Qualla: South Penghu Marine National Park

South Penghu Marine National Park: Introduction

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

The fishing boats have gone, and the villages are empty. On the islands of Dongjiyu and Xijiyu, roofless stone houses stand open to the salt wind, their walls still fitted with the cai zhai -- low barriers of stacked coral stone that once shielded vegetable gardens from typhoon gusts. A lighthouse keeper's quarters on Dongjiyu is one of the few structures still in use. Everything else belongs to the geckos, the migratory terns, and the sea. Established in 2014 as Taiwan's ninth national park, South Penghu Marine National Park wraps its protection around these four southern islands and the waters that connect them -- a decision born not from pristine wilderness, but from catastrophe.

South Penghu Marine National Park: A Cold Snap and a Second Chance

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

In 2008, a brutal cold snap swept through the Penghu archipelago and killed marine life on a devastating scale. Coral bleached, fish populations collapsed, and fishermen watched their livelihoods thin overnight. But the southernmost islands, sitting at a slightly lower latitude w...

South Penghu Marine National Park: Basalt Cathedrals

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

The islands themselves are volcanic sculptures. Columns of basalt rise from the sea in hexagonal pillars, their geometry so precise they look engineered rather than erupted. Dongjiyu and Xijiyu display some of the most dramatic columnar basalt formations in the Penghu archipelago...

South Penghu Marine National Park: Ghost Villages and Wind Walls

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Thousands of people once lived on these islands. They fished, they farmed behind their wind-blocking cai zhai walls, and they prayed in small temples that still stand among the ruins. What drove them away was not a single event but a slow accumulation of hardship -- limited fresh...

South Penghu Marine National Park: The Sea Reclaims Its Own

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Fishing restrictions within the park remain controversial. Local fishermen worry that protected zones will shrink their grounds further, while park administrators argue that sustainable management will ultimately restore fish stocks to levels that benefit everyone. Dolphins have ...