lake islands

Penghu Islands

is also called P'eng-hu Ch'un-tao, and Chinese pinyin is Penghu Qundao, also called penghu islands and Pescadores Islands. Penghu Islands, located in the Taiwan Province Strait in the west of Taiwan Province Island, was the earliest developed place in Taiwan Province Province.

64 islands in the southeast of Taiwan Province Strait. It is about 48 kilometers (31 miles) from the west coast of Taiwan Province Province, China across Penghu Waterway. Mudou Island in the extreme north, Qimei Island in the extreme south, Huayu Island in the extreme west and Chamou Island in the extreme east. The total area is 126.8641 square kilometers (49 square miles). They are all volcanic islands, composed of basalt and surrounded by coral reefs. Flat terrain, most of which are 31? 41 meters (98? 131 feet), the highest Maoyu Island is 79 meters (259 feet) above sea level. Penghu, Fisherman and Baisha Island are the largest, and there is a stone embankment between Penghu and Baisha Island, which can be crossed on foot at low tide.

Magong Port between Penghu Island, Baisha Island and Xiyu Island is a natural harbor. Affected by Kuroshio (Japanese warm current), the climate is mild, with an average annual temperature of 1.6? 28℃(61? 82 F). It's windy. The northeast wind prevails in winter and the southwest wind prevails in summer. The annual rainfall is 1,133 mm (41 inches), concentrated in 6? September. Agriculture is mainly dry farming, and residents are mostly engaged in fishing. Fishermen from China, Fujian and Zhejiang provinces settled here very early. In the seventh year of the Southern Song Dynasty (1171), Penghu was formally drawn into the territory, and troops were stationed on the island. In the 6th century, the Portuguese called this island Pescadores (Fisherman's Island). 1622? The Dutch occupied the island in 1624, 1884? It was occupied by the French in 1885, 1894? After the Sino-Japanese War in 1895, it was ceded to Japan along with Taiwan Province. It was returned to China after the Japanese surrender in 1945. The archipelago borders the Taiwan Province Strait and is known as the "key to the Taiwan Province Strait".

The name of Penghu is based on the fact that the largest island in Penghu is similar to Zhongtun Island, Baisha Island and Xiyu Island. The sea outside is surging and the lake is calm. Clarification is like a tide, hence the name.

Penghu has counties, facing Yunlin, Chiayi and Tainan in the east and Xiamen in Fujian in the west. The county consists of Penghu Island and 63 other islands around it. Collectively known as the Penghu Islands. The county covers an area of about 127 square kilometers, and has jurisdiction over magong city and five townships, namely, Huhu, Baisha, Xiyu, Wang 'an and Qimei, with the county seat in magong city. The population of the county is about 91,111, and the residents are Han nationality, with Quanzhou, Fujian being the largest among the world's inhabitants.

The Penghu Islands are strategically located, separated from Taiwan Province Island by the Penghu Waterway in the east, with the shortest distance of about 24 nautical miles, and facing Xiamen City, Fujian Province on both sides across the sea, with the shortest distance of about 75 nautical miles. In the past, ships that crossed the Taiwan Province Strait and traveled between the mainland and Taiwan Province Island often entered Magong Port on Penghu Island. From here, you can reach Mazu Islands, Dachen Island and Zhoushan Islands to the north, dongsha islands and Nansha Islands to the south, and the Philippines and Southeast Asian countries. Penghu Islands, located in the center of the Taiwan Province Strait, is called the "southeast key" because it is the hub of shipping in eastern Asia.

The development history of Penghu can be traced back to before Qin and Han Dynasties. In recent years, archaeologists in Taiwan Province have unearthed hard sandstone stone axes and other ancient relics on Penghu Island, which were left over by immigrants who came across the sea before Qin and Han Dynasties, belonging to the culture of the mainland of the motherland, but the mainland culture in this period has not been found on the island of Taiwan Province. It shows that the spread of the mainland culture of the motherland goes to Penghu first, and then from Penghu to Taiwan Province. Penghu plays an indelible and important role in the spread of culture. Later. With the development of navigation technology, Penghu Islands have gradually become a springboard for cross-strait traffic in Taiwan Province. It has a good harbor and is a meeting point for all kinds of ship activities in the Taiwan Province Strait.

penghu was formally incorporated into Chinese territory in the song dynasty. at that time, people from Quanzhou, Fujian province had moved to penghu, and there were more and more immigrants in the yuan dynasty. in the 16th year of yuan dynasty (1279), the rulers of the yuan dynasty set up an inspection department in penghu, which was subordinate to Quanzhou prefecture, Fujian province, and its development time was more than 381 years earlier than that of Taiwan Province island. In the Ming dynasty, it was twice lost to the Dutch. After Zheng Chenggong recovered Taiwan Province, he set up a appeasement department in Penghu. In the Qing dynasty, patrol inspection and general judgment were set up successively. Penghu Island Hall was set up during the Japanese occupation. After the recovery of Taiwan, Penghu County was established in 1946.

The basement of Penghu Islands is a raised basalt square mountain, which was formed after many ups and downs of land and sea, marine erosion and volcanic eruption, generally at an altitude of 21? 31 meters. Damaoyu Island, located in Wang 'an Township, is 79 meters above sea level, which is the highest place in China. Among the 64 islands, Penghu Island has the largest area of 64.24 square kilometers, followed by Baisha Island and Xiyu Island. There are 8 islands with an area of more than 1 square kilometers, such as Hujing, Jibei and Wang 'an. The remaining 53 islands have an area of less than 1 square kilometers, and 44 of them are uninhabited.

Penghu Islands and Taiwan Province Island are separated by a strip of water, but the climate is quite different. The average annual temperature in the county is 27.7 degrees Celsius. In the hottest July and August, the average temperature is lower than that in Taipei. In the coldest October and February, the average temperature is 1 degrees Celsius higher than that in Taipei. Penghu is cool in summer and warm in winter, but the rainfall is scarce and the wind is strong. There are as many as 144 windy days with the annual average wind speed exceeding 6, among which, from October of each year to October of the following year, the windy days exceed 21 days per month. Every year, except for the southerly wind from June to August, most months are northeast monsoon, and the maximum wind speed can reach more than 21 meters per second, which is equivalent to a moderate typhoon. The annual precipitation in the county is 1,111mm, which is the least in Taiwan Province, and the distribution is uneven. The summer precipitation accounts for 81% of the whole year, and the drought period lasts for about 181 days.

Penghu Islands has a flat terrain, no rivers and mountains, and shallow soil layers, all of which are red-brown soil, with insufficient fertility and water resources. Coupled with strong sea breeze, it is not conducive to crop growth, and only sweet potatoes and peanuts can be planted. In the mid-1981s, watermelons, cantaloupes and loofahs were successfully planted here, known as "three melons" in Penghu, among which cantaloupes were also sold to Taiwan Province Island. However, most of the grain, vegetables and fruits needed by the county depend on the supply of Taiwan Province island.

When you set foot on Yuan Ye in Penghu, you can see a special scene of farmland at a glance. Around fields, there are many windbreaks made of coral reefs. The surface of coral reefs is uneven, slightly soluble in water, and then cemented. The wall built with it, after years of wind and rain, will not collapse, but will be more closely cemented together and very firm. The old houses along the coast of Penghu are mostly made of coral reef stones. So far, this kind of wall is still a major feature of the architectural landscape in Penghu, and some people call it "honeycomb wall". There are many natural wonders on the Fengguiwei Peninsula in Penghu Island, which can be reached in about 21 minutes by car from the county town of magong city. Fengguiwei Peninsula is located opposite to Magong Port, and it is folded with Magong Peninsula to form Magong Bay. The northwest end of the peninsula is the wind cabinet tail, which is the westernmost village of Penghu Island. Due to the geographical location, the wind and waves here are particularly strong, and the glistening foam is flying all over the sky, which has the spirit of "stirring up thousands of piles of snow". Standing here, you can appreciate the power of "Penghu Wind". There is a wind cabinet cave on the outermost side of the northern part of the wind cabinet tail peninsula, with a diameter of about 4 meters. Whenever huge waves pour into the cave, people will hear the sound of thundering waves coming from the depths of the huge cave, which is called "listening to the waves in the wind cabinet". The formation of the wind cabinet cave is related to its geographical location, where warm currents from the Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea pass. At the turn of summer and autumn every year, when a violent typhoon hits Penghu, the outer side of the Fengkuwei Peninsula is at the tuyere, and the sea erosion is particularly strong. The columnar joints along the coast composed of basalt develop, which encourages the power of sea waves to erode along the joints, and finally hollows out the rock wall and forms the Fengkudong.

Go northeast along the roundabout road from Fenggui Cave, and after crossing the sea bridge, you can reach Baisha Island. There is a famous "Tongliang Big Banyan Tree" on the island, which has a tree age of more than 311 years. The original trunk has withered and the branches have sunk into the soil, and more than 21 branches have grown around it, which are intertwined and lush, covering an area of more than 661 square meters. It is like a giant umbrella, forming a natural pavilion. There is a stone table and chair under the pavilion. Sitting here, you can learn about the history of ancient banyan with the old people enjoying the cool air while drinking tea.

It is said that in the 12th year of Kangxi in Qing Dynasty (1673), a Fujian merchant ship passed through Penghu and unfortunately sank in Tongliang Village, Baisha Township, leaving only a basin with two small banyan trees, which floated to the seaside of Tongliang Village with the tide and was picked up by the villagers. It was transplanted to the front of Baoan Palace for irrigation and cultivation. Unexpectedly, it survived today on Penghu Island with few vegetation, becoming not only Penghu, but also Taiwan Province.

From Baisha Island to Fisherman's Island, you have to pass a 2161-meter-long bridge, just like a Changhong, flying in the air. This is the famous Penghu sea-crossing bridge. The bridge deck is 4.6 meters wide, with a return lane every 311 meters and 76 piers. It is said to be the longest cross-sea cement steel pipe bridge in the Far East.

fisherman's island is the second largest island in the penghu archipelago, covering an area of 16 square kilometers. Because it is located to the west of Penghu, it is also called Xiyu. Whenever the sun sets, the beautiful Xiyu and the gorgeous rosy clouds and the blue sea reflect each other, and the scenery is intoxicating. "Sunset at Xiyu" is a famous scenery in Penghu, but the best place to see this scenery is not Xiyu, but the crescent bay from Guanyin Pavilion in magong city to Penghu Fisheries School. Every summer and autumn evening, the beach here is always full of tourists.

the "xiyu lighthouse", which is well known to navigators, stands high outside fisherman's island? On the southwest corner of the village. In the past, ships sailing between Taiwan Province and Xiamen often used Fisherman's Island as their navigation target. In 1769, an ancient beacon was built near Yizaiwei. In 1828, it was converted into a lighthouse and lit at the top of the tower at night. It was named Xiyu Lighthouse, which was the first lighthouse in Taiwan Province Province. In the first year of Guangxu reign in the Qing Dynasty (1875), it was changed into new equipment. The tower was equipped with a fourth-class stationary white light with 511 candles, and the light could penetrate 1.5 nautical miles, which not only provided convenience for ships sailing in the Taiwan Province Strait, but also added splendor to the quaint fisherman's island.

penghu sea area is rich in marine biological resources, with nearly 311 species of migratory and benthic fishes, as well as lobsters, shellfish, corals and algae. The county has more than 2,811 power fishing boats and nearly 11,111 fishermen, accounting for more than half of the county's population. The annual fish catch is about 51,111 tons, of which more than 81% are sold to Taiwan Province Island, Hongkong, Japan and other places, which is the economic pillar of the county. Secondly, there are shallow-sea aquaculture, mainly oysters, spotted shrimps and milkfish. Almost all industries in the county are related to fisheries, mainly including fish processing plants, refrigeration plants, fishing boat repair plants, fishing gear production plants, etc., accounting for more than half of the county's factories; Followed by coral, aragonite, shells and other handicrafts processing plants, there are about 211 large and small factories in the county, and there are more than 511 service companies and enterprises such as commercial wholesale, retail, catering and entertainment.

penghu county is rich in sightseeing resources because of its early development, many historical sites and special geographical landscape. since the early 1981s, the county has begun to pay attention to the development of sightseeing tourism. "Fishing Fire in Penghu" has been one of the "Eight Scenic Spots" in Taiwan Province since the Qing Dynasty. Penghu Tianhou Palace, Xiyu Fort and Xiyu Donggu are all first-class historical sites in Taiwan Province Province. Others include Guanyin Pavilion, Shunchengmen, Confucius Temple and Shigong Temple. Seven beauty tombs, etc., as well as Penghu cross-sea bridge, bathing beach, Chenggong Reservoir and Xiyu Lighthouse. Fruit and leaf sunrise, Tongliang ancient banyan, etc. In recent years, the number of tourists to Penghu has been more than 1 million every year. In 1995, Penghu was officially designated as a "special scenic spot" with a Penghu tourism service center, and tourism has become the most important industry in Penghu County.

Penghu County's external traffic mainly depends on sea and air, and Magong Port has passenger and cargo transport routes to Kaohsiung Port and Keelung Port on Taiwan Province Island. Magong airport has scheduled and non-scheduled flights to Taipei, Tainan, Chiayi, Kaohsiung and other airports. It is hard to find air tickets from June to August in the tourist season every year, and there are few people at ordinary times. The sea-crossing bridge connecting Penghu Island with Baisha and Xiyu Island, which was completed in 1971, has connected the three islands into one, with highways connecting them, and the other islands are mainly driven by ships. In case of strong winds and typhoons, traffic on and off the island almost comes to a standstill.

Penghu is a famous fishing port. Here people can see that at the lively auction stall, the owner sells baskets of fresh fish; On the flat beach, large pieces of dried fish are aired; Fishermen's women on the shore are busy drying their nets; There are countless fishing boats berthing in the bay ... All this shows that fishing is the main production project here. According to statistics, there are about 31,111 people whose main livelihood is fishing, so it has always been called "Fisherman's Island".

Penghu is famous for its rich pomfret and bonito, as well as mackerel, sharks, squid and lobster. Fishing goods caught offshore are mostly shipped to Kaohsiung and Tainan for sale. The fish caught along the coast, except for local sales, are processed and salted into dried fish and sold to all parts of Taiwan Province Province.

Early autumn is the best season to eat seafood in Penghu. Lobsters here are very famous. They are used to living in the crevices of deep-sea rocks, which are difficult to catch, but delicious. In addition, prawns, nine holes and sea bugs are also very valuable. The so-called "nine holes" is a local name, which refers to abalone. This kind of fish is a bit like an airplane. It has two rows of round holes that look like airplane windows. In fact, there are more than nine, but it's just called "nine holes". If you want to taste the fat fish, you can take the dragon fish and the tutuo fish as the top grade, and you can also eat sashimi, fish balls and crabs. In the specialty shops in Penghu, you can also buy dried shrimps and all kinds of dried fish, seaweed and seaweed cakes.

Penghu is rich in cauliflower and seaweed. With a high yield, cauliflower is the raw material for making frozen powder (commonly known as "watercress" in Taiwan Province). It is collected in February and March every year, and it is the busiest in April-June. When food is insufficient, local residents also use cauliflower as food substitute. Seaweed is a kind of seaweed with special effects, and it is the raw material for making "water spinach", which has been a good medicine for children since ancient times. It is widely distributed in Magong Port of Penghu and its adjacent waters.

The rich marine resources in Penghu area are due to the winding coastline. Its coastline length per unit land area is about 1.21 times that of Taiwan Province Island. There are many natural harbors and reefs along the coast, but the water depth in the offshore waters is mostly within 51-111 meters, and the seabed is gentle and the seawater temperature is high, which is suitable for benthic fish to breed and inhabit; Coupled with good ocean current conditions, it is the intersection of Kuroshio (tributary) warm current, South China Sea monsoon warm current and China coastal cold current. It is an ideal place for cold-water and warm-water plankton to breed, which can meet the needs of fish with different water temperature habits for bait, so it can attract fish to swim back. It is a good natural offshore fishing ground.

Penghu is also rich in corals. Taiwan Province Province is the most important coral producing area in China and even in the world, while Penghu is the most abundant and best coral in Taiwan Province, including white, red and pink.

Coral is the skeleton of a coelenterate coral. Coral individuals are tubular, with holes in the center, surrounded by tentacles, clinging to rocks and secreting calcium. Coral continues to multiply, and the accumulated corals in the inner layer gradually die because they can't get algae to sustain their lives, and become the skeleton of coral trees, while the living corals continue to regenerate, forming beautiful coral trees over time. All kinds of corals decorate the seabed into a colorful maze.

Coral in Penghu is very popular because of its excellent texture, smooth and hard color.