Yesterday morning at 9:52, a 5.7-magnitude earthquake occurred in Yanping Township, Taitung County, Taiwan Province of my country. The focal depth of the earthquake was only 12 kilometers. It is called a "shallow earthquake" in geology, so the entire Baodao felt it. Taitung County is a place where earthquakes occur frequently. From 2007 to the present, there have been more than 60 earthquakes with a magnitude of 3.2 or more. However, Taitung County is also the place with the most beautiful coastal scenery on Formosa Island.
Taitung County, located in the southeast of Baodao, is the third largest county in Taiwan, second only to Hualien and Nantou counties. The Taitung area is very special. It is separated from the Pacific coast by Taiwan's central mountain range. It has narrow and flat river valley terrain and a long coastline of hundreds of kilometers. From Kenting in the southernmost part of Taiwan to Hualien in central Taiwan, the coast of Taitung is the only way to go. A part of Taiwan Highway 9 and Taiwan Highway 11 were built along the coast of Taitung.
There are many famous scenic spots on the coast of Taitung. After entering Taiwan Highway 9 from Kenting, the first place to arrive is Dawu Township in Taitung. There is a Dawu Seaside Park on the coast here. It is a free park for drivers to rest. There are statues and observation decks in the park for people to look at the Pacific Ocean. After passing Dawu, there is Jinlun Township, which is famous for its geothermal hot springs, and many tourists will come here to soak in the hot springs.
If you go further north, you will arrive at Taitung's Dachangli, which has the most beautiful train station in Taiwan - Duoliang Station. Although it is now abandoned, the original site of the station has been rebuilt and has become a tourist attraction. Every day, many tourists come to this railway station located on the hillside to watch the trains traveling from south to north pass on the railway tracks of the station, and to see the Pacific Ocean below the station. Every year during the Lunar New Year, Duoliang Station will also hold a "New Year's New Departure" event, allowing people to send a postcard from the station to herald the arrival of the New Year.
Jialulan Marine Park, located 157 kilometers away from Taiwan Highway 11, covers an area of 3.2 hectares and is also a free marine park. Facing it across the sea is the famous "Green Island" in Taiwan. Jialulan is the place of the Amis tribe in Taiwan. The word "Jialulan" is the pronunciation of "the place where you wash your hair" in the Amis tribe. There is a large grassland in this seaside park. Every year at the turn of summer and autumn, an "East Coast Art Creation Festival" will be held. Passing vehicles will basically stop here for tourists to play for a while.
After passing the Jialulan Coastal Park, you can arrive at the most famous scenic spot in Taitung, "Water Flowing Up". This place is Dulan Village, Donghe Township, Taitung, where there is a canal dug in 1870. For more than a hundred years, because of visual differences, the water in the canal seems to flow upwards. So beside the canal, there is a stone tablet engraved with the word "Wonder".
Further along the coastal highway, you can reach another famous scenic spot in Taitung, "Sanxiantai". It is located in Chenggong Town, Taitung. The scenic spot is composed of coral reefs and three volcanic rock peaks. Because it is a volcanic relic, the three pinnacles are all black, and they are very eye-catching under the blue sea water. Between the three pinnacles and the coast, there is an eight-arch pedestrian bridge. People can walk along the eight-arch bridge to the innermost end of the volcanic pinnacle, and watch the Pacific seabed up close.
The "Stone Umbrella" landscape, which is several kilometers away from Sanxiantai, is also a legendary place in Taitung. It is a boulder protruding into the sea on the coast, resembling a long elephant trunk. Due to the erosion of sea water, the elephant's trunk has become riddled with holes, forming sea caves, and there are huge rocks like an open umbrella, which are very impressive from a distance. Because the elephant's trunk has been broken, visitors can only stand on the viewing platform on the coast to look at the "Stone Umbrella".
In addition, there are Baxiandong Cultural Site, Yougu Dengxian Bridge, Xiaoyeliu Scenic Area, Fugang Fishing Port, Taitung Fengyuan Elementary School and other scenic spots on the coast of Taitung that are worth visiting. If you only spend one day, you can’t visit all of them. If you have plenty of time, you can spend three or four days slowly walking along the coast of Taitung. Basically, you can gain something from every place.
Most of the roads along the coast of Taitung are far away from the mountains, so there is no need to worry about the gravel from the mountains falling on the roads during an earthquake. Compared with the Hualien Highway, Taitung's coastline is so flat that walking in Taitung is like entering a plain. It's just that such a beautiful place is often troubled by earthquakes. I hope there will be no casualties in this Taitung earthquake. If I have a chance, I would like to walk along the coast of Taitung. About the author: Lu Jianhua Photography (photographer, traveler, self-media person)
