Taiwan’s most stunning “sunrise” spots unveiled: Watching the sun rise over the sea is an incredibly moving experience

Travel Center / Taipei Report

As 2013 approaches, in addition to New Year's Eve celebrations in the evening, welcoming the first light of dawn is also a must-do activity for many. ETtoday News Cloud has compiled a list of top sunrise-watching spots across Taiwan. Starting with the earliest sightings on Orchid Island and Green Island, popular sunrise destinations can be found all over northern, central, southern, and eastern Taiwan. For those who haven’t made plans yet, this list is worth checking out.


Sunrise at Sanxiantai in Taitung. (Photo / Courtesy of Taitung County Tourism Bureau)

[Sunrise in Orchid Island]
Location: Orchid Island
Time: January 1, 2013, 06:33

[Sunrise in Green Island]
Location: Green Island
Time: January 1, 2013, 06:34

[2013: Northeast Coast Welcomes the Dawn with the Win-at-the-Start Concert]
To welcome the first day of 2013, First Financial Group and the Tourism Bureau’s Northeast Coast & Yilan Coast National Scenic Area Administration have joined forces for the fifth consecutive year, inviting the public to gather at Fulong Beach—the most beautiful stretch of Taiwan’s northeast coast—to passionately greet the first ray of sunlight in 2013. Travelers can take a special Taiwan Railways service departing from Banqiao Station, passing through Taipei and Songshan Stations, arriving at Fulong Station, then walk to Fulong Beach to welcome the new year’s dawn together.

Location: Fulong Beach (No. 40, Xinglong St., Fulong Village, Gongliao Township, New Taipei City)
Time: January 1, 2013, 03:00–08:00

[Sunrise at Qixingtan Beach in Hualien]
This year, the Hualien County Government has teamed up with hotels around Qixingtan Beach for the first time to host a New Year’s Eve fireworks show and a dawn welcome event on the beach. Light music performances will kick off the dawn of 2013.

Starting on the 29th, the event will feature three consecutive days of star-studded concerts and spectacular fireworks shows on New Year’s Eve. Additionally, there will be a sunrise welcome event at Qixingtan in collaboration with local inns, where the public is invited to greet the first brilliant golden rays of 2013. The site will also include brass band performances, choir singing, and indigenous dance shows.

Location: Qixingtan, Hualien
Time: January 1, 2013

[Dawu, Taitung]
Dawu Township’s New Year’s Eve and sunrise welcome event gained fame in 2000 when tens of thousands of tourists flocked to witness the first light of dawn. Since then, the Millennium “Sunrise Welcome Memorial Park” has become a must-visit attraction. Visitors can stand under the pavilion in the Millennium Sunrise Park or stroll along the beach to watch the sunrise over the Pacific Ocean, taking in the vast sea and feeling the gentle breeze as mountains, ocean, and humanity merge—a truly supreme life experience.

From 8 PM on December 31st through to 10 AM on January 1st, participants can enjoy an all-night celebration, either standing beneath the pavilion in the Millennium Sunrise Park or walking along the beach to watch the sunrise over the Pacific and feel the intimate connection between mountains, sea, and people.

Location: Millennium Sunrise Park
Time: December 31, 2012, 20:00 – January 1, 2013, 10:00

[2013: Qixingtan Welcomes the New Year’s Dawn]
Performances include Magic Fire Dance Troupe – LED light fantasy show, fire dance drama, and the Pisirian PAW PAW Drum Troupe – an Amis dance group.

Location: Qixingtai Recreational Area, Chenggong Township, Taitung County (in front of the souvenir shop plaza and the gravel beach of Qixingtai)
Time: January 1, 2013, 04:00–07:00 (Sunrise at 06:35)

[Alishan – 2013 Sunrise Impression Concert]
At 7:30–9:00 PM on December 31st, the "Alishan Night" event will be held at Alishan Railway Station. In addition to traditional dances of the Tsou people of Alishan and the passionate performance by Orion’s Mo & Du, the event also invites powerhouse singers "Jin Xiu Duo Sing" — Jen Wen and T-Qin — for a reunion performance. On New Year’s Day, anti-cancer musician Tang Dan-xiang will lead the Taichung Philharmonic Orchestra along with "Little Fatty" Lin Yu-qun. Together, they will perform classic songs such as "Amazing Grace" from the Daylight Plateau at A-li Shan, amid the mountain ranges, offering the public a unique farewell to the old year and fresh start over 2,000 meters above sea level.

Location: Daylight Plateau, Alishan National Forest Recreation Area
Time: 2013/01/01 04:00

[Kenting Longpan Welcoming the First Light]
From 8:00 PM on December 31, 2011, to 12:00 PM on January 1, 2012, traffic control will be in place along Provincial Highway 26 from Eluanbi Park to the Fengchui Sha Manzhou Boundary Parking Lot. Visitors wishing to attend the first light event can take free shuttle buses. There are three shuttle routes: Route A departs near the Water World of Kenting Fuhwa Hotel at midnight on December 31, making stops at Sail Rock along the way; Route B starts from the Eluanbi Parking Lot at 8:00 PM on December 31, with stops at Kengzai Nei; Route C begins at 1:00 AM on January 1 from the Fengchui Sha Manzhou Boundary Parking Lot, stopping at Shuiwa Cave en route.

Additionally, medium and large passenger tour buses may drop off passengers at Longpan Park before proceeding to park at the Eluanbi Southernmost Point Parking Lot. Ring in the new year and welcome the first light—visitors are encouraged to wear warm, wind-resistant clothing to brace for the strong downslope winds.

Location: Longpan Park, Kenting
Time: 2013/01/01 06:35

[Matsu Welcoming the First Light]
The Matsu First Light event will open Nangan Airport that day, inviting the public to rise early and witness the first ray of sunlight in 2013 emerging from the end of the runway — a unique sunrise spectacle unique to Matsu. The exact entry time will align with the announced sunrise time.

Location: Nangan Airport
Time: 2013/01/01 06:48