Only four kilometers long and two kilometers wide, with a population of 13,000 spread out between eight villages -- it hosts a variety of attractions, including unpolluted reefs, historic caves and top-notch seafood restaurants. Unique among Taiwan's 14 other islands, it is the only island that was created by coral deposits.

The only access to the island is a 30-minute boat trip from Tungkang port, south of Kaohsiung. Lining Liuchiu's coastline are rugged coral reef formations, over the centuries sculpted into fantastic shapes, such as the 9-meter-high Vase Rock. Used as the symbol of Liuchiu on ROC postage stamps, Vase Rock is topped by lush vegetation, giving it the appearance of a vase of flowers. Behind it is a magnificent temple nestled in a grove -- time your arrival for sunset and you will be greeted by this incredible view.

There are two locally famous caves on the island -- Beauty Cave and Black Spirit Cave; both possess a dark and tragic history.

According to legend, Ming loyalists from Suchou, including a high official and his beautiful daughter, fled to Taiwan to escape Manchu forces at the end of the Ming dynasty. A great storm stranded them on Hsiao Liuchiu. Surviving on wild vegetables and fish, they climbed the hill every day to try to catch sight of a ship on the horizon.

Many months later, the beautiful woman was seen crying over the body of her dead father. The islanders debated taking her back to their village with them, but frightened and unwilling to leave her father's body, she bit her own tongue in half and took her own life. Since then, the site has been known as "Beauty Cave."

In Beauty Cave, a path leads to the ocean, marked by coral formations, then heads back up the cliff, winding through several caves and grottoes, with cracks overhead providing natural lighting. The cave was last a site where unwanted baby girls were disposed of in the last century. At a nearby shrine, offerings are burned to appease their spirits. Today, the area sports noodle stands and merchants selling knick-knacks.

Black Spirit Cave (烏鬼洞) is one of the main tourist attractions on Liuchiu -- a picturesque seaside park legendary for what happened there centuries ago.

Near the cave's entrance, the story is carved in stone:

"It was in 1661 (the 15th year of the Yong Li Ming Dynasty) national hero Koxinga (Cheng Chen-kung, 鄭成功), drove out the Dutch and restored Taiwan and the Pescadores (Penghu) to China.

During the Dutch retreat, some African slaves were separated from their unit and arrived on the island. Having nowhere to go, they lived in the cave. Some years later, a British boat with soldiers landed at a place northeast of the cave. As they were enjoying the scenery, the former slaves robbed them of their food and other things, burned the boat and killed all the British. The soldiers' warship soon discovered that they had landed on the island and were massacred, so the British sought out the murderers while they hid in the cave.

In spite of many threats, the murderers refused to surrender. Finally, the British burned the cave using oil. Needless to say, all the former slaves died there in the cave. Later, it was named 'Black Spirit Cave,' which meant it was a cave in which foreigners of a dark complexion had lived… "

Another interpretation is that the "African slaves" in the story were actually Siraya Aborigines, who were related to tribes living in what is now Pingtung County, as far back as 3,000 years ago. Also, research in Chinese provides two versions of the story: one refers to merchant ships, the other to the British Navy.

There are many other fascinating landmarks of note on Liuchiu; The Sea View Pavilion, the Sanfu Ecological Path, Cannon Ground, Sanzu (Mountain Boar) Ditch, Geban Bay, Hai Tzu Kuo, the White Lighthouse, Housi Reef, and Chung Au Beach. The beach has fabulous shell sand beaches and clear seawater teeming with an estimated 176 species of fish and just as many coral species -- viewable either by scuba diving, glass boats, or the naked eye.

To appreciate what are considered some of the most stunning landscapes in East Asia, bikes and motorcycles are recommended as the most convenient means of touring the island, and are easy and affordable to rent. Then again, it takes only about three hours to hike around its entirety, along a coastal road.

It is highly recommended to stay a night on the island. Visitors can find good camping sites on the island's sheltered beaches, or choose from several hotels in Penfu Village, averaging about NT$700 a night on weekends. Liuchiu Hotel, 08-861-3281; and Fuhsing Hotel, 08-861-2617 welcome guests.

Besides the warm hospitality of the islanders, Liuchiu is also well-known for its 38 temples -- six per square kilometer. The island's spiritual center is Piyun Temple, dedicated to Kuanyin, the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy. On Kuanyin's birthday, the nineteenth day of the second lunar month, the whole island erupts into festivity -- Taiwanese Opera troupes perform twice a day in front of the major temples for forty to fifty days.