With the advent of cheap domestic air travel around the island, Hualien and Taitung are easy and convenient to visit. The coastal area between the two cities is still neglected, though, with only the occasional tourist bus delivering flocks of visitors to the more recognized attractions. This might be because these attractions are mostly natural rather than man-made. The area cannot boast the amusement parks and gangs of food vendors that surround tourist spots in more developed areas of the island.
Rock Formations and Mountain Scenery
What it does have though, is an abundance of spectacular rock formations and mountain scenery. For this reason, the ROC Tourism Bureau designated the area as the East Coast National Scenic Area (ECNSA) in 1988. The Bureau also established a separate body to develop, protect, and promote the area, known as the ECNSA Administration.
This inhospitable strip of land sandwiched between the eastern mountains and the sea is home to only around 10 percent of Taiwan's population, with a majority of these residents being indigenous aborigines (mainly of the Ami tribe) rather than Chinese immigrants.
On this narrow coastal plain, in some places only a few meters wide, the hardy east coast dwellers eke out a living. There is little industry in the area and agriculture is limited to rice and fruit production. It's not unusual to see rice paddies which run right to the foreshore, sometimes with the sea lapping at their walls. Fishing is another staple of the local economy, and elaborate systems of nets form a gossamer patchwork on the water along much of this coast.
As the area's sparse population is distributed along the whole of the southeast coast, the region is far less crowded than the rest of Taiwan. In fact, after the manic bustle of Taipei, it's hard for visitors to believe that the southeast coast is part of the same island. One can travel for miles, seeing only the occasional rice farmer tending his crop or a lone fisherman casting his long sea rod off one of the black volcanic rocks that characterize the area's landscape.
The coast, with its towering mountains and bizarre rock formations, provides a graphic illustration of the tectonic action that formed the island and its subsequent erosion by the sea. The area has a rugged feel, as if the constant battering that it receives from the mighty Pacific Ocean has only made it more stubbornly resistant to the sea's assault.
Shortly before the aborigine village of Shuilien, the road climbs and starts twisting through the mountains as they jut straight out into the sea. About 10 kilometers further on, a parking area at Pachi offers the chance of a break and a glorious view of Chichi Bay to the south.
Passing through the town of Fengpin, one of the biggest settlements on the coast (and hence a good place for drivers to buy fuel, as there aren't many gas stations on Route 11), the road runs virtually straight along the coast again until it reaches Shihmen (Stone Gate). This is a fascinating area of caves and eroded rock platforms that is well worth a few minutes spent exploring. The area gets its name from one of the caves which resembles a Chinese arched doorway.
Just a few kilometers down the road is Shihtiping (Stone Stairs). The stretch of coast here has been eroded by the sea into what look like steps rising out of the water. These formations run for almost one kilometer and end at the village of Takangkou (Big Harbor). Across the highway in the hills opposite the stone step formations is the enormous Moon Cave.
The starting point of the race and for normal rafting trips, is about 20 kilometers inland at the Juisui Bridge, reached via the Juikang Highway. The highway itself is well worth a detour as it runs alongside the river gorge with its dramatic views of boiling white water rushing between the sheer cliff faces. The road also passes through the aboriginal village of Chimei, inhabited by members of the Ami tribe.
Back at the mouth of the river, crossed by the noble Changhung (Long Rainbow) Bridge, tour boats offer trips upriver. For more excitement, local boatmen will take visitors out in high-powered speedboats and scream around the estuary. This activity seems more an excuse for the boat drivers to get paid for being river hooligans rather than entertainment for the customers, but many teenage visitors seem to enjoy it.
A little way south of Chingpu is a large white tower that looks like a lighthouse which has been built in the wrong place. This tower actually marks the Tropic of Cancer which intersects the coast.
The second of this trio of attractions is Shihyusan (Stone Umbrella) Rock. With a small beach and rocky promontory, this area makes a quiet rest stop--unless there are too many tour buses congregating there. The site features a famous rock which has another rock balanced on top of it and so looks like an umbrella.
Completing the trilogy of must-see scenic sites is Sanhsientai (Three Immortals Terrace) a few kilometers to the south. This is a small island covered with fascinating rock pools, coral formations, and flora and fauna. The local authority has thoughtfully built a bridge across to the island to save visitors from having to wade across. The multispan edifice rather spoils the natural beauty of the site, even if it does facilitate easy access for tour groups.
Between the villages of Tulan and Yuao is an attraction which causes endless wonder and amusement to tour parties. This is an irrigation channel where, due to an optical illusion, the water appears to run uphill.
The best beach on the southeast coast, and one of the few actually safe for swimming, is Shanyuan Beach. Many local people enjoy windsurfing and sailing here, as well as snorkeling on the coral reefs that bracket the beach.
The final attraction before the ECNSA ends at Taitung is Hsiaoyehliu (Little Yehliu). This area of strange rock formations is named after its famous bigger brother on Taiwan's north coast and gives a vivid illustration of the erosive power of the sea.
A Unique Atmosphere
Though there are many recognized tourist attractions along the southeast coast, the area should not be judged on these alone. There is a special atmosphere to much of the area, a feeling of being close to the enormous power of nature. The brooding mountains, the crystal-clear sky, and the stunning aquamarine color of the sea combine to give a sense of almost elemental majesty in some parts of the coast.
Rather than rushing from one amusing rock formation to another, this is an area that deserves to be explored, savored, and lingered in, until its understated beauty works its way into the visitor's consciousness. Experienced in this way, this is a part of Taiwan that visitors will remember with affection long after they have left it.
Copyright 1995 Vision International Publishing Co.