . Other romanizations include Liuchiu, Liu-chiu, and Liu-ch'iu based on the Wade-Giles system for Mandarin and Ryūkyū from its

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

pronunciation. The original Liuqiu appears in the

Book of Sui The ''Book of Sui'' (''Suí Shū'') is the official history of the Sui dynasty. It ranks among the official Twenty-Four Histories of imperial China. It was written by Yan Shigu, Kong Yingda, and Zhangsun Wuji, with Wei Zheng as the lead author. ...

and other medieval Chinese records as an island kingdom somewhere in the

East China Sea The East China Sea is an arm of the Western Pacific Ocean, located directly offshore from East China. It covers an area of roughly . The sea’s northern extension between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula is the Yellow Sea, separated ...

. It was written by different authors with different homophonous

characters Character or Characters may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''Character'' (novel), a 1936 Dutch novel by Ferdinand Bordewijk * ''Characters'' (Theophrastus), a classical Greek set of character sketches attributed to The ...

and appears to have transcribed a native name. That kingdom has been variously identified with states on

Taiwan Island Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is an island country located in East Asia. The main island of Taiwan, formerly known in the Western political circles, press and literature as Formosa, makes up 99% of the land area of the territori ...

Okinawa is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 Square kilometre, km2 (880 sq mi). ...

, and the

Penghu Islands The Penghu (, Hokkien POJ: ''Phîⁿ-ô͘'' or ''Phêⁿ-ô͘'' ) or Pescadores Islands are an archipelago of 90 islands and islets in the Taiwan Strait, located approximately west from the main island of Taiwan, covering an are ...

. The name Liuqiu Islet (, ''yǔ'') was first used during the

Ming Dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

. Since "Ryūkyū" is also the name of the nearby Ryukyu archipelago including

and a historical kingdom there, the island has also been nicknamed (小琉球, Pinyin ''Xiǎo Liúqiú'') as opposed to "Big Liuqiu" (大琉球) for the Ryukyu Islands or Taiwan - since the early 20th century. Transcriptions of the nickname include Xiao Liuqiu, Siaoliouciou, and Sio Liu-khiu. The island was previously known in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

and other European languages as Lambay, Lamay, or Lamey Island. It is thought to be a transcription of a name from one of the Taiwanese aboriginal languages. Other indigenous names were Samaji and Tugin. It was occasionally also known as ,. a

calque In linguistics, a calque () or loan translation is a word or phrase borrowed from another language by literal word-for-word or root-for-root translation. When used as a verb, "to calque" means to borrow a word or phrase from another language ...

of its old

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

name '. The city's tourism department ascribes the name to Vase Rock's supposed resemblance to a lion,. but it actually honors the slaughtered crew of the '..

History

The Siraya, the

Taiwanese indigenous peoples Taiwanese indigenous peoples (formerly Taiwanese aborigines), also known as Formosan people, Austronesian Taiwanese, Yuanzhumin or Gaoshan people, are the Indigenous peoples of Oceania, indigenous peoples of Taiwan, with the nationally recogni ...

who also lived in nearby

on Taiwan Island, are thought to have been the island's original inhabitants.. In 1622, the

ship ' or ' (

for "Golden Lion") hit the island's coral reefs. Its entire crew was massacred by the island's natives. In 1631, the Dutch

yacht A yacht is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , such a pleasu ...

' wrecked on the same reefs and its fifty-odd survivors battled for two days before also being slaughtered to a man. Hendrik Brouwer, the

governor-general of the Dutch East Indies The governor-general of the Dutch East Indies ( nl, gouverneur-generaal van Nederlands Indië) represented Netherlands, Dutch rule in the Dutch East Indies between 1610 and Dutch recognition of the Proclamation of Indonesian Independence, indep ...

, personally ordered his lieutenant on Taiwan

Hans Putmans Hans Putmans (? in Middelburg – 1654 in Delft) was the Dutch governor of Formosa from 1629 to 1636. Career in Asia Born in Middelburg, Putmans came to Asia in 1621 in the service of the Dutch East India Company. Over the first three years o ...

to "punish and exterminate the people of... the ''Golden Lion'' Island as an example for their murderous actions committed against our people." A 1633 expedition under Claes Bruijn discovered it was undermanned for the task and accomplished little, aside from finding the large cave on the island used by its natives as shelter in times of trouble. A larger expedition under Jan Jurriansz van Lingga in 1636 corralled the locals into it, sealed its entrances, and filled its air with burning pitch and

sulphur Sulfur (or sulphur in British English) is a chemical element with the symbol S and atomic number 16. It is abundant, multivalent and nonmetallic. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic molecules with a chemical formula ...

for eight days. By the end of the "Lamey" or

Liuqiu Island Massacre The Lamey or Liuqiu Island Massacre was the slaughter of aboriginal inhabitants of Liuqiu Island (then known as "Lamey" or "Golden Lion Island") off the coast of Taiwan by Dutch soldiers in 1636. The killings were part of a punitive campaign in re ...

, about 300 were killed and 323 were enslaved, the men being sold to plantations on

and

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Gui ...

and the women and children being used as wives or domestics on Taiwan. The first Han inhabitant is variously described as a

Fujian Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its ...

ese fisherman surnamed Chen, sometimes said to have arrived by accident during a storm in the same year as the massacre, or as Li Yuelao, who supposedly "discovered" and developed the island after

Koxinga Zheng Chenggong, Prince of Yanping (; 27 August 1624 – 23 June 1662), better known internationally as Koxinga (), was a Ming loyalist general who resisted the Qing conquest of China in the 17th century, fighting them on China's southeastern ...

overthrew the Dutch in 1662. The few remaining native inhabitants were picked off by further

slave raid Slave raiding is a military raid for the purpose of capturing people and bringing them from the raid area to serve as slaves. Once seen as a normal part of warfare, it is nowadays widely considered a crime. Slave raiding has occurred since ant ...

s and assaults until 1645, when a Chinese merchant who leased the island from the Dutch removed the last 13 indigenous inhabitants. It was resettled by the Chinese, who erected a prosperous fishing village, but only had about 200 inhabitants at the end of

Qing The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

control in 1895. During the

occupation of Taiwan following the

First Sino-Japanese War The First Sino-Japanese War (25 July 1894 – 17 April 1895) was a conflict between China and Japan primarily over influence in Korea. After more than six months of unbroken successes by Japanese land and naval forces and the loss of the p ...

, the island was administered as a

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...

of the Tōkō District of

Takao Prefecture was one of the administrative divisions of Taiwan during the Japanese rule. The prefecture consisted of modern-day Kaohsiung City and Pingtung County. Population Administrative divisions Cities and districts In 1945 ( Shōwa 20), the ...

. After the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeas ...

resumed control in 1945, the island became a

. Liuqiu transitioned to a tourism-based economy in the early 21st century, particularly following its inclusion in the Dapeng Bay National Scenic Area in 2004. It now receives hundreds of thousands of tourists a year, although this brings new challenges. In early 2015, more than of garbage piled up on the island when the county government forgot to budget funds to transport it to Taiwan Island for

incineration Incineration is a waste treatment process that involves the combustion of substances contained in waste materials. Industrial plants for waste incineration are commonly referred to as waste-to-energy facilities. Incineration and other high ...

. The island was left without disposal services from January to May, when it was finally able to draw on a national subsidy to correct the problem. Similarly, refuse from tourists and fishermen killed over 90% of the island's

coral Corals are marine invertebrates within the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact colonies of many identical individual polyps. Coral species include the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and se ...

before conservation efforts began to reverse the trend.

Geography

Liuqiu Island is a

foot The foot ( : feet) is an anatomical structure found in many vertebrates. It is the terminal portion of a limb which bears weight and allows locomotion. In many animals with feet, the foot is a separate organ at the terminal part of the leg mad ...

-. or

boot A boot is a type of footwear. Most boots mainly cover the foot and the ankle, while some also cover some part of the lower calf. Some boots extend up the leg, sometimes as far as the knee or even the hip. Most boots have a heel that is c ...

-shaped

covering at

high tide Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Tide tables c ...

and about at

low tide Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Tide tables c ...

, running about north to south and east to west.. It lies in the southeast corner of the

, about SSW of

Donggang Donggang may refer to: Mainland China *Donggang District (东港区), in Rizhao, Shandong * Donggang, Liaoning (东港市), county-level city in Dandong, Liaoning ;Towns Written as "东港镇": * Donggang, Huilai County, in Huilai County, Guangdon ...

at the mouth of the

Gaoping River The Gaoping River, also spelled Kaoping River (), is the second longest river in Taiwan after Zhuoshui River with a total length of . It is located on the southern part of the island, flowing through Pingtung County and Kaohsiung City. It is the l ...

on the southwestern shore of

. Overall, the island inclines gently from the southwest to the northeast, but consists of two

graben In geology, a graben () is a depressed block of the crust of a planet or moon, bordered by parallel normal faults. Etymology ''Graben'' is a loan word from German, meaning 'ditch' or 'trench'. The word was first used in the geologic conte ...

sone NE to SW, the other NW to SEthat meet in the middle, dividing the island into four terraces.. Its highest point is Belly Hill, about above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardis ...

. Liuqiu is the only island township in Pingtung County. It is one of Taiwan's largest coral islands, and the only one with significant population and human activities. It is also covered with

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms w ...

and land colored red by weathered

iron oxide Iron oxides are chemical compounds composed of iron and oxygen. Several iron oxides are recognized. All are black magnetic solids. Often they are non-stoichiometric. Oxyhydroxides are a related class of compounds, perhaps the best known of wh ...

and

silicon oxide Silicon oxide may refer to either of the following: * Silicon dioxide or quartz, SiO2, very well characterized *Silicon monoxide Silicon monoxide is the chemical compound with the formula SiO where silicon is present in the oxidation state +2. In ...

. Its

beach A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc s ...

es, reefs,

cave A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

s and eroded rock formations have become tourist attractions. Its principal beaches are Chungau Beach ''Zhōng'ào Shātān'') on the north shore and Duozaiping ''Dǔzǎipíng Cháojiāndài'') and Geban Bay on the west shore. The most important of the island's caves are

Black Dwarf Cave Black Dwarf Cave. is a cave and tourist attraction in Tianfu Village on Liuqiu Island, off Pingtung County, Taiwan. Its scenic area includes paths around the surrounding coasts and its ticket includes access to some other nearby attractions such ...

, Beauty Cave, and

Lobster Cave Lobster Cave is a cave on Liuqiu Island, off Pingtung County, Taiwan. Name "Lobster Cave" is a calque of the cave's Chinese name. It supposedly derives from lobsters who lived there over a century ago that were driven out by the island's resid ...

. The most famous rocks are Vase Rock at the north end of the island, the Sanfu Ecological Corridor ''Shānfù Shēngtài Lángdào'') on the east coast, and the Houshi Fringing Reef ''Hòushí Qúnjiāo'') in the southeast, which includes Mouse Rock ''Lǎoshǔ Shí''), Guanyin Rock ''Guānyīn Shí''),

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

Rock ''Hóngfān Shí''), and Climbing Tiger Rock ''Páshānhǔ'') in the southeast.. Its forests include white popinac,

acacia ''Acacia'', commonly known as the wattles or acacias, is a large genus of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa and Australasia. The genus nam ...

, wild

pineapple The pineapple (''Ananas comosus'') is a tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae. The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been cultivated for many centuri ...

(''lintou''), and

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, ...

Wildlife

Liuqiu has a diverse

ecosystem An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syst ...

. Chung Au Beach, a shell-sand beach, abuts waters that are home to approximately 176 species of fish and numerous

species. It is also home to young and adult

green sea turtle The green sea turtle (''Chelonia mydas''), also known as the green turtle, black (sea) turtle or Pacific green turtle, is a species of large sea turtle of the family Cheloniidae. It is the only species in the genus ''Chelonia''. Its range exten ...

s, with adult females coming ashore to nest during the summer months. Marine vertebrates such as sharks,

flying fish The Exocoetidae are a family of marine fish in the order Beloniformes class Actinopterygii, known colloquially as flying fish or flying cod. About 64 species are grouped in seven to nine genera. While they cannot fly in the same way a bird d ...

, sea turtles, and

cetaceans Cetacea (; , ) is an infraorder of aquatic mammals that includes whales, dolphins, and porpoises. Key characteristics are their fully aquatic lifestyle, streamlined body shape, often large size and exclusively carnivorous diet. They propel th ...

such as

sperm whale The sperm whale or cachalot (''Physeter macrocephalus'') is the largest of the toothed whales and the largest toothed predator. It is the only living member of the genus ''Physeter'' and one of three extant species in the sperm whale famil ...

s may appear around the island.

Climate

Overall, Liuqiu has a dry and warm climate but is the most

typhoon A typhoon is a mature tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere. This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin, and is the most active tropical cyclone basin on Earth, accounting for a ...

-prone of the Taiwanese islands. It has a

tropical monsoon climate An area of tropical monsoon climate (occasionally known as a sub-equatorial, tropical wet climate or a tropical monsoon and trade-wind littoral climate) is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification category ...

( Am), with warm temperatures year round with a rainy or monsoon season from April to October and a dry season with cooler temperatures from November to March. The rainiest recorded month was one June (); the driest, one December ().

Administration

The current township chief is Chen Lung-chin ''Chén Lóngjìn''). Liuqiu Township consists of 8 villages, with the township seat located in Zhongfu Village.

Economy

In the early modern era and under the Japanese, Liuqiu's residents were mostly occupied with fishing and small-scale agriculture. After the restoration of Chinese control in 1945, some quarries were opened to export

stone In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...

and

lime Lime commonly refers to: * Lime (fruit), a green citrus fruit * Lime (material), inorganic materials containing calcium, usually calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide * Lime (color), a color between yellow and green Lime may also refer to: Botany ...

. As Taiwan's economy has improved,

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...

has employed more and more people.. Water and electricity are provided from Taiwan Island. Because of the constant threat of summer typhoons, construction on the island is now specially designed to accommodate strong winds and waves.

Fishing

The traditional mainstay of the local economy has been fishing in the rich waters of the nearby

Kuroshio Current The , also known as the Black or or the is a north-flowing, warm ocean current on the west side of the North Pacific Ocean basin. It was named for the deep blue appearance of its waters. Similar to the Gulf Stream in the North Atlantic, the Ku ...

. Most residents still make their living by fishing, but the better pay catering to tourists has caused it to run short of manpower. The trade is increasingly reliant on foreign sailors brought in to crew local boats and on cage aquaculture ''xiāngwǎng yǎngzhí''), the latter of which is also used as a tourist attraction.

Agriculture

The lack of

rivers A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...

on the island and infertile ground makes farming difficult. Early on, the main products came from local

coconut palm The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or t ...

s. After 1945, the islands' farmers focused on

sweet potatoes The sweet potato or sweetpotato ('' Ipomoea batatas'') is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the bindweed or morning glory family, Convolvulaceae. Its large, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are used as a root vegetable. The young sho ...

and

peanut The peanut (''Arachis hypogaea''), also known as the groundnut, goober (US), pindar (US) or monkey nut (UK), is a legume crop grown mainly for its edible seeds. It is widely grown in the tropics and subtropics, important to both small an ...

s. Presently, production on the island's of farmland has shifted to

mango A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree '' Mangifera indica''. It is believed to have originated in the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in Sout ...

s and other fruits, including

papaya The papaya (, ), papaw, () or pawpaw () is the plant species ''Carica papaya'', one of the 21 accepted species in the genus '' Carica'' of the family Caricaceae. It was first domesticated in Mesoamerica, within modern-day southern Mexico and ...

guava Guava () is a common tropical fruit cultivated in many tropical and subtropical regions. The common guava ''Psidium guajava'' (lemon guava, apple guava) is a small tree in the myrtle family ( Myrtaceae), native to Mexico, Central America, t ...

s, and

rose apple Rose apple may refer to: * ''Angophora costata'', a common woodland and forest tree of Eastern Australia * Various Syzygium species, especially the following: **''Syzygium aqueum'', Watery rose apple **'' Syzygium jambos'', Rose apple or jamb **''Sy ...

s. The overall climate is only suitable for dryness-tolerant crops, but the island's exposure to the monsoon and typhoons make even those high risk. As such, cultivated land has been decreasing since at least 1980 and old fields have been given up to scrubland and forest. The island's agricultural association has focused on high-margin, fast-turnover fruit instead, particularly mangos.

Tourism

The sea temperature of the island is above year round, allowing many species of

coral reefs A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in groups. ...

to inhabit the area and making it one of the best locations for winter swimming activities in Taiwan. Tourism became a mainstay of Liuqiu's economy in the 21st century. After it was included in the Dapeng Bay National Scenic Area in 2004, it gained media exposure and advertised until it was one of Pingtung County's main sightseeing locations.. Home to less than 15,000 residents, the island saw over 500,000 tourists in 2012 and over 400,000 in 2014.. B&Bs and hotels now cover the island, while others rent bicycles and motorcycles or facilitate scuba certification and diving. The island's main sights are its temples; its beaches, reefs, caves, and rock formations; its net cages for fishing; the

forest and

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (Anoxic waters, anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in t ...

park ''Zhúlín Shēngtài Shīdì Gōngyuán'') in the center of the island; the architecture and shops along

Sanmin Road Sanmin District () is a district of Kaohsiung, Taiwan. History During the Ming dynasty, the Wang, Tsai, and Cheng families built houses in the area to farm the land. The area was thus named ''Sankuaicu'' (). After the handover of Taiwan from ...

''Sānmín Lǎojiē''); the Sanfu Fishing Port ''Shānfú Yúgǎng''); the Sea View Pavilion ''Wànghǎi Tíng'') beside Beauty Cave, Restoration Pavilion ''Fùyù Liángtíng'') on a reclaimed

landfill A landfill site, also known as a tip, dump, rubbish dump, garbage dump, or dumping ground, is a site for the disposal of waste materials. Landfill is the oldest and most common form of waste disposal, although the systematic burial of the wast ...

on the east coast, and Sunset Pavilion ''Luòrì Tíng'') on the island's southwest corner; and Sanzu or Wild Boar Ditch ''Shānzhū Gōu''), a steep gully northwest of Sanban'ao near

. The Taiwanese government has restricted access and set daily limits for visitors at the islands'

intertidal zone The intertidal zone, also known as the foreshore, is the area above water level at low tide and underwater at high tide (in other words, the area within the tidal range). This area can include several types of habitats with various species ...

s since 2012. The increased control has helped restore the areas' ecosystems and biological diversity in the years since.

Religion

Chinese ancestral veneration Chinese ancestor veneration, also called Chinese ancestor worship, is an aspect of the Chinese traditional religion which revolves around the ritual celebration of the deified ancestors and tutelary deities of people with the same surname or ...

is abundantly demonstrated, with most plots of undeveloped land on the southern half of the island outside the tourist areas covered with graves. Regulations established by Taiwan's

Ministry of the Interior An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministr ...

usually prohibit burials within of a residence, but complying to this particular law on Liuqiu Island would be impossible. Liuqiu is famed for its many temples: at least 38 main ones and as many as 70 in total.. The people are quite religious and it is common to pray and give offerings for recovery from illness; for blessings for new ships, houses, and marriages; for protection while fishing; and for appropriate times for funerals. The

deities A deity or god is a supernatural being who is considered divine or sacred. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines deity as a god or goddess, or anything revered as divine. C. Scott Littleton defines a deity as "a being with powers greater ...

worshipped on the island are mostly those of the local faiths of Quanzhou and Zhangzhou in

, whence the original Han settlers originated. The most important and popular is

Guanyin Guanyin () is a Bodhisattva associated with compassion. She is the East Asian representation of Avalokiteśvara ( sa, अवलोकितेश्वर) and has been adopted by other Eastern religions, including Chinese folk religion. She ...

, the

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

Bodhisattva In Buddhism, a bodhisattva ( ; sa, 𑀩𑁄𑀥𑀺𑀲𑀢𑁆𑀢𑁆𑀯 (Brahmī), translit=bodhisattva, label=Sanskrit) or bodhisatva is a person who is on the path towards bodhi ('awakening') or Buddhahood. In the Early Buddhist schools ...

Compassion Compassion motivates people to go out of their way to relieve the physical, mental or emotional pains of others and themselves. Compassion is often regarded as being sensitive to the emotional aspects of the suffering of others. When based on n ...

. Her Jade Cloud Temple ''Bìyún Sì'') and her annual birthday festival on the 19th day of the 2nd

lunar month In lunar calendars, a lunar month is the time between two successive syzygies of the same type: new moons or full moons. The precise definition varies, especially for the beginning of the month. Variations In Shona, Middle Eastern, and Eur ...

are likewise the main ones on the island. The birthday festivities are celebrated at temples in every village, with ceremonies and

Taiwanese opera Taiwanese opera () commonly known as Ke-Tse opera or Hokkien opera, is a form of traditional drama originating in Taiwan. Taiwanese opera uses a stylised combination of both the literary and colloquial registers of Taiwanese Hokkien. Its earliest ...

performances in her honor performed for about a month and a half. This has become a major tourist draw, as has the still larger "Welcoming the King" festival held every three years in honor of the plague subduer deity, Lord Wu. Two other important temples are Spirit Mountain Temple ''Língshān Sì'') on a cliff beside Baisha Port, built in the early 1960s and primarily dedicated to

Lord Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in L ...

,. and the Palace of the Three Prosperous Ones ''Sānlóng Gōng'') south of Benfu Village and dedicated to Lord Zhu, Lord Chi and Lord Wu. Erlong Temple in Haizikou is also a common waypoint used by tourists following the ring road along the island's coast.

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global popula ...

was introduced by the Dutch. There is still a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their n ...

church on the island, begun by English missionaries who also once operated a sanitarium on the island.

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and

Shintoism Shinto () is a religion from Japan. Classified as an East Asian religion by scholars of religion, its practitioners often regard it as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion. Scholars sometimes call its practitioners ''Shint ...

and

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

were introduced by their respective empires but have since died out.

Transportation

The only public transportation to Liuqiu is by ship from

and Zhongyun in

Kaohsiung Kaohsiung City ( Mandarin Chinese: ; Wade–Giles: ''Kao¹-hsiung²;'' Pinyin: ''Gāoxióng'') is a special municipality located in southern Taiwan. It ranges from the coastal urban center to the rural Yushan Range with an area of . Ka ...

on Taiwan Island. Boats arrive at

Baisha Port The Baisha Port is a port in Liuqiu Township, Pingtung County, Taiwan. It is the main port for people to get in and out from Liuqiu Island. Architecture The port is designed with a sail-shaped building with rainbow colors. The port features ti ...

on the north end of the island or

Dafu Port Dafu Port () is a port on Liuqiu Island in Pingtung County, Taiwan. It is a home port for fishing vessels that operate from the island. It is the second largest port on the island after Baisha Port. Destination The port serves ferries to Do ...

on its east coast. The island is from the Taiwan mainland, which is about a 25- to 30-minute boat ride. The island has two lighthouses: one guiding ships into Baisha Port and the White Lighthouse on Mount Dongnanjian.. Although Liuqiu Airport once had passenger service with direct flights between

Kaohsiung international airport Kaohsiung International Airport () is a medium-sized civil airport in Siaogang District, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, also known as Siaogang Airport (). With nearly seven million passengers in 2018, it is the second busiest airport in Taiwan, after T ...

and the island, it is now only used for helicopters.

Education

The island provides

primary Primary or primaries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Primary (band), from Australia * Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea * Primary Music, Israeli record label Works ...

and

junior high A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school. ...

education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty ...

. Its five schools are Liuqiu, Baisha, Quande, and Tiannan Primary Schools and Liuqiu Junior High School.

High school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

and university students attend schools on Taiwan Island. A 2004 report on the island described its brain drain before the growth of the tourism industry: "'Liuchiu has two problems... All the young people go over there,' he

aid In international relations, aid (also known as international aid, overseas aid, foreign aid, economic aid or foreign assistance) is – from the perspective of governments – a voluntary transfer of resources from one country to another. Ai ...

pointing to

on the horizon, 'and all the old people go over there,'... pointing to the south of the island" and its graves.

Notable natives

Lee Shu-chuan Lee Shu-chuan (; born 1 February 1958) is a Taiwanese politician. He was the deputy mayor of Kaohsiung from 25 December 2018 to 12 June 2020. He previously served in multiple positions within the Taipei County Government, and was Secretary-Gene ...

Secretary-General of the Kuomintang The Secretary-General of the Kuomintang is the chief of staff of the Kuomintang, nominated by the Chairman of the Kuomintang, chairperson and confirmed by the Central Committee. The position was created in 1926 and is currently held on by Justin Hu ...

References

Citations

Bibliography

* . * . *. * .

External links

Tapeng Bay National Scenic Area

Liuqiu Township Office

Liuqiu official tourism website
{{Taiwan Outlying islands divisions Islands of Taiwan Tourist attractions in Pingtung County Landforms of Pingtung County