Xiaoliuqiu

Coordinates: 22°20′19.12″N 120°22′11.34″E / 22.3386444°N 120.3698167°E / 22.3386444; 120.3698167

Liouciou Township
Township
Liuqiu Township in Pingtung County
Satellite image of Little Liuqiu
Country	Republic of China (Taiwan)
County	Pingtung County
Area
• Total	6.8 km2 (2.6 sq mi)
Population (December 2014)
• Total	12,675
• Density	1,900/km2 (4,800/sq mi)
Website	http://liuqiu.pthg.gov.tw/liuqiu/

Little Liuqiu, Lamay/Lamey or Golden Lion Island^[1][2] (Chinese: 小琉球; pinyin: Xiǎo Liúqiú; Wade–Giles: Hsiao³ Liu²-ch'iu²; literally: "Lesser Liuqiu") is an island belonging to Taiwan and administered as Liouciou Township (Chinese: 琉球鄉; Hanyu Pinyin: Liúqiú Xiāng; Tongyong Pinyin: Lióucióu Siang) of Pingtung County. It has an area of 6.8 km² and lies 15 km (8 nautical miles) west of Donggang; it is Taiwan's only large coral island. The eight villages on the island are populated by approximately 13,000 residents with 10 shared surnames.

Etymology and names

"Lambay insel" (German) on an early 20th century map

Little Liuqiu was once known as Lamay/Lambay isle, a term that most probably originates from a Taiwanese aboriginal language.

Two years prior to Dutch rule, a Dutch ship named the Golden Lion (Early Modern Dutch: Gouden Leeuw) was wrecked on the coral reefs of the isle. After the Dutch took control of the island, they renamed it "Golden Lion Island" (Gouden Leeuwseylant) as a memorial to the crew who were killed by the native inhabitants.^[3]

According to the book of Yuan Shi (book of the history of the Yuan Dynasty), ‘Liuqiu’ originally refers to the island that is today Taiwan. But since the Ming Dynasty the term ‘Liuqiu’ changed to refer to the Lamay island, the island that is today Little Liuqiu. Due to confusion between "Liuqiu" and the Mandarin name of the Ryukyu islands of Japan (which is literally "Liuqiu"), the name "Little Liuqiu" was used since the Japanese Occupation of Taiwan.

After the Republic of China took control of Taiwan, the island was administrated under the name Liuqiu Township as a part of Pingtung County, the only island township of the county.

Geography

Little Liuqiu seen from Dapeng Bay, Linbian Township, Pingtung

Located at the southwest coast of Taiwan, the island is bordered by the Taiwan strait to the west and the South China Sea to the South. It is one of Taiwan's largest coral islands and the only one with significant population and human activities. There are no rivers so farming is very difficult. Most residents make their living by fishing. In recent years the island has become noted for cage aquaculture.

Climate

Liuqiu island has a tropical monsoon climate, with warm temperatures year round with a rainy season from April to October and a dry season with cooler temperatures from November to March of the following year. The sea temperature of Little Liuqiu is above 25 degrees Celsius year round, making it one of the best locations for swimming activities during the winter in Taiwan, as well as allowing up to thousands of species of coral reefs to inhabit the area.

Tourism

Flower Vase Rock, a popular tourist spot

Sanmin Old Street of Little Liuqiu

The Biyun Temple during Taiwan's Ghost Festival

Efforts for planned development received a boost after the island was included in the Dapeng Bay National Scenic Area in 2004. Tourism gradually got popular mainly since the late 2000s, with increasing media exposure and advertisements. There are hundreds B&Bs or hotels on the island providing service for the tourists, many of which includes packages such as bicycle renting or scuba diving. According to Pingtung county's statistics of tourism, the number of visitors of Little Liuqiu has peaked above 500,000 per year as of 2013,^[6] a relatively large amount for an island that is only 6.8 km² in size.

Some of the best-known local sights include Black Dwarf Cave (烏鬼洞), Beautiful Maiden Cave, Houshih Rock Formations, and Venice Beach.

Liuqiu is a popular tourist destination and is well known for its ghost stories and rumors of haunted caves. The most famous is Black Dwarf Cave. Carved on the entrance of the cave is this story:

It was in 1661 (the 15th year of the Yong Li Ming Dynasty) national hero Koxinga (Cheng Chen-kung, 鄭成功), knighted as Yen Ping King, drove the Dutch and restored Taiwan and the Pescadores (Penghu). During the Dutch escaping, some negroes were separated from their unit and arrived at this island. They lived in this cave. Some years later, a British boat with soldiers landed at the place northeast of the cave. As they were enjoying the scenery, those negroes robbed their food and other things, burned the boat and killed all the British. It was discovered by the British warship that they landed this island and sought the murderers while the negroes hid in the cave. In spite of many threats, they refused to surrender. Finally, the British burned the cave with oil. Then, all the negroes died there in the cave. Later it was named as the Black Spirit Cave, which means the cave in which the foreign negroes had lived before.^[7]

Many have doubted the accuracy of this story and have instead related the "Negroes" to members of the local Siraya tribe, who were massacred in the Lamey Island Massacre.^[7]

Beautiful Maiden Cave (美人洞) has a tragic legend attached to its history. The cave is named after the young daughter of a Ming loyalist who was exiled from China by the Manchurians. According to legend, the loyalist lived with his daughter in the cave, surviving on plants and small fish. When the father eventually died, his daughter was so stricken with grief that she bit her own tongue off and died.

List of scenic spots

Administrative divisions

Baisha Port, the only port on Lamay Island

Liuqiu Airport runway

Liuqiu Township consists of 8 villages, while Zhongfu Village is the administrative center of the township.

Transportation

The only transportation to the island is by ship, although there is an airport that once had passenger service with direct flights between Kaohsiung international airport and Little Liuqiu. It is now for helicopter use only. The island is 8-9 nautical miles from the Taiwan mainland, which is about a 25- to 30-minute boat ride.

Education

The island only provides education from primary to junior high school. Senior high school and university students need to attend schools on the Taiwanese Mainland.

Primary School

• Pingtung Baisha Primary School
• Pingtung Liuqiu Primary School
• Pingtung Tiannan Primary School
• Pingtung Quande Elementary School

Junior High School

• Pingtung Liu-chiu Junior High School

Temples

Liuqiu island is famous for its 38 temples^[8]—six per square kilometer. The most important temple on the island is Piyun Temple, dedicated to Guanyin, the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy. On Guanyin's birthday, the nineteenth day of the second lunar month, a festival is held in Piyun Temple.

Taiwanese opera troupes perform twice a day in front of the major temples for 40 to 50 days.

Wildlife

Liuqiu island is well known for its diverse ecosystem. Chung Au Beach, a popular tourist destination, is a shell sand beach abutting waters that are home to approximately 176 species of fish and numerous coral species. It is also home to sub-adult and adult green sea turtles, with adult females coming ashore to nest during the summer months.

See also

• List of islands of the Republic of China
• List of islands of Taiwan
• List of islands in the East China Sea
• Lamey Island Massacre

References

External links

• Tapeng Bay National Scenic Area (Chinese)
• Liouciou Township Office (Chinese)
• Liuqiu official tourism website

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lamay Island.

Cities and townships of Pingtung County County seat: Pingtung City Cities Pingtung City Urban townships Chaojhou Donggang Hengchun Rural townships Changzhi Checheng Chunrih Fangliao Fangshan Gaushu Jhutian Jiadong Jiouru Kanding Laiyi Ligang Linbian Linluo Liouciou Majia Manjhou Mudan Nanjhou Neipu Sandimen Shihzih Taiwu Wandan Wanluan Wutai Sinpi Sinyuan Yanpu Note: Although Hanyu Pinyin is the national standard, Tongyong Pinyin is still commonly used in Pingtung.

Administrative divisions of outlying islands of Taiwan Kaohsiung Qijin District (Pratas Islands and Taiping Island) Kinmen Jincheng Township Jinhu Township Jinsha Township Jinning Township Lieyu Township Wuqiu Township Lienchiang1 Beigan Township Dongyin Township Juguang Township Nangan Township Penghu Magong City Baisha Township Huxi Township Qimei Township Xiyu Township Wang'an Township Pingtung Liuqiu Township Taitung Lanyu Township Lüdao Township Yilan Toucheng Township (Guishan Island and Diaoyutai Islands2) 1 Lienchiang County commonly known as Matsu. 2Diaoyutai Islands are controlled by Japan, (called Senkaku Islands).