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Tastes and Colors of Pingtung
1. The Three Treasures of Tungkang
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| Bluefin tuna, banded coral shrimp, and oilfish roe, the "three treasures of Tungkang,"are famous all over Taiwan.
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Tungkang has been a major gateway to southern Taiwan ever since Zheng Chenggong, the late Ming dynasty general who reconquered Taiwan from the Dutch, opened up the port in the 17th century. In its heyday it rivaled Kao-hsiung (then known as Takou) with giant warships and trade vessels constantly coming and going. Tungkang is no longer renowned as a commercial port, but it remains one of Taiwan's largest fishing harbors. If you go for a wander in the famous Overseas Chinese Market around dusk, you can see for yourself the fresh catch, still thrashing and flopping about. It really whets your appetite.
One of the so-called "three treasures of Tungkang"is the bluefin tuna, which the Japanese call toro. Just a small slice of raw toro will set you back NT$300. Said to be rich in EPA, the good cholesterol, it's non-fattening, and excellent for maintaining your health. Japanese gourmands generally can't get enough of it and huge volumes have been sold to Japan, so much so that people born and raised in Tungkang have rarely even tasted it. Only in recent years, which have seen the Japanese economy in the doldrums and export sales slacken, have Taiwanese at last been able to enjoy this world-class delicacy.
Another quality item, similarly popular with Japanese buyers, is the banded coral shrimp. These grow no more than an inch long but their almost luminous red color stands out on the seabed. Tung-kang and Suraga Bay in Japan are the only places in the world they're caught, and they're highly prized. They're usually dried in the sun and then stored. When it's time to eat, they're quickly fried over a hot fire. They have a light and crispy texture.
Tungkang also produces oilfish roe, which is much larger and fleshier than the common black caviar. Pickling oilfish roe is really time consuming; it's cut into fine slices and then complemented with garlic shoots and daikon radish. The final product is smooth on the palate, and rich in flavor.
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| Tungkang's magnificently colorful Tunglung Temple is the center of the local people's spiritual life. The Boat Burning Ritual, held once every three years, is one of southern Taiwan's major religious ceremonies. |
If you come to Tungkang a tourist attraction you must see is the Tunglung Temple, famous throughout Taiwan for the Boat Burning Ritual which takes place here. Built to honor Wen Wang-yeh, its construction began in 1706. Legend has it that Wen Wang-yeh was a Tang-dynasty scholar who had passed the highest imperial examinations. He received an imperial edict to make a tour of inspection around the empire, but unfortunately while on this mission drowned at sea. The Tang emperor Taizong gave him a posthumous official post, with responsibility for patrolling the world on his behalf, and also commanded that temples to make offerings to Wen Wang-yeh be set up throughout the land. Since then, Wen Wang-yeh has kept constant watch over the coastal areas of Fujian and Zhejiang, protecting the boats which come and go there. The people of Zhangzhou and Quanzhou in Fujian Province hold Wen Wang-yeh in great reverence.
The Boat Burning Ritual takes place every three years at the imposing ceremonial archway in front of Tungkang's resplendent Tung-lung Temple. A boat, filled with models of a modern house, traditional clothing, cars, horses, and electrical appliances, all made of papier-mach" as well as sacrificial offerings of pork, beef and lamb, is burnt as offerings for Wen Wang-yeh to enjoy. The whole ceremony takes eight days, and is held in the time-honored traditional way. Almost everyone in Tungkang gets involved; it reflects the deep devotion the ordinary people in this area have for Wen
Wang-yeh.
2. The Lagoon at Tapeng Bay
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| Young women wear clothes with the hundred-pace snake Rukai motif as they perform a dance to welcome guests, to the lively accompaniment of the strains of pop idol
A-mei. |
Tapeng Bay, covering about 500 hectares, is about 2.5 km southeast of Tungkang. It is a purse-shaped lagoon area with a rich ecosystem, including mangroves (black mangrove), the little egret, and the vast range of migratory birds of every species which come to spend winter here. During the Japanese occupation this was a restricted military zone. After Chinese rule was restored, oyster farmers, who realized that the bay was sheltered from harsh winds or waves and enjoyed abundant sunlight, came in great numbers and built racks to cultivate oysters. These days visitors can take a leisurely ride on a raft, weaving in and out between the oyster racks, an exerience quite out of the ordinary.
Nevertheless, this idyllic scene of traditional oyster cultivation will soon become a thing of the past, so if you want to see it, go quickly. The government has set up the Tapeng Bay National Scenic Area and is planning to build a state-of-the-art yacht marina, a marine park, a golf course, and a large international hotel. All this, at the same time as it's working to protect and maintain the original lagoon ecology. It remains to be seen what kind of balance the new Tapeng Bay will be able to strike between tourism and the environment, traditions and modern life.
3. The Coral Beauty of Hsiao Liuchiu
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| The island of Hsiao Liuchiu is formed entirely from coral. The seawater is sparkling clear, and there's a wealth of things for tourists to see |
Hsiao Liuchiu is rightly called Paradise on the Sea. Last year it became part of the Tapeng Bay National Scenic Area. It's Taiwan's only island formed completely of coral deposits, and it boasts a fantastic variety of coral reefs that rank right up there with the best in the world. Visitors can get there by speedboat from Tungkang Wharf. The trip takes about 20 minutes.
Hsiao Liuchiu is famous for its fabulously beautiful seawaters. Two major attractions are the beautiful Black Ghost Cave of which legends are told, and the Meijen Cave. Black Ghost Cave is full of strange coral reef formations that wind about in an intricate maze, and at its en trance stands an amazingly twisted ancient banyan tree, ascending skywards.
Why not hire a motor scooter and make a circuit of the island with the sea wind in your face, or stroll along the seashore and hunt for treasures on the coral and fossil-covered beaches where hermit crabs scuttle. As dusk falls, don't forget to head to the viewing platform to enjoy the sun setting into the sea. Watching the distant fiery red sun disappear unhurriedly into the deep blue sea amongst the bobbing fishing boats, you want to linger there forever and gaze at the remaining traces of color where the sea meets the sky.
4. Linpien's Black Pearls
Heading south from Tungkang towards Kenting the road passes through Linpien. Visitors should take the opportunity to stop in at the Yunghsing Seafood Restaurant for a bowl of their seafood congee, made from the finest ingredients. In winter, Linpien's wax-apple trees are laden down with clusters of the finest ripe fruit. This variety, known as "Black Pearl,"is famous all over Taiwan. Visitors can go fruit picking and return home laden with all they can carry.
Perhaps we should briefly mention what were once called the "three black things of Pingtung,"namely the Black Pearl wax apples, the bluefin tuna (their Chinese name means "black tuna", and black politics. Since his election, the current county commissioner, Su Chia-chuan, has been vigorously exerting himself on Pingtung's be half to sweep away associations with its shady past, and give the people of Pingtung a new sense of pride and confidence.
*Ferries from Tungkang to Hsiao Liuchiu leave about every one or two hours from 7 a.m. The last ferry back leaves about 5 or 6 p.m. Prices vary depending on the class of ferry but a one-way ticket is about NT$200. You can leave your car at the wharf. For more details contact the public ferry terminus. Phone: (08) 833-7493 (public ferries); (08) 832-5806 (private ferries).
*If you'd like to stay overnight on Hsiao Liuchiu contact the Hsiao Liuchiu Hotel on (08) 861-1133 or the Coco Resort on (08) 861-4368. |
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