It's an excellent spot for watersports – the wind is consistent, but the waves are minuscule because the mouth of the bay is so narrow. This April, Dapeng Bay National Scenic Area Administration (大鵬灣國家風景區, www.dbnsa.gov.tw; tel: (08) 833-8100) held a windsurfing race from the bay, out to Little Liouchiou Island (小琉球) – a distance one way of 14 kilometers – and back again. It's hoped that the race will become an annual event.

Unlike some other parts of Taiwan's coast, which have been radically and repeatedly reshaped by typhoons, the bay has remained stable since at least the arrival of Han Chinese settlers in the 17th century.

The Japanese used the lagoon as a seaplane base during World War II, and many of the tunnels and air-raid shelters they built were used by the ROC's armed forces well into the 1970s.

To celebrate this aspect of the bay's history, soon after the scenic area administration was established in 1997, it commissioned the construction of an enormous seaplane-shaped landmark which visitors could go inside. Because of rusting, the structure is no longer considered safe. It's closed to the public, and the scenic area administration isn't saying when it might reopen.

Entrance to the scenic area office costs NT$20 per person and NT$50 per car. Inside there's lots of bilingual information about boat tours and local eco-systems, plus a floating coffee shop that rises and falls with the tide.

A 16.4-kilometer-long cycle track encircles the bay. Using it is free if you have your own bike, and there are plenty of bilingual maps and information boards. Bikes can be rented from the scenic area office.

Thousands of trees have been planted. A network of six artificial wetlands uses a combination of microorganisms, reeds, marshes, shallow patches and settling ponds to remove household waste and agricultural chemicals from freshwater flowing into the bay.

The wetlands also attract waterbirds such as Black-Crowned Night Herons, Common Moorhens and members of the Teal family. November to January is the best season for birding.

Regular hour-long boat tours of the bay (NT$200 per adult, NT$100 per child aged six to 12, NT$50 per infant under six) afford tourists a close-up look at the area's military heritage, and are a good way of seeing the mangrove forests where crabs and shrimp thrive. For details of these tours, contact the scenic area office.

Between 1978 and 2003 the three-and-a-half-kilometer long bay was one of Taiwan's most important oyster-farming areas. It is said that a person could get from one side to the other, a distance of almost two kilometers, simply by jumping from platform to platform. So many oyster shells were dumped in the bay that an island consisting entirely of shell fragments formed. That islet is now a regular stop on boat tours.

When the government began removing the bay's 13,017 oyster platforms, owners were given a mix of cash compensation, job retraining and promises of employment within the scenic area.

Jialianli (嘉蓮里), on the northwestern edge of the lagoon, is one place where the transition seems to have gone well. The community NGO (tel: 08 832-7732) that manages the adjacent wetland also rents out bicycles and runs a friendly if rudimentary snack bar. Visitors shouldn't expect haute cuisine, but it is a lovely spot where thirsty cyclists can watch ducks while supping hot on noodles or cold beer.

HOW TO GET THERE:

Kaohsiung-Kenting buses stop at kilometer 258 on Highway 17, less than 100 meters from the scenic area office. Journey time is about an hour; adult fare is NT$96. If you're coming by car, take Freeway 3 to its southern terminus in Linbian (林邊), then turn onto Highway 17 and follow the signs.