Attractions : Taitung
County
Taitung City is located on the delta
of the Beinan River, at the southern tip of the rift valley.
In addition to offering transportation links to the rest of Taiwan
proper, Taitung also provides ferry and air service to Green
Island and Orchid Island.
Green Island, or Lyudao, is a 16.2-square-kilometer piece of
jade-green land that rises from the Pacific Ocean just 33 kilometers
east of Taitung. It is home to 3,300 islanders.
Composed of volcanic rock and having a heavily eroded coastline,
Green Island possesses a fascinating variety of land- and seascapes:
odd rock formations, rugged cliffs, a white-sand beach, verdant
pastures, dazzling coral reefs, and a unique seawater hot spring,
as well as a quaint and easygoing lifestyle seemingly left over
from the distant past. These resources are rapidly making Green
Island the oceanic playground of the East Coast. An 18-kilometer
round-the-island highway gives access to all the major tourist
sites, making it easy for visitors to tour Green Island by foot,
bicycle, motor scooter, or automobile.
Like Green Island, Orchid Island (Lanyu) is a volcanic island
that was formed of magma erupting from the ocean floor. Because
the peaks of the mountains at the northwestern corner of the
island resemble red human heads in the crimson rays of the setting
sun, it was formerly known as "Redhead Island." The
present name refers to the wild orchids that once grew there
in abundance. The humid, rainy climate has cloaked the mountainous
interior of the island with a thick rain-forest cover, and has
provided it with a countless variety of plant and animal life.
Coral reefs are distributed around the island and the warm Japan
Current also flows by, attracting vast schools of fish that make
this a paradise for deep-sea fishing and skin diving.
Yami Culture: The Yami people have always depended primarily
on the sea for their livelihood, a fact which is reflected in
their unique culture. The men, for example, wear narrow loincloths
for convenience when fishing or hunting; they use richly decorated
canoes; they traditionally live in semi-subterranean houses for
protection against typhoons and the torrid heat of summer; and
they perform elaborate ceremonies when they launch a new boat
or begin the annual flying fish season. These cultural features,
among others, make the Yami intensely interesting to visitors.
Yeyou Village: This is the site of the island's administrative
center, township office, middle school, and main bus station.
Kaiyuan Harbor, situated on the outskirts of the village, is
the island's major gateway for sea transportation--in particular,
it is where the boats from Fugang Harbor in Taitung dock. A lighthouse
just to the north of the village provides fine views of Orchid
Island and the surrounding seas.
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