Brief introduction and detailed information of Mazu Islands

The overview is located 25 ~ 40 kilometers away from the mouth of Minjiang River. The total area is about 20 square kilometers and the population is about 1 10,000. Belongs to Lianjiang county. In the Yuan Dynasty, fishermen along the coast of Fujian and Zhejiang often parked their fishing boats here. At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, fishermen settled on the island one after another. Mazu is named after Mazu 'ao on Nangantang. Mazu Islands consists of three larger islands, namely Nangantang (also called Mazu Island), Beigantang and Gaodeng Island, and three small islands nearby 13. Mazu Island is the largest, with an area of 10.4 square kilometers and a coastline of 23.5 kilometers. The terrain in the west and northeast is relatively high, with the highest in Yuantai Mountain, with an altitude of 249 meters. Qingshui Bay on the north shore and Mazu Bay on the west coast are berths for ships. Beigantang, also known as Changyu Mountain, covers an area of 7. 13 square kilometers with a central wall of 297 meters, which is the highest point in the archipelago. Gordon Island, also known as Beisha Island, is only 9.2 kilometers away from Huang Qi Peninsula, with an area of 1.25 square kilometers. The terrain is wide in the south and narrow in the north, high in the south and low in the north. The elevation of Natsume in the south is 177 meters, which is the commanding height of the whole island. Mazu Strait is located between South and North Gan Tang, with a water depth of 40-50m. Mazu Islands has a subtropical maritime climate with small temperature difference and strong wind. Mazu Islands is a rocky island with steep coast and developed beaches on the west and south banks of Beigantang. There is almost no arable land on the island, and most residents take fishing as their occupation. The main seafood are Pseudosciaena crocea, pomfret, eel and clove fish. 1999, Mazu National Scenic Area was established with Mazu Islands as the scope. In addition to landforms and cultural characteristics, Mazu has also become a transit or wintering area for migratory birds because of its geographical location. In 2000, the tern reserve in Mazu Islands was established, mainly targeting seven species of birds, such as white-browed tern, red tern, light tern, crested tern, black-tailed gull, rock heron and inserted swift. In June, 2000, four pairs of Darkmouth crested terns were found here, which were listed as endangered species by the World Bird Red Book. The best tern viewing season is from May to August every year.

The popular language of Mazu is Mindong dialect with Changle accent, which is called Pinghua, Mazu dialect or Fuzhou dialect locally.

Mazu Islands, with a long history, was first developed in the Yuan Dynasty. It is a place for mainland fishermen to rest and shelter from the wind when they go fishing. During the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, the local area was occupied by Japanese pirates. Until the early Qing dynasty, fishermen from Fuzhou coastal areas moved here one after another, and gradually formed villages linked by blood, among which Chen, Lin, Cao, Wang and other ethnic groups were the most popular. Today Nangan is the largest island and the most densely populated area in Mazu, because Lianjiang County is the political, economic, cultural and educational center of Mazu. The customs and habits in Mazu area are inherited from Mindong, Chinese mainland, and the local language is Fuzhou dialect (with Changle accent), which is often called Pinghua or Mazu dialect by locals. Because Mazu is surrounded by the sea and windy, local residents mostly use granite blocks to build along the hillside. Its structure is mostly a two-story single-story building. The window is small at the height, the windowsill is made of stone bars, and the roof is a "volcano sealing wall", which burns like a flame. The roof is covered with red or gray tiles, and stones are pressed at the joints to prevent strong sea breeze from blowing. Some houses are influenced by European architecture in Nanyang, commonly known as "foreign buildings" or "exotic corners".

Geographical Mazu Islands starts from the north bank of Dongyin Township in the north (26 degrees and 23 minutes); South to the south bank of Lin 'ao Island in Juguang Township (25 degrees 56 minutes north latitude); The extreme east leads to the east coast of Shiwei (east longitude 120 degrees 30 minutes); The westernmost part is the west bank of Jinsha Village in Nangan Township (east longitude 1 19 degrees 5 1 min). It is about1/4 nautical miles from Taiwan Province Island, 0/52 nautical miles from Jinmen, 0/80 nautical miles from Penghu to Minjiang Estuary, and about 10 nautical miles from Fujian coast. The land area of the islands is 29.52 square kilometers, and the total coastline of each island in the county is 133 kilometers. Geologically speaking, it is a granite cone-shaped island with a large and steep terrain. The cliff of Beigan Island is 294 meters above sea level, which is the highest peak of Mazu Islands. The first peak of Nangan is Yuntai Mountain, which is 248 meters high and has been listed as one of Xiaobaiyue Mountains in Taiwan Province Province.

There are many valleys and bays, and granite rocks in coastal areas are weathered by waves, with many cliffs, dangerous reefs, sea caves and sea gates. Some bays and bays are alluvial and piled up to form beaches, gravel beaches and pebble beaches. There are only four townships in the county, but there is no beach in Dongyin.

Climate Mazu area of Mazu Islands belongs to subtropical maritime climate, with four distinct seasons, cold and humid winter, foggy communication in spring and summer, and stable average climate in autumn. The latitude of Mazu is slightly higher than the northern part of Taiwan Province Province (about one degree), but due to the continental climate close to Chinese mainland, the temperature is lower than that of Taibei, with an annual average temperature of 18.6 degrees Celsius, and the temperature difference between morning and evening is large. The annual temperature is the lowest in February and February, and gradually rises after March. The highest temperature is in July and August, and the monthly average temperature is about 29 degrees, then it gradually decreases, and the lowest monthly average temperature in February is only about 10 degrees. The wind speed is between 10 and March of the following year, and the continental cold air mass moves southward with a strong northeast monsoon, so the wind speed is the largest. Especially from March to May, when the south wind blows, it becomes fog, which is advection fog. Every spring, the south wind brings warm and humid air from the Taiwan Province Strait, which contacts with the lower temperature of Mazu ground and water, forming dense fog. The thickness of advection fog can reach 700-800 meters or more, and solar radiation can only eliminate the top of clouds at most during the day with good weather. Therefore; If advection fog lasts for a long time, the visibility will plummet, which is also the reason why flights in Mazu area often stop this season.

The annual rainfall in Mazu area is mostly concentrated in April-May, while typhoons mostly occur in July and August. The average annual rainfall is about1.060mm, which is less than half of the rainfall in Taiwan Province Province. The rainy season is concentrated in the rainy season and typhoon season from April to September.

Products: Mazu Island's special food: Mazu's food includes steamed yellow croaker, mussel, pen container, East Juguang clam, fish noodles, golden glutinous rice balls, radish cakes, laver, Ji Guang cakes and so on. Specialty products include Baba Tunnel Sorghum, Gao Chen in Tung Chung, Fish Noodles, Yellow Croaker, Red Grain, Rice Vinegar, Mazu Crisp, Furong Crisp, Golden Tangyuan, Honeysuckle Tea, etc. Following the Light Cake, it is said that Qi Jiguang, a general of the Ming Dynasty in China, once defended Mazu and wiped out the enemy. General Qi Jiguang poked a hole in the middle of the round cake in order to fill his stomach during the mission, so that the baked cake could be tied to his waist or chest through a rope, which was convenient for soldiers to eat when marching and performing tasks, hence the name.

Wheat onion, Mazu, commonly known as wild onion, generally grows on the hillside of Beigan Township. Every winter and spring is the peak season for the growth of wild onion, which grows the most on the hillside next to Huaidaolou (formerly 83 1) and the hillside near Juguangbao, and is the easiest to pick.

Tourism resources Beigan Township: Tanghou Island Beach in Mazu Islands: the most famous scenic spot in Beigan Township. In the early years, this beach was an important external road connecting Tangqi Village and Houao Village in Beigan Island. Whenever the tide rises, the sea will flood the beach behind Tangdao, making Houao Village an overseas island. At present, Tanghou Island Beach is paved with cement road to facilitate communication between the two villages, but it also makes Tanghou Island Beach, which was originally submerged at high tide, disappear. There is another feature of Tanghou Island Beach. The south bank belongs to the beach and the north bank belongs to the mudflat. There are two kinds of sand quality on the same beach.

Houao village

Hou 'ao Village is still a military stronghold, with the War and Peace Memorial Park and the Luobengshan Natural Ecological Trail as the mainstay. In the War and Peace Memorial Park, there are many military equipment used in Taiwan Province Province in the early days, while in the War and Peace Memorial Exhibition Hall, there are light weapons used in Taiwan Province Province in the early days, Chinese mainland's psychological warfare propaganda and other equipment.

Qinbi village

Mazu Archipelago is considered to be the most beautiful village in the northern trunk, where a large number of stone houses in the early pirate period have been preserved. Because most residents moved away, stone houses were ignored, which led to damage and collapse. With the efforts of Beigan Township Office, in addition to retaining some of the original stone houses, the damaged stone houses were also repaired and transformed into homestays.

Wusha village

Between Shangcun and Tangqi Village, it belongs to a small village by the sea. Before the opening of Baisha Port, it belonged to an important military port, and most of the materials in Beigan Township were brought in from here. However, after the opening of Baisha Port, Wusha Port gradually lost its importance. After the lifting of the ban on battlefield government affairs, Wushakeng Road, as a wartime cover, was also lifted. At present, Beigan Township Office is setting up internal lighting, communication and other lines to open sightseeing to the public.

Banli village

Banli Village is located between Banshan Mountain and Lishan Mountain, which belongs to the rare plain terrain in Beigan Township. The agriculture produced here once provided a lot of food for the villagers in Beigan, and the characteristic of Banli Village is its open beaches. ?

Tianhou Palace in Nangan Township: Mazu's name comes from Mazu. According to legend, Mazu went to the sea to rescue the unfortunate remains of his father and brother before his death, that is, drifted to the Aokou of Mazu Village in Nangan, where incense flourished for thousands of years, distributed in four townships and five islands, and was the most important belief center for residents.

Dongju Dapu settlement: Mazu is the most intact stone house settlement in Dapu settlement. Not only are the stone houses well preserved, but the fishing nets used by early fishermen, residents' beds, wardrobes and kitchen utensils all have an ancient taste.

Tai Po Stone Carving in Mazu Islands: It was carved by Dong Yingtai, the governor of Fujian Province in Qing Dynasty, to praise Shen Yourong, who was stationed in Dongguang, for his success in exterminating 60 Japanese pirates. Fuzheng settlement: it is also a place where stone houses are well preserved, but the architectural style and scale are similar to those of Tai Po settlement. The most important lighthouse in Fuzheng settlement is Dongquan Lighthouse, which was built by foreigners to ensure the safety of merchant ships. In addition to the lighthouse, there are houses and dormitories where foreigners used to work, which are being renovated and opened to the public by the Juguang Township Office.

East Doug Lighthouse: East Doug Lighthouse was built in A.D. 1872. Dongdaoge Lighthouse is the first batch of western-style lighthouses built with granite in Taiwan Province Province. It is four stories high and consists of three parts: tower body, tower lamp and tower. It has been well preserved for many years and its spatial structure is very distinctive. It is an important example to study the foreign lighthouse in Qing Dynasty. Dongquan Lighthouse, whose tower base is granite, is hollow and cylindrical in plane, with its base slightly indented upward, and spiral stone ladder inside, spiraling straight up. There is an eave on the top of the seat, a working platform on the eave, a cast iron railing on the periphery, a dome-shaped cast iron lampshade on the top of the tower and a circular sign. The total height of Donggou Lighthouse from the ground to the wind vane is 64 feet, that is, 19.5 meters. Its base is rectangular, with a length of about184m, a width of 61.5m and an area of about12316m2.

Tung Chung (Dong Jiao) Lighthouse in Dongyin Township, Mazu Islands: Built in 1904, designed and supervised by the British, the tower is three stories high and consists of tower body, tower lamp and tower top. The tower body is made of red brick with a thickness of one meter, and the tower lamp is made of cast iron. Facing the Taiwan Province Strait, the lighthouse was built on the cliff of Shiwei Mountain in the northeast of Dongyin Island. Its shape and annex houses inherited the quaint and elegant style of British architecture in the18th century, and were known as "Dongyin Villa". ?

Legend has it that at the end of Qing Dynasty, a fisherman was killed by pirates, and the fisherman's wife didn't want to be humiliated. She committed suicide by jumping off a cliff here, and later generations remembered the martyr's righteous act, so she named it Martyr's Righteousness Pit. The cliff is tens of feet above the sea, which is one of the best scenic spots for taking pictures as a souvenir.