Dapeng Bay National Scenic Area

The Dapeng Bay National Scenic Area is located in Donggang Township in southwestern Taiwan's Pingtung County. It covers the two designated scenic areas of Dapeng Bay and Ryukyu.

Dapeng Bay is the largest inner bay in Taiwan. It provides rich resources of sea animals and plants in this region. Redwoods and sea eggplants grow by the sea, while the animals here are mainly birds, fish and mollusks. There are 95 types of birds, including migratory ones. Sea animals include groupers and a special kind of tide-waving crabs on the wetlands.

Most significantly, Ryukyu is the only coral island found among the 14 islands around Taiwan. It is famous for three reasons -- it is the best location in Taiwan for watching sunsets, has the largest variety of corals, and the entire island is a coral reef. Indeed, Ryukyu Island is full of strange rocks and reveals many beautiful ocean landscapes.

There are about 100 temples in Dapeng Bay and on Ryukyu Island. Many temples are located around Donggong, Linbian and Nanchou townships. Among them, the Donggang Temple in Donggang Township has the longest history. Once every three years, people here hold a ceremony called "burning the King Boat". This is considered the biggest celebration of this kind.

Meanwhile, seafood is famous around Taiwan and is generally inexpensive. Donggang Township has three special dishes -- bluefin tuna, cherry shrimp, and fat roe. Ryukyu Island is also famous for its barbecued squid and shellfish.