Text by MOOK Scenic Spots Editorial Team
Located in Dongshi Township, Chiayi, the 14-kilometer coastline gives birth to the hometown of oysters, which also serves as the area’s most vital economic lifeline. Here you’ll find thousands of hectares of fish farms and the nation’s largest offshore oyster farming rafts, producing over one-third of Taiwan’s oyster yield. With its extremely rich marine resources, Dongshi Township is home to diverse flora and fauna ecosystems—including Taiwan’s reputedly largest Aogu Wetlands, the Puzi River estuary wetlands, and various themed fishing harbors. Additionally, Dongshi has had settlement footprints dating back to the Kangxi era, and its long-standing history and culture have made it an important hub for local heritage and tourism. Below are five recommended spots in Dongshi Township, ranging from eco-tours to cultural sightseeing, where you can experience the shining assets between land and sea.
An aerial view from Puzi toward Dongshi shows the area as if it were land semi-dissolved into the sea, shimmering under the glow of the setting sun (Photo provided by Mr. Esheng Huang, Flip-Flops Photography)
Dongshi Fishing Harbor
Dongshi Fishing Harbor is designed around elements such as “wind,” “sunlight,” “fish,” “boats,” “the ocean,” and “lighthouses” to present a multifaceted marine landscape. The main facilities include the Ocean Culture Museum, Specialty Products Pavilion, shopping street, seaside viewing pavilion, floating bridge market, and a seaside promenade. It also integrates the original functions of the fishing port. During the summer season, visitors can enjoy beachside music events, as well as try beach volleyball and refreshing water-based amenities.
Chiayi County Government has hosted the “Sea Summer Festival” at Dongshi Fishing Harbor for several consecutive years (Image source: Chiayi County Government)
During the summer season, visitors to Dongshi Fishing Harbor can enjoy beachside music events, as well as try beach volleyball and refreshing water-based amenities (Image source: Chiayi County Government)
There are many great photo spots at Dongshi Fishing Harbor (Image source: Chiayi County Government)
Aogu Wetlands
The most distinctive feature of Aogu Wetlands is its rich and varied geographical environment, which includes paddy fields, dry farmland, windbreak forests, mangroves, grass marshes, freshwater swamps, saltwater swamps, muddy tidal flats, and intertidal zones. The Aogu Wetlands Forest Park has even won the prestigious 2011 ASLA (American Society of Landscape Architects) Professional Analysis and Planning Award—the so-called “Oscars of landscape architecture.”
Aogu Wetlands (Image source: Chiayi County Government)
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