Matsu Islands 2: Dongju Island, Dongquan Lighthouse, Mysterious Little Bay, and Chipinglong Archaeological Site
If you are looking for a place to get away, Dongju Island of Matsu is the perfect place. This is an island with breathtaking coastal landscapes like Mysterious Little Bay and white-sand beaches, rich history that can be traced back to 6,000 years ago (Chipinglong), and unique culture and architecture like Dongquan Lighthouse (aka Tungchu Tao Lighthouse). You don't need a plan or vehicle, and you can just wander around on foot.
I did a 3-day hike with my friend Jeffery Chang 張建舫 in December 2021, and this is the second post of my Matsu series. Please also check my Nangan post for those fantastic places I visited.
Table of Contents:
Trail Information
Trail Name: Dongju Island. You can rent a scooter and visit most of the spots I mentioned. Yet, exploring Dongju Island on foot is the best if you ask me.
Distance: 14.85 km (9.23 miles)
Route type: Loop
Days/Hours Needed: 7 to 8 hours or whatever you like.
Total Ascent/Descent: 408m/ 408m
Best Time to Go: All year-round, but it can be very hot in summer. However, the fog season is between March and May. Therefore, the flights might be canceled due to heavy fog or poor weather conditions.
Permits: Not required
Difficulty Level:
Peaks to Reach: There is no specific peak to reach, but you must visit Dongquan Lighthouse, which was built in 1872.
Distance: 14.85 km (9.23 miles)
Route type: Loop
Days/Hours Needed: 7 to 8 hours or whatever you like.
Total Ascent/Descent: 408m/ 408m
Best Time to Go: All year-round, but it can be very hot in summer. However, the fog season is between March and May. Therefore, the flights might be canceled due to heavy fog or poor weather conditions.
Permits: Not required
Difficulty Level:
Peaks to Reach: There is no specific peak to reach, but you must visit Dongquan Lighthouse, which was built in 1872.
Personal Enjoyment
Things I Enjoy:
Everything! Although I haven't visited all the islands and islets on Matsu, Dongju Island is my favorite. Seeing this island during the offseason makes my trip even more pleasant. I don't think I would enjoy it that much if many people surrounded us. If I must mention, I'll say the following are the places you can't skip.
- Chilongping Site.
- Dapu Inscription and the tiny tied island close to it.
- Yulu Trail.
- Mysterious Little Bay.
- Dongquan Lighthouse.
Photo by Jeffery Chang 張建舫 -
Xiniu Trail: I didn't get to visit this one, but this is an excellent spot, according to my friend Mr. Chang.
Photo by Jeffery Chang 張建舫
The Things I Don't Enjoy:
- I don't see anything I didn't enjoy so far. If I must complain, I will say we should have stayed on Dongju Island for 2 days instead of just one. We missed some places on Dongju Island.
- Also, visiting during the offseason also makes things much more enjoyable. Again, I can't address this enough.
Map/GPX Data
Date of Hike: December 4, 2021
Route map for 2021-12-04 Dongju-Island-Mastu by Anusha Lee on plotaroute.com
Click Menu in the map to download, print, or share the map.
You can see more options after clicking the Play button.
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You can see more options after clicking the Play button.
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to change the speed to meet your condition.
How to Get to Dongju Island and Transport on the Island
First, you must get to Nangan Island. Then, you can either take a ferry from Keelung to Nangan or a flight from Songshan Airport to Nangan Island. As to how to get to Nangan Island, please check my Nangan post for details.
Take the Ferries
Then, you take a ferry from Fu'ao Harbor 福澳港 of Nangan Island to Dongju Island.
There are only 3 ferry schedules between Fau'ao Harbor of Nangan and Meng'ao Harbor 猛澳港 (猛沃港) of Dongju / Qingfan Harbor 青帆港 of Xiju Island: 7:00, 11:00 and 14:30.
The ferry routes are different in odd and even months. Please see the following image for details.
The ferry fare is NT$250 per adult for one trip.
Can I take a Helicopter?
The helicopters are only available when the ferries are canceled due to the bad weather. And there must be at least 4 Matsu registered residents on the passenger list to fly the helicopters. For more information, please check here.
Riding a Scooter on Dongju Island:
Once you arrive at Meng'ao Harbor (the main harbor of Dongju Island), you will be greeted by people who ask you whether you want to rent a scooter. I'm not comfortable with riding a scooter (yes, I put a shame about my Taiwanese heritage), and we had decided to walk around the island anyway. We declined the offer.
About Dongju Island, Dongquan Lighthouse, Mysterious Little Bay, Chipinglong, and More:
Dongju Island, aka Dongquan Island 東莒島
Dongju Island is part of Juguan County. The old name of Juguan County was Bai Quan, meaning white dogs in Chinese because the contours of the mountains on Dongju and Xiju Island looked like dogs. Dong means east, and Xi means west in Chinese. So, those two islands were called Dongquan and Xiquan Island.
After KMT took over Taiwan, the names of both islands were changed to Dongju and Xiju. Ju is the metaphor of taking back the lost land.
Mysterious Little Bay 神秘小海灣
Mysterious Little Bay is also called Luhe Cliff 呂何崖, and this name came from romantic folklore. Legend has it that two fairies Lu Dongbin 呂洞賓 and He Xiangu 何仙姑 became immortal right here.
Mysterious Little Bay is a stunning beach with flawless white sand and rugged cliff shores for visitors. However, this place isn't as glamourous as it looks for the local Matsu people.
Other than the romantic folklore, some dark history still lingers at this place that keeps the locals away from here. Mysterious Little Bay remains a forbidden place for the locals for several reasons. Before martial law was lifted in Taiwan, every island of Matsu had a military crematory. The one on Dongju Island was right at Mysterious Little Bay.
In Asian culture, death is taboo. As a crematory venue, Mysterious Little Bay induced more fear than awe toward her beauty.
Under the Martial Law, those soldiers who died ‘accidentally' were sent to military crematories without much investigation, according to my friend A who served on Matsu Island decades ago. Their ashes were sent home with a certificate thanking them for their sacrifice for the country. If you want to know history during martial law from veterans' perspective, please check out my first post of the Matsu series, Nangan Island.
Besides the military crematory, Mysterious Little Bay was also the popular venue for smuggling due to its treacherous terrains that made hiding goods easy. Therefore, this place also meant trouble for the local people.
Now, Mysterious Little Bay has been cleaned up. When we were there, we saw the preparation of the art display was set up. For tourists like me, I enjoy this place. The dark history doesn't put me off from revisiting Mysterious Little Bay. However, this might make this stunning location less appealing and crowded, which I won't complain about.
If you want to know Matsu history from veterans' perspectives, you can check my Nangan post for details.
Chipinglong Archaeological Site 熾坪隴考古遺址
Chipinglong Archaeological Site was discovered in 2001 during a survey conducted by the government. Since then, 4 excavations have been carried out, and more than 10,000 pieces of pottery shards, 400 stone implements, and numerous shells and animal bones were discovered.
Those artifacts could be traced back to 6,000 years ago (4,000 BC) and proved that the civilization of Matsu began much earlier than the written history.
Dongquan Lighthouse (Tungchu Tao Lighthouse) 東犬燈塔 (東莒燈塔)
Dongquan Lighthouse, aka Dongju Lighthouse or Tungchu Tao Lighthouse, was built in 1872 at the request of the British Government after the Opium War in the Qing Dynasty.
This lighthouse is also the first granite-based lighthouse in Taiwan and Lianjiang County. The height of this lighthouse is 19.5 meters and can send light as far as 31 km away.
The snow-white lighthouse and the 30-meter-long wall make them the unique landmark in Dongju Island. The wall was built for lighthouse staff hiding beside it to shield the strong wind and protect the lanterns they carried from being blown out.
In 1988, Dongquan Lighthouse became the national historic site. This place has also become one of the hottest photo-taking spots among tourists.
There's an exhibition center to demonstrate the history of this lighthouse. It wasn't open when we were there. So, if you come to this place, you definitely have to visit the exhibition center.
Dapu Inscription 大埔石刻
Dapu Inscription is a Level 3 Historic Site of Lienchiang County 連江縣縣定古蹟. The urban legend says this inscription is a treasure map. If you can decipher it, you can find the hidden treasure somewhere on Dongju Island.
I couldn't decipher the code (not even trying to be exact). So, I transferred my interests to the small tied island close to it.
My Itinerary
Brief itinerary: Fu'ao Harbor on Nangan Island ➔ Meng'ao Harbor on Dongju Island ➔ Dapu Inscription ➔ Chipinglong Archaeological Site ➔ Yulu Historic Trail ➔ Pavilion to see Lin'ao Islet ➔ Mysterious Little Bay ➔ Dongquan Lighthouse ➔ Fuzheng Village ➔ Meng'ao Harbor on Dongju Island ➔ Fu'ao Harbor on Nangan Island
07:00 Took the ferry from Fu'ao Harbor to Dongju.
07:50 Arrived at Meng'ao Harbor on Dongju Island.
08:00 Started exploring Dongju Island. We mostly walk on the footpath/roads.
Dapu Inscription
08:22 Arrived at Dapu Inscription. This is also a Level 3 Historic Site of Lienchiang County.
Other than the inscription, you will find a very stylish toilet. You wouldn't believe it's a toilet without seeing the signs.
A tiny tied islet was very close to this historic site. I went there to explore.
08:53 Reached Dingshan Trail 頂山步道. This Dingshan is not the one at Yangmingshan in Taipei City.
09:06 Reached a pavilion and oversaw Xiju Island and Meng'ao Harbor. It was difficult to take a long break here because it was extremely windy.
We also reached the higher location and started seeing the famous Dongquan Lighthouse and the villages.
While on the trail, we saw a tree with a unique tree crown. It's obvious that this tree was shaped by the strong winds over the years.
09:18 Exited Dingshan Trail and reached Tzu Chiang Road 自強路.
09:22 Reached the police station at Daping Village. A very important archaeological site is across the police station, the Chipinglong Archaeological Site. Those artifacts extracted here prove that human activities were already on Matsu Islands, dating back 6,000 years ago.
My friend Mr. Chang participated in a course about the history of this site. He's very kind to share his photos with me here.
08:29 Passed Kuoli Tofu Shop 國利豆腐店. I Google this shop, and it seems to have many good reviews. If you love Tofu, you should give it a shot.
Yulu Historic Trail
09:34 Reached the trailhead of Yulu Historic Trail 魚路古道, not the one at Yangmingshan in Taipei City. This trail was used to deliver goods and fish between Daping Village and Dapu Village. Yu means fish, and Lu means way or road in Chinese. Yulu literally means fish road in Chinese.
Here we could see Lin'ao Islet. Lin'ao Islet is the southernmost point of the Matsu Islands. There are many unique geological formations on this tiny island, but it's not open to the public. Because of the unique geological features, Lin'ao Islet was listed as a crucial natural landscape of Lianjian County, and one of the 10 major sites of Matsu Geopark.
09:50 Passed Dapu Harbor Camp Stop 大埔港營站. From here, we started the exciting coastal hiking with stunning views.
The first stop was the rocky shore. We were the only visitors at that place, and we stayed there a little longer to enjoy it.
10:04 Reached White Horse King Temple 白馬尊王廟. There is a White Horse King Temple on Nangan Island, too.
10:32 Reached another pavilion, Dapu Pavilion 大浦觀景涼亭 and overlooked Lin'ao Islet.
We went through Dapu Village and enjoyed more old Matsu stone houses here.
10:46 Reached a strange place. It looked like the hill was chopped off for unknown reasons. At least we don't know. To be honest, it looked ugly.
We passed the ugly hillside erased by bulldozers. There weren't many houses here. We only saw some old bunkers. But the hills (those that escaped the bulldozers) covered by yellow flowers and grass looked so amazing.
Stunning Coastline
10:56 Reached a spot to see the stunning coastline. My friend and I stayed here and took as many photos as possible. My feet still hurt from the long hike I did on Nangan Island, but I didn't care. The view made me forget about my swollen toes.
11:13 Reached the entrance of Foshou Trail 佛手步道 and a pavilion that could let us overlook Mysterious Little Bay. We didn't take Foshou Trail. Instead, we continued walking on the road.
11:22 Arrived at the map showing Mt. Dongyang Trail 東洋山步道 to Tungchu Tao Lighthouse, aka Dongquan Lighthouse, 東犬燈塔.
Yes, one place with multiple English translations is common in Taiwan. This bad practice has driven many non-Chinese speakers crazy. Tungchu here means Dongju, and Tao means islands.
When we followed the trail and turned towards different directions, the rocky shoreline, especially near Mysterious Little Bay, morphed into different shapes. No wonder Mysterious Little Bay was listed in one of the ten best geological formations of Matsu Geopark.
Mysterious Little Bay
Soon, we arrived at Mysterious Little Bay, and we were the only ones there. I could imagine how packed it would be during the tourist season. Now, it was just us.
We climbed up to the rocks, absorbing the sounds of the waves and winds chanting with their own rhythms in a surprisingly harmonic way.
My friend Mt. Chang took this photo when Morning Glories bloomed in summer.
11:50 On the way to Mt. Dongyang Trail, I looked back to Mysterious Little Bay and saw some old bunkers hidden on the rocky cliffs.
Then we reached the circular pavement to let tourists enjoy the 360-degree views.
My friend said the best timing to see the crystal blue ocean is at noon in summer. It was murky blue mixed with some brown shades when we were there in December. Yet, it was totally fine with me because roaming here without any crowd was so relaxing.
12:09 We arrived at the observation deck that was under construction. I went up there to take a few shots of Dongquan Lighthouse. It was so windy that I could barely hold my smartphone still.
12:17 We passed a set of steep steps leading all the way to the rugged beach. I thought about taking it, but I was reluctant to take the steep steps back later. Perhaps another time.
Dongquan Lighthouse
12:26 Finally, we arrived at the lighthouse.
This place was amazing! The white building, the white wall, green grass, and the blue sky made the landscape so spectacular. Not to mention that we didn't need to avoid any single person in our pictures.
My friend said the wall was built for lighthouse caretakers to hide behind it so the light in the lanterns they carried would not be blown away by the strong wind.
I wish I had taken more photos there.
We had to catch the last ferry back to Nangan Island, so we didn't go to Cannon Company 大砲連, but you can put this on your itinerary.
While enjoying the lighthouse, I could see another islet of Dongju Island, Xiniu Islet 犀牛嶼 (西牛嶼). Xiniu literally means rhinos in Chinese. As you guess it, people say this islet looks like a rhino.
What's unique about Xiniu Islet is it's a tied islet and an intertidal zone. Visitors can walk to this islet between the tides. The local people also come here to collect shellfish.
12:44 Arrived at Fuzheng Village 福正聚落 and saw the old-style houses. It's a shame that we had to skip Fuzheng Beach 福正沙灘 and Stronghold No. 47 (47據點) to get a closer look at Xiniu Islet.
We went to Juguang Visitor Center 莒光遊客中心 to have lunch and took a long break. Unfortunately, I forgot to take photos of that place.
14:12 We took Zhongxing Road 中興路 back to the harbor. My friend took me to enjoy grass jelly milk.
After the drink, we went to an unassuming bakery called Lailai Bakery 來來西點 and bought some walnut cookies. I didn't expect much, but I was so shocked after tasting them. I will visit here again and load up all the cookies they have when I come back. Those are vegetarian, too.
14:30 Passed a tank.
14:35 Passed Dongju Heliport 東莒直昇機場. Yes, you can book helicopter tickets if the ferries are canceled due to the bad weather.
14:40 Back to Meng'ao Harbor and waited for our ferry to back to Nangan Island.
Flowers on Dongju Island
I saw some beautiful wild flowers on Dongju Island. The first is a striking purple flower found on a very windy hill. It was so windy that I had to hold the flower to take photos. I still don't know what this flower is, but my guess is it might be Hairy Violet 短毛菫菜.
When we arrived on Nangan Island, sisal hemp 瓊麻 was standing tall at many places. It was no exception when we were on Dongju Island. But those on Dongju Island even let us get a glimpse of their beautiful white flowers.
If you can stay on Dongju Island for one night, walking on the white-sand beach and enjoying the Blue Tears are also the things you can't miss here. There are so many things to explore on this island, and time is never enough.
My total steps on my second day on Matsu Islands, including a small walk at Niujiao Village.
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