Taiwan opens 2 lighthouses to public in 2015

2015-02-03

The lighthouses on Qimei Islet of Taiwan’s outlying Penghu Islands and Fuguei Cape in New Taipei City will open to the public in May and September, respectively, according to the Ministry of Transportation and Communications.

“Lighthouses are unsung heroes in the maritime world and deserve more recognition,” a MOTC official said. “We also want to highlight the tourism value of these facilities by allowing visitors to get up close and personal with them.”

Qimei Lighthouse is of special historic significance as it is the last to be built in Taiwan during the Japanese colonial period (1895-1945). Constructed in 1937, the facility is at the southernmost part of Penghu and surrounded by rugged coastal rock formations and the Tomb of the Seven Beauties.

According to local legend, seven women elected to leap to their death in a well rather than suffer indignities at the hands of marauding Japanese pirates. The well, which was sealed up following the tragic deaths of the women, can still be seen today and has seven trees growing out of it.

Like the lighthouse at Qimei, the one at Fuguei Cape also holds a special honor: It is the first erected by the Japanese and the most northernmost on Taiwan proper. Built in 1897, the historic facility is set to be complemented by a soon-to-open visitor center offering stamps for tourists to mark their trips, as well as walking trails leading to a nearby beach where spectacular sunsets can be experienced.

Since the MOTC Maritime and Port Bureau took over management of Taiwan’s lighthouses from the Customs Administration of the Ministry of Finance in early 2013, 10 of the facilities were opened to the public. This measure has proven enormously popular, with the lighthouses attracting more than 1 million-plus visits.

“We aim to provide access to a total of 16 lighthouses for tourism by 2016,” the official said, adding that the MOTC is committed to spotlighting the beauty of these facilities and Taiwan’s magnificent coastal vistas.”

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=227048&CtNode=413)