Penghu County: Two Rejections of Casinos, the Chrysanthemum Island Chose Not Poverty

On September 26, 2009, Ma announced the results: 17,359 votes against, the casino lost by 3,962 votes. Seven years later in 2016, they voted again, with 81.07% against. An island county with only 1,000 mm of annual rainfall, a registered population of 108,000 but only 80,000 residents, held the nation's first local gambling referendum, and then held it again. The same waters saw Shen Yourong repel the Dutch in 1604, the Dutch move from Fengchuiwei to Tainan in 1622, and French Admiral Courbet die of illness in Magong Harbor in 1885. The 17.4-million-year-old basalt columns remain; 89 islands are black volcanic rock, 1 is older andesite. In the winter vegetable garden stone walls, crops grow in the lee.

30-Second Overview: On September 26, 2009, Penghu held its first gambling referendum; 56.44% voted against, with the opposition leading by 3,962 votes, marking the first local gambling referendum in national history. Seven years later, on October 15, 2016, they voted again; 81.07% voted against, a 25 percentage point increase from the first time. Nothing happened in those seven years to suddenly make Penghu wealthy. An island county with only about 1,000 mm of annual rainfall, a registered population of 108,000 but only about 80,000 residents, and the second-lowest registered population in the country, rejected the resort casino in two referendums. This article argues that the object of the two "NO"s was not the casino, but the right to choose "what Penghu should become."

At 4 AM, Central Street in Magong is empty.

Central Street is one of the oldest Han Chinese streets still existing in Taiwan.1 At the northern end, the "Four-Eye Well" is traditionally believed to be a well where residents have drawn water together since the Ming Dynasty, now designated as a county-level historic site.2 Walking south for another 200 meters brings you to the Kaitai Tianhou Temple. In 1919 (Taisho 8), during temple renovations, a granite stele was unearthed bearing nine characters: "Shen Yourong Ordered the Retreat of the Red-Haired Barbarians, Van Warwijck, et al."3 The year on this stele is the 32nd year of Wanli, 1604 AD.

At 4 AM, the temple doors are closed; the stele sits in a glass case in the Qingfeng Pavilion Cultural Museum. The people of Penghu are sleeping. Tourists will arrive on the 7:30 AM flight tomorrow. The winter Northeast Monsoon blows from the northwest over the old street's Langgu stone walls, blowing into the alleys. Penghu experiences this wind for two-thirds of the year.

This archipelago of 141 square kilometers was the first place in Taiwan that European powers coveted over the last four centuries. The Portuguese called it Pescadores (Islands of Fishermen) in the 16th century. The Dutch came for the first time in 1604, and for the second time in 1622. The French came in 1885. The Japanese landed here in 1895 to take possession of all of Taiwan. In every instance, Penghu was the entry point. The main island of Taiwan was always the one that arrived late.

The 1604 Stele: Shen Yourong Ordered the Retreat of Van Warwijck

In front of the Kaitai Tianhou Temple, 2014. The consensus among historians is that the temple existed since the 32nd year of the Ming Wanli era (1604); the Shen Yourong Stele unearthed by the temple during renovations in 1919 is the earliest existing physical evidence. Photo: Outlookxp.
Kaitai Tianhou Temple, 2014. Photo: Outlookxp via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

There is controversy over the founding date of the Tianhou Temple. The compilation by the Penghu Cultural History Network (penghu.info) states: "The exact founding time has never been concluded. However, it is certain that it existed by the 32nd year of the Ming Wanli era (1604)."4 Academic circles propose five years: 1563, 1592, 1597, 1604, and 1622. Only the year 1604 has physical evidence to verify it: that Shen Yourong Stele.

What happened in 1604?

In that year, Wybrand van Warwijck, commander of the Dutch East India Company, led two ships into Penghu and sent envoys to Fujian to request trade. The Ming court dispatched Admiral Shen Yourong with 50 warships to negotiate. Van Warwijck assessed the commercial prospects and the military balance; on December 15, 1604, he withdrew from Penghu.5 No battle was fought. A stone stele recorded this event, inscribed by Ming officials at the time, unearthed from the temple's foundation 315 years later. In March 2022, the Ministry of Culture designated this stele as a National Treasure.6

📝 Curator's Note: Middle school textbooks introducing early Taiwanese history usually start with the Dutch building Fort Zeelandia in Tainan in 1624. But 1624 was the Dutch "Plan B": they originally intended to occupy Penghu. When they came for the second time in 1622, they had already built a fortress at Fengchuiwei (now Snakehead Mountain at the southern tip of the Fengchui Peninsula in Magong; ruins still exist). In 1624, the Ming court reinforced troops in Penghu, forcing the Dutch to retreat to Tainan. The Dutch era on the main island of Taiwan began only after the people of Penghu drove them away. The Shen Yourong Stele of 1604 is the record of the first round of this 20-year offensive and defensive struggle. In the eyes of the Dutch, Penghu was "the island we wanted to occupy," and the main island of Taiwan was "the place we went to after failing to occupy Penghu."

The year the stele was unearthed was 1919. The Japanese had already ruled Taiwan for 24 years. In 1920 (Taisho 9), during local system reforms, "Magong was renamed Magong (Ma Gong), a usage that continues to this day. 'Magong' is the Japanese abbreviation for 'Magong' (Maggong)."7 The same temple changed names three times over three centuries: Magong → Tianfei Palace → Tianhou Temple. The stele was buried in the foundation at the moment the temple was built, not found until 1919.

Houses of Basalt, Fisheries of Basalt

Columnar basalt on Tongpan Island, 2008. Formed by the cooling and contraction of volcanic magma 15 million years ago, creating five- to six-sided columnar joints, Tongpan is known as the
Columnar Basalt on Tongpan Island, 2008-07-12. Photo: Carrie Kellenberger / globetrotter via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.

The Penghu County Cultural Bureau produced an online teaching material titled "World Wonders: Penghu's Basalt." The first paragraph reads: "Approximately 17.4 to 8.2 million years ago, after several discontinuous eruptions, magma surged from surface fissures..."8

The oldest basalt is on Wang'an Island, erupted approximately 17.4 million years ago. The youngest is on Dongshiping Island, 8.2 million years ago. Over the intervening nine million years, magma continuously surged from underwater fissures, cooling, contracting, and cracking into pentagonal or hexagonal columnar joints. Ninety islands were piled up this way.

Only one island is an exception. The Penghu County Government geology page states: "The geology of the Penghu Islands is the result of Pliocene volcanic activity. Its composition, except for Huayu which is an andesitic igneous rock, is mostly basaltic igneous rock."9 Huayu is the westernmost point; its geology is older andesite. The island has nearly a hundred native plant species, hence the name Huayu (Flower Island). Among the 89 black rocks lies an older, gray-white island.

Basalt is Penghu's building material. Traditional settlements used basalt mixed with Langgu stone (coral reef calcium fossils) to build walls; the Erkan Settlement in Xiyu Township was built this way. The Chen Family Ancient House was designated as a Third-Class Historic Site in 1988 (now a County-Level Historic Site), becoming Taiwan's first traditional settlement preservation area.10 Thick stone slabs press down on the roofs, designed for the Northeast Monsoon. Penghu's annual rainfall is only about 1,000 mm (the lowest band along the western coast), but the wind is strong. From October to March, the Northeast Monsoon lasts for half a year; if tiles are not weighted down, they will be blown away.11

The roof of the Erkan Settlement, 2024. Traditional Minnan-style red tiles are weighted with basalt stones to resist the Northeast Monsoon; Erkan in Xiyu Township is Taiwan's first traditional settlement preservation area. Photo: Perryn1258.
Erkan Settlement Roof, 2011-07-09. Photo: Perryn1258 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Something grows inside the walls. Penghu's "Vegetable Gardens" (Cai Zhai) are the solution for winter farmland. The Wikipedia entry for Penghu Vegetable Gardens states: "Penghu's 'Vegetable Gardens,' also known as 'Zhai Nei,' are exquisite farmlands with stone walls built on all four sides to block the strong Northeast Monsoon, allowing delicate crops to grow smoothly in winter... The north wall is the highest, approximately 1.6 to 2.5 meters... Stone walls are usually built using local materials such as Langgu stone or basalt."12 From the air, hundreds of vegetable gardens connect together, resembling a honeycomb. In winter, outside is the wind howling through the Houmen Channel; inside the walls are cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, ginger, and sweet potatoes.

The same stones go into the sea. "There are fewer than 600 stone fisheries in the world; Penghu County currently has more than 574 stone fisheries, of which at least 109 are around Jibei Island, making it the highest density in the world."13 Fishermen pile basalt and coral reefs into arc-shaped walls in the intertidal zone. When the tide rises, fish swim in; when it recedes, they are trapped inside. The Taiwan Prefecture Gazetteer of the 35th year of the Qing Kangxi era (1696) already recorded Penghu stone fisheries; by the 1950s, stone fishery catches accounted for nearly 80% of the county's total fishery output value.14 Today, most stone fisheries remain only as cultural landscapes, but one of the most complete, the Double-Heart Stone Fishery, remains under the cliff face north of Dingxi in Donghu Village, Qimei Township, rebuilt in 1937 by Jibei master Ba Le Shi.15

✦ "There are fewer than 600 stone fisheries in the world; Penghu County currently has more than 574 stone fisheries, of which at least 109 are around Jibei Island, making it the highest density in the world." (Ministry of Culture Taiwan World Heritage Potential Sites [Penghu Stone Fishery Group]13)

The Ministry of Culture listed both Penghu Basalt and the Penghu Stone Fishery Group as Taiwan's World Heritage Potential Sites. But Taiwan is not a member of UNESCO; the list is written for Taiwan to see.

Qimei Double-Heart Stone Fishery, 2017. Located under the cliff face north of Dingxi in Donghu Village, Qimei Township, rebuilt in 1937, registered as a cultural landscape by the Penghu County Government in 2006. The double-heart shape is the visual effect of the stone walls emerging from the water after low tide. Photo: Zhang Yalun.
Qimei Double-Heart Stone Fishery Cultural Landscape, 2017-09-24. Photo: Zhang Yalun via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

1622 Fengchuiwei: The Dutch's Stepping Stone

Back to the second round after 1604.

On the morning of July 1, 1622, Dutch commander Rijk van Goesteren led a fleet of 12 ships and 1,024 troops to invade Magong Harbor. The Penghu County Government history page states: "On the morning of July 1, 1622 (2nd year of Tianqi, Ming Xizong), Dutch commander Rijk van Goesteren led 12 ships and 1,024 troops to invade Magong Harbor."16 This time, the Dutch learned their lesson and did not request trade. They directly built a fortress at Fengchuiwei (now Snakehead Mountain at the southernmost tip of the Fengchui Peninsula in Magong).

The Ming court reacted slowly. Two years later, in 1624, Nan Juyi took office as Governor of Fujian, reinforcing troops in Penghu to surround the Dutch. Unable to hold out, the Dutch negotiated with the Ming court. The Wikipedia entry for the Dutch Period states: "The Dutch and the Ming Dynasty reached an agreement, agreeing to destroy the fortress and batteries at Fengchuiwei and advance to Taiwan, which was not part of the Ming Dynasty's territory. The Ming Dynasty would not interfere with the Dutch occupation of Taiwan. On August 26, 1624, Dutch troops withdrew from Penghu and moved to Taiwan."17

This Dutch force, withdrawn from Fengchuiwei in Penghu, later built Fort Zeelandia on Anping's One-Kun-Sha in Tainan. The 40-year Dutch era on the main island of Taiwan began.

Next, this island changed hands between Eurasian maritime powers. In 1683, Shi Lang attacked Penghu; Penghu entered the Qing era along with the main island of Taiwan; 1684-1895 Qing rule lasted 212 years. On March 29, 1885, the Sino-French War reached Penghu; French Admiral Amédée Courbet led a fleet to occupy Penghu. Another battle on the main island of Taiwan was still ongoing: that same year, French troops landed in Keelung and were repelled by Liu Mingchuan and plague.18 Penghu fared no better. After the French occupied Penghu, cholera broke out. Admiral Courbet himself died of heatstroke on June 8, 1885, after attending a subordinate's funeral, and died on the flagship Bayard in Magong Harbor on the 11th.19 That same month, the Treaty of Tientsin was signed in Tianjin, and French troops withdrew.

Ten years later, in 1895, the Japanese arrived. From where? Penghu. The Penghu County Government history page states: "On April 17, 1895 (21st year of Guangxu), Li Hongzhang and Ito Hirobumi signed the Treaty of Shimonoseki, formally ceding Taiwan and Penghu to Japan."20 However, Japanese troops had already occupied Penghu from March 23 to 25, three weeks before the Treaty of Shimonoseki was signed. On March 26, 1895, Japan established the "Penghu Islands Administrative Office" in Magong, with Rear Admiral Tanaka Tsunenao as the first director. By the time the treaty was signed on April 17, Japanese troops landed on the main island of Taiwan on June 17.

Strategically, the logic has always been the same: Occupy Penghu first, then enter Taiwan. The Dutch tried this in 1622 but failed. The Japanese achieved it in 1895.

The Cross-Sea Bridge Sews Six Townships into One Penghu

The Penghu Cross-Sea Bridge spans the Houmen Channel between Baisha and Xiyu, 2015. The first generation opened in 1970, then the longest deep-sea bridge in Southeast Asia; the current second generation was completed in 1996, with a total length of 2,494 meters. Photo: Wing1990hk.
Penghu Cross-Sea Bridge spans the Houmen Channel, 2015-06-30. Photo: Wing1990hk via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.

The Penghu County Government began building the Cross-Sea Bridge in 1965. The Penghu National Scenic Area website states: "Construction of the Cross-Sea Bridge began in 1965, completed and opened in 1970."21 The first-generation bridge was 2,478 meters long, then the longest deep-sea bridge in Southeast Asia.

The bridge connects the Houmen Channel between Baisha and Xiyu townships, where the water is deep and the current swift. Before this, Xiyu was only accessible by boat. After the bridge was built, the four townships of Magong City, Huxi Township, Baisha Township, and Xiyu Township were connected by land. The remaining two townships (Wang'an and Qimei) are still in the center of the South China Sea, accessible only by boat or plane.

In 1984, the bridge body began to corrode severely because it was submerged in saltwater and strong winds daily. The second-generation bridge was completed and opened in 1996, "the Penghu Cross-Sea Bridge has a total length of 2,494 meters."22 Two lanes, bridge deck width 13 meters. From 1996 until the Kinmen Bridge opened in 2022, for 26 years, it was Taiwan's longest cross-sea bridge.

✦ The physical meaning of the Cross-Sea Bridge is not "connecting two places," but "sewing six townships into one Penghu."

What was sewn together was not just roads. Before 1970, if you asked a Penghu person "Where are you from?", they might say "I am from Xiyu" or "I am from Wang'an." After 1970, the self-identity of "Penghu person" gained a concrete physical carrier. The townships remain, but the people within them share the same identity.

The 2002 Crashed Flight, the 2003 First Fireworks

On May 25, 2002, at 3:28 PM, China Airlines Flight 611 took off from Songshan Airport (then Zhongzheng International Airport), destination Hong Kong Kai Tak. 15 minutes later, it disintegrated and crashed at 34,900 feet altitude, 23 nautical miles northeast of Magong, Penghu. All 225 people perished. The final accident investigation pointed to improper repairs from a tail scrape in the 1980s.23

Penghu's summer tourism industry was completely shattered. The following year, China Airlines held a "Ten Million Romance in the Chrysanthemum Island" event on the Lunar Qixi Festival as compensation for Penghu's tourism industry. In 2003, the Penghu County Government took over, hosting the first Penghu Marine Fireworks Festival. The Wikipedia entry for the Penghu Fireworks Festival states: "China Airlines, to compensate for the tourism impact this air disaster brought to Penghu, held the 'Ten Million Romance in the Chrysanthemum Island' event on the Lunar Qixi Festival that year. The following year (2003), the County Government held the first 2003 Penghu Marine Fireworks Festival again."24

From this year on, Penghu had a representative summer event. In 2019, the fireworks festival held 22 sessions, with approximately 420,000 tourist visits, the highest in history. COVID brought it back to zero; it restarted in 2022, with tourism revenue exceeding 322 million NTD during the period.

But the fireworks festival has a structural problem: it is only held in summer. Penghu tourism industry practitioners in a The Reporter interview: "Summer work, winter rest, is the common pattern of Penghu tourism operators"25. April to September is the peak season; October to March is the off-season. Flights in the off-season are easily canceled due to the Northeast Monsoon; restaurants and homestays are mostly empty. The Reporter wrote a more precise sentence: "Every other year, another homestay changes operators."

Outsiders see Penghu: blue sky and blue sea in summer. Penghu people see Penghu: summer is when you work, winter is the real Penghu. Winter vegetable gardens still grow crops. The winter Northeast Monsoon keeps blowing. Winter nights on Magong Central Street have no tourists, only locals. Penghu's two times overlap on those 141 square kilometers.

19 Islands, 80,000 People, Dongji Island Has Only 20 Left

The Penghu County Government commissioned National Kaohsiung University of Applied Sciences to conduct an island-wide census in 2005, confirming the total number of islands is 90. Before this, the number from the Japanese colonial era survey, 64, was used. The distribution of the 90 islands is as follows: Magong City 7, Huxi Township 10, Baisha Township 37, Xiyu Township 3, Wang'an Township 32, Qimei Township 126.

Of the 90 islands, only 19 are inhabited. The Penghu National Scenic Area children's version list is: Penghu Main Island, Tongpan Island, Hujing Island, Mudou Island, Jibei Island, Niao Island, Yuanbei Island, Baisha Island, Dacang Island, Zhongtun Island, Yuweng Island, Xiaomen Island, Jiangjun'ao Island, Wang'an Island, Huayu, Xishiping Island, Dongshiping Island, Dongji Island, Qimei Island27. The other 71 are uninhabited, with a total area of only 3.02 square kilometers, smaller than a single community in Magong City.

Dongji Island is a case study. It is the largest island among the Southern Four Islands. The KKday blog record states: "Dongji Island is the largest island among the Southern Four Islands. At its peak, residents numbered over 3,000, known as the 'Little Shanghai.' Currently, only about 10-20 people live there."28 Why did it go from 3,000 to 20? Before the war, Dongji Island was a relay station between the main island of Taiwan and Xiamen; sailors, traders, and brothel owners gathered on this island. After the war, cross-strait isolation cut off trade routes, the island lost its economic foundation, and people moved away in batches.

In 2014, the Penghu Southern Four Islands National Park was officially announced. Wikipedia entry: "The Penghu Southern Four Islands National Park is the ninth National Park of the Republic of China, and also the second marine-type national park in Taiwan's history... Officially announced and implemented on June 8, 2014."29 The scope includes Dongji, Xiji, Dongshiping, and Xishiping islands and surrounding waters, 35,843.62 hectares. The Marine National Park Management Office specially recorded that Xishiping Island "has a coral coverage rate of over 50%, the highest among the Southern Four Islands."30 When people left, the coral grew back.

The population structure of the entire Penghu County is also moving in this direction. As of the end of 2023, the registered population was 108,000, second to last in the country. But the 2020 census resident population was only 82,000, 77% of the registered population. The aging index is about 194%; those over 65 account for 18.97%, those under 15 only 9.76%. Magong City concentrates 60% of the population (about 64,000); Qimei Township has only 3,937 people31.

Fisheries are also shrinking. CNA report on April 20, 2024: "Fishery output has declined by 3/4 in the past 20 years, annual value changing from 4 billion NTD to 2 billion NTD"32. Reasons include climate change, overfishing, and coral habitat degradation. Now, aquaculture fisheries (sea bass, grouper, etc., cage farming) have an annual value of about 1.53 billion, supporting two-thirds of the total fishery output value. Nearshore fishery catches have shrunk to only 730 million. In the 1950s, Penghu stone fisheries contributed 80% of fishery catches; now they serve only a cultural landscape function.

The green sea turtles of Wang'an Township also illustrate the same thing. The "Penghu County Wang'an Island Green Sea Turtle Spawning Habitat Protection Area" was established in 1995, currently Taiwan's only relatively stable green sea turtle spawning ground. But the conservation situation is severe: the number of spawning female turtles decreased year by year from a high of 19; in 2014, only one female turtle came ashore to spawn; in 2022, it rebounded to 3 females laying 6 clutches; in May 2024, the first female turtle came ashore33. Thirty years of conservation, the numbers still fluctuate in single digits.

81.07%: Saying NO a Second Time

Back to the beginning.

On September 26, 2009, the nation's first local gambling referendum. Question: "Should Penghu set up an International Resort Area with an attached casino?" Results:

  • Agree: 13,397 votes (43.56%)
  • Disagree: 17,359 votes (56.44%)
  • Voter turnout: 42.16%
  • Opposition led by 3,962 votes34

This was the second local referendum after the passage of the Referendum Act. The law's design originally required gambling casinos to pass local referendums to be legalized. Penghu was selected because it met the conditions: offshore island, small population, tourism-oriented, has hinterland. The consortium bet. The coordinator of the Penghu County Anti-Gambling Alliance, Shi Zhaohui (Buddhist scholar), said after the vote counting a quote cited to this day: "The shrimp defeated the large consortium; the people of Penghu used their votes to save Penghu, and also save Taiwan"35.

In the next two years, the tourism industry actually picked up. Data from The Reporter's follow-up tracking: "Two years after the 2009 anti-gambling referendum, Penghu's tourist visits increased by 15% by 2011"25. Without a casino, tourism grew. But this frame is too thin—the people of Penghu actually do not live by the narrative of "referendum brings tourism growth."

Seven years later, on October 15, 2016, they voted again. Same question, different numbers:

  • Agree: 6,210 votes (18.93%)
  • Disagree: 26,598 votes (81.07%)
  • Support in each township did not exceed 31%36

What happened in those seven years? Nothing. No sudden wealth, no solution to the winter off-season problem, no solution to youth outmigration, no solution to fishery shrinkage. The people of Penghu simply increased their opposition votes by 25 percentage points, saying NO a second time.

📝 Curator's Note: The common online narrative is "The people of Penghu rejected the casino because they feared security issues." But this statement reverses cause and effect. The core of the people of Penghu's anti-gambling stance is hidden in Shi Zhaohui's words in 2009: "The people of Penghu used their votes to save Penghu." The subtext of the word "save" is that Penghu was originally going to be turned into something else, and the people of Penghu themselves chose not to have that thing. An airport service staff member said in a The Reporter interview: "Those are money games played by consortia; they provide no substantial help to us locally in Penghu"37. A local specialty industry practitioner said more specifically: "Casinos emphasize that eating, drinking, and entertainment are all in the casino; tourists coming to the casino are trapped by the casino's facilities and services; who else will come out to stroll on the streets? We simply cannot make money after setting up the casino"38. The object of the two NOs was not the casino, but the right to choose "who defines Penghu". When outsiders decide for you what you should become, you say no. Even if you don't see how to move forward next, you still say no first.

Common Wealth Magazine interviewed several second-generation Penghu people who returned home. What they are doing is deep tourism, eco-tourism, environmentally friendly tourism—after rejecting the casino tourism imagination, they want to grow something else in the blank space. One of the most quoted sentences is: "Pursuing deep tourism and environmentally friendly practices is the value they identify with"39.

In another in-depth interview by The Reporter, Liu Yiyang of the Penghu Youth Front said a sentence closer to the core: "Actually, every Penghu child is looking for a way to go home"40. Every child who left Penghu to study or work on the main island of Taiwan has a version of what Penghu should look like in their mind. The voters are the accumulated decision of these versions.

Winter Vegetable Gardens, the Northeast Monsoon Blows Outside

Back to the opening scene.

4 AM on Magong Central Street. There is water in the Four-Eye Well, although it is no longer daily drinking water. The doors of the Kaitai Tianhou Temple are closed; the 1604 Shen Yourong Stele sits quietly in the glass case of the Qingfeng Pavilion. The Northeast Monsoon blows from the northwest into the alleys, blowing over the Langgu stone and basalt walls.

Two hundred meters away, the Guanyin Pavilion seaside, the fireworks festival stage is empty in winter. Twelve kilometers away, Snakehead Mountain at Fengchuiwei, the fortress built by the Dutch in 1622 remains only as ruins. Thirty kilometers away, the Baisha Cross-Sea Bridge has no cars. A bit further is Jibei Island, 109 stone fisheries revealing heart and arc shapes at low tide. Further still is Qimei Island, the two hearts of the Double-Heart Stone Fishery clearly floating on the sea surface at low tide.

Further south are the Southern Four Islands. On Dongji Island, 10 to 20 people are sleeping. The coral on Xishiping Island is still growing. In the entire 35,843-hectare marine national park scope, few people, many corals.

The stone walls of every vegetable garden were built later than that Dutch fortress. Every vegetable garden has also been used longer than that Dutch fortress.

The Northeast Monsoon blows outside. The people of Penghu learned this when they were young: You cannot stop the wind, but you can decide in what kind of walls to grow crops. In 1604, Shen Yourong made the Dutch retreat. In 1622, the Dutch moved to Tainan. In 1885, the French admiral died in Magong Harbor. In 1895, the Japanese started taking possession of Taiwan from Penghu. In 2002, China Airlines 611 crashed; in 2003, the fireworks festival began. In 2009, opposed the casino 56%; in 2016, opposed 81%. Penghu has always been chosen by others as an entry point, stepping stone, bargaining chip, resort area, casino backup plan. Every time Penghu says: What you think doesn't count, I think for myself.

Winter. Inside the wall of a vegetable garden, a cauliflower grows slowly in the lee. Outside is the Houmen Channel, 17.4-million-year-old volcanic rock, 19 inhabited islands and 71 uninhabited islands, 80,000 resident population, two referendums.

It takes only 50 minutes to fly from Taipei to Magong. Next time you go to Penghu, don't just go in summer. Go again in winter, look at those stone walls. Look at what grows inside the walls.

Further Reading

  • [Penghu Folk Culture](/culture/Penghu Folk Culture) — Complete local folk records of Kaitai Tianhou Temple, Mazu faith, Erkan Baige, and Wangchuan rituals
  • [Offshore Islands and Marine Culture](/geography/Offshore Islands and Marine Culture) — Taiwan's offshore island marine culture system composed of Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu, Lanyu, and Green Island
  • [Geographical Features and Formation of Taiwan Islands](/geography/Geographical Features and Formation of Taiwan Islands) — Geological differences between the Penghu basalt archipelago and the main island of Taiwan's orogenic movement
  • [Legends of Mazu and Lord Da Dao](/culture/Legends of Mazu and Lord Da Dao) — Cross-sea origins of Mazu faith in the location of Kaitai Tianhou Temple
  • [Taiwan Administrative Divisions](/geography/Taiwan Administrative Divisions) — Context of the 1920 local system reform where Magong was renamed Magong
  • [Sino-French War](/history/Sino-French War) — 1885 French occupation of Penghu, Admiral Courbet's death in Magong Harbor, the Taiwan-Penghu battlefield panorama of the Treaty of Tientsin
  • [Dutch-Spanish Ming Zheng Period](/history/Dutch-Spanish Ming Zheng Period) — The key turning point of the Dutch withdrawing from Fengchuiwei in Penghu to Tainan Da'er 1622-1624

Image Sources

This article uses 5 Wikimedia Commons licensed images:

Extended Video:

References

  1. Magong Central Street — Magong City Office of Culture and Tourism — Magong Central Street is one of the oldest Han Chinese streets still existing in Taiwan, the block formed during the Ming and Qing dynasties, the southern end is Kaitai Tianhou Temple, the northern end is the Four-Eye Well.↩
  2. Four-Eye Well — Penghu County Cultural Bureau — County-level historic site, located at the northern end of Magong Central Street, originally a large well, covered with six granite strips forming four water intake mouths, a well where residents drew water together since the Ming Dynasty, designated as a historic site in 1985.↩
  3. Penghu Tianhou Temple — Wikipedia — 1919 (Taisho 8) temple renovation unearthed the Ming Wanli 32nd year (1604) "Shen Yourong Ordered the Retreat of the Red-Haired Barbarians, Van Warwijck, et al." stele complete archaeological record.↩
  4. Penghu Tianhou Temple — Penghu Knowledge Service Platform penghu.info — Original text: "The exact founding time has never been concluded. However, it is certain that it existed by the 32nd year of the Ming Wanli era (1604). There are claims for the 42nd year of Ming Jiajing (1563), 20th year of Wanli (1592), 25th year of Wanli (1597), 32nd year of Wanli (1604), 2nd year of Tianqi (1622)" complete founding year verification.↩
  5. Shen Yourong — Wikipedia — Ming Wanli 32nd year (1604) Admiral Shen Yourong led 50 warships to Penghu, December 15 Van Warwijck withdrawal event process.↩
  6. Shen Yourong Ordered the Retreat of the Red-Haired Barbarians, Van Warwijck, et al. — Ministry of Culture National Cultural Heritage Network — March 2022 Ministry of Culture officially designated as National Treasure official announcement, stele is granite, 200 cm high, 28 cm wide, 14 cm thick.↩
  7. Magong History — Magong City Office — Original text: "Taisho 9th year (1920) implemented local autonomy, Penghu changed to county system, Magong renamed Magong (Ma Gong) usage continues to this day. 'Magong' two characters are Japanese abbreviation for 'Magong' (Maggong)."↩
  8. World Wonders—Penghu's Basalt — Penghu County Cultural Bureau Online Teaching Material — Penghu County Cultural Bureau Basalt Topic Website, original text: "Approximately 17.4 to 8.2 million years ago, after several discontinuous eruptions, magma surged from surface fissures."↩
  9. Penghu Geology — Penghu County Government — Original text: "The geology of the Penghu Islands is the result of Pliocene volcanic activity. Its composition, except for Huayu which is an andesitic igneous rock, is mostly basaltic igneous rock" official geology record.↩
  10. Erkan Settlement — Penghu County Cultural Bureau — Xiyu Township Erkan Chen Family Ancient House 1988 designated as Third-Class Historic Site (now County-Level Historic Site), Taiwan's first traditional settlement preservation area official record.↩
  11. Penghu County Climate Characteristics — Central Weather Bureau — Penghu station average annual rainfall about 1,000 mm, less than half of the main island of Taiwan average; 10-3 month Northeast Monsoon lasts half a year climate characteristic record.↩
  12. Penghu Vegetable Gardens — Wikipedia — Original text: "Penghu's 'Vegetable Gardens,' also known as 'Zhai Nei,' are exquisite farmlands with stone walls built on all four sides to block the strong Northeast Monsoon, allowing delicate crops to grow smoothly in winter... The north wall is the highest, approximately 1.6 to 2.5 meters... Stone walls are usually built using local materials such as Langgu stone or basalt" complete architectural record.↩
  13. Taiwan World Heritage Potential Sites: Penghu Stone Fishery Group — Ministry of Culture Cultural Assets Bureau — Original text: "There are fewer than 600 stone fisheries in the world; Penghu County currently has more than 574 stone fisheries, of which at least 109 are around Jibei Island, making it the highest density in the world" official statistics.↩
  14. Penghu Stone Fishery Culture — Penghu County Cultural Bureau — Qing Kangxi 35th year (1696) Taiwan Prefecture Gazetteer recorded Penghu stone fisheries, 1950s stone fishery catches accounted for nearly 80% of the county's total fishery output value historical record.↩
  15. Double-Heart Stone Fishery — Wikipedia — Qimei Township Donghu Village Dingxi north cliff face, 1937 rebuilt by Jibei master Ba Le Shi, 2006 Penghu County Government registered as cultural landscape complete record.↩
  16. Penghu County History — Penghu County Government — Original text: "Ming Xizong Tianqi 2nd year (1622 AD) July 1 morning Dutch commander Rijk van Goesteren led 12 ships, 1024 troops invaded Magong Harbor" complete Dutch invasion record.↩
  17. Taiwan Dutch Rule Period — Wikipedia — Original text: "The Dutch and the Ming Dynasty reached an agreement, agreeing to destroy the fortress and batteries at Fengchuiwei and advance to Taiwan, which was not part of the Ming Dynasty's territory. The Ming Dynasty would not interfere with the Dutch occupation of Taiwan. On August 26, 1624, Dutch troops withdrew from Penghu and moved to Taiwan" official withdrawal date.↩
  18. Keelung Battle — Wikipedia — 1884 Sino-French War Keelung Battle complete timeline, 1884 November broke out cholera and typhus, December 23 83 French soldiers died of illness, total 700+ casualties, Courbet arrived in Penghu in 1885.↩
  19. Amédée Courbet — English Wikipedia — French Admiral Courbet March 29, 1885 led fleet to occupy Penghu, June 8 attended subordinate's funeral heatstroke, 11th died on Magong Harbor flagship Bayard (cholera) military biography.↩
  20. Penghu County History — Penghu County Government — Original text: "Guangxu 21st year (1895 AD) April 17 Li Hongzhang and Ito Hirobumi signed Treaty of Shimonoseki, formally ceding Taiwan and Penghu to Japan", Japanese troops March 23-25 occupied Penghu, March 26 established "Penghu Islands Administrative Office" with Rear Admiral Tanaka Tsunenao as first director military record.↩
  21. Penghu Cross-Sea Bridge — Penghu National Scenic Area Management Office — Original text: "Construction of Cross-Sea Bridge began in 1965, completed and opened in 1970" official engineering history record.↩
  22. Penghu Cross-Sea Bridge — Penghu National Scenic Area Management Office — Second-generation Cross-Sea Bridge 1984 began widening, 1996 completed and opened engineering record, original text: "Penghu Cross-Sea Bridge total length 2,494 meters", two lanes, bridge deck width 13 meters.↩
  23. China Airlines Flight 611 Disaster — Wikipedia — May 25, 2002 3:28 PM takeoff, 15 minutes later disintegrated at 34,900 feet altitude 23 nautical miles northeast of Magong, Penghu, 225 people perished, accident investigation pointed to 1980s tail scrape improper repair complete accident report.↩
  24. Penghu Marine Fireworks Festival — Wikipedia — Original text: "China Airlines, to compensate for the tourism impact this air disaster brought to Penghu, held the 'Ten Million Romance in the Chrysanthemum Island' event on the Lunar Qixi Festival that year. The following year (2003), the County Government held the first 2003 Penghu Marine Fireworks Festival again", 2019 22 sessions, tourist visits about 420,000, 2022 period tourism revenue over 322 million historical record.↩
  25. After the Gambling Referendum, Penghu Youth's New Nostalgia — The Reporter — Original text: "Summer work, winter rest, is the common pattern of Penghu tourism operators", "Every other year, another homestay changes operators", "Penghu's tourist visits increased by 15% by 2011, two years after the 2009 anti-gambling referendum" three key quote complete sources.↩
  26. Penghu County Total 90 Islands — Epoch Times — 2005 Penghu County Government commissioned National Kaohsiung University of Applied Sciences island census results, Magong City 7 + Huxi Township 10 + Baisha Township 37 + Xiyu Township 3 + Wang'an Township 32 + Qimei Township 1 = 90 islands specific distribution.↩
  27. Penghu Island Distribution — Penghu National Scenic Area Management Office Children's Version — 19 inhabited islands complete list: Penghu Main Island, Tongpan Island, Hujing Island, Mudou Island, Jibei Island, Niao Island, Yuanbei Island, Baisha Island, Dacang Island, Zhongtun Island, Yuweng Island, Xiaomen Island, Jiangjun'ao Island, Wang'an Island, Huayu, Xishiping Island, Dongshiping Island, Dongji Island, Qimei Island.↩
  28. Penghu Southern Four Islands Dongji Island Little Shanghai — KKday Blog — Original text: "Dongji Island is the largest island among the Southern Four Islands. At its peak, residents numbered over 3,000, known as the 'Little Shanghai.' Currently, only about 10-20 people live there" population change record.↩
  29. Penghu Southern Four Islands National Park — Wikipedia — Original text: "The Penghu Southern Four Islands National Park is the ninth National Park of the Republic of China, and also the second marine-type national park in Taiwan's history... Officially announced and implemented on June 8, 2014", sea area 35,473.33 hectares, land area 370.29 hectares, total area 35,843.62 hectares official record.↩
  30. Xishiping Island Coral Ecology — Marine National Park Management Office — Original text: "Xishiping Island has a coral coverage rate of over 50%, the highest among the Southern Four Islands, underwater can see large branches or table-shaped Acropora coral dense growth, extremely high conservation value" marine national park official record.↩
  31. Penghu County Population Statistics — Penghu County Government Civil Affairs Office — End of 2023 registered population 108,000 (second to last in the country), 2020 census resident population about 82,000 (77% of registered population), aging index 194%, Magong City about 64,000, Qimei Township 3,937 official statistics.↩
  32. Penghu Fisheries 20 Years Decline — CNA — April 20, 2024 report original text: "Fishery output has declined by 3/4 in the past 20 years, annual value changing from 4 billion NTD to 2 billion NTD", aquaculture fishery value 1.53 billion, nearshore coastal fishery 730 million structural transformation data.↩
  33. Wang'an Island Green Sea Turtle Spawning Habitat Protection Area — Penghu National Scenic Area — January 17, 1995 established, area 23.3 hectares, May-October each year spawning season, spawning female turtle numbers decreased from highest 19 to 2014 only 1, 2022 rebounded 3 laying 6 clutches, May 2024 first female turtle came ashore conservation status.↩
  34. Penghu Gambling Referendum — Wikipedia — September 26, 2009 first gambling referendum complete vote count: Agree 13,397 (43.56%), Disagree 17,359 (56.44%), valid votes 30,756 (99.04%), voter turnout 42.16%, opposition led by 3,962 votes election data.↩
  35. Shi Zhaohui Anti-Gambling Alliance Coordinator — Wikipedia 2009 Gambling Referendum Entry — Original text: "The shrimp defeated the large consortium; the people of Penghu used their votes to save Penghu, and also save Taiwan" anti-gambling alliance coordinator Shi Zhaohui post-vote quote record.↩
  36. 2016 Penghu Gambling Referendum — Wikipedia — October 15, 2016 second gambling referendum complete vote count: Agree 6,210 (18.93%), Disagree 26,598 (81.07%), valid votes 32,808, support in each township below 31%, Baisha Township support 30.70% highest election data.↩
  37. Penghu Airport Service Staff Anti-Gambling Quote — The Reporter — Original text: "Those are money games played by consortia; they provide no substantial help to us locally in Penghu" airport service staff interview record.↩
  38. Penghu Local Specialty Industry Practitioner Anti-Gambling Quote — The Reporter — Original text: "Casinos emphasize that eating, drinking, and entertainment are all in the casino; tourists coming to the casino are trapped by the casino's facilities and services; who else will come out to stroll on the streets? We simply cannot make money after setting up the casino" local specialty industry practitioner interview record.↩
  39. Referendum Results Revealed Why Penghu People Firmly Opposed Gambling with 80% — Common Wealth Magazine — Original text: "Pursuing deep tourism and environmentally friendly practices is the value they identify with" Penghu second-generation returnees core value record.↩
  40. Penghu Youth Front Liu Yiyang — The Reporter — Original text: "Actually, every Penghu child is looking for a way to go home" Penghu Youth Front member Liu Yiyang interview quote.↩
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