Hsiao Liuchiu: Unknown paradise on the sea

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.

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