Peace Island (和平島), also known as “Sheliao Island (社寮島),” is a small island situated in Keelung City, the most northern port city of Taiwan. It is connected to Keelung’s Zhong Zheng District by a small bridge. In addition to its spectacular rock formations, it was selected by Sinovision Net (美國中文網) as the 21st best place to watch a sunrise in the world in 2014.
Please watch the following video of the spectacular landscape of Peace Island in northern Taiwan.
The northern tip of the island did not allow civilians to visit until it was opened to the public in 1989, as it used to be a restricted military area for decades. In fact, Peace Island was once a colonial outpost when Taiwan was occupied by the Spanish (1626-1642) and Japanese (1895-1945).
The integral part of the island is the Peace Island Coastal Park (和平島海角樂園) on the northern tip of the island. Though it is not as large as Yeliu Geopark (野柳地質公園), another iconic tourist attraction featuring the natural beauty of rock formations in New Taipei City’s Wanli District, it is still very impressive and quite popular among people in Taiwan.
Once entering the Peace Island Coastal Park, visitors will be amazed by the spectacular sight of the awe-inspiring beauty and grandeur of natural rock formations, a vast expanse of ocean, and the lush hills around. It is also a common scene to spot eagles (老鷹) soaring high in the sky or hovering over the valley in groups.
Peace Island’s amazing rock formations
Walking along the trail around the hill, visitors can delight in a wide array of amazing rock formations in various shapes. One of the best locations to appreciate the terrific ocean-eroded landscape is a pavilion in the middle of the trail.
Among the interesting rock formations are the hoodoos (岩柱), Doufu (bean curd) rocks, mushroom rocks, moon-like rocks, and Leopard Rock, etc. But Leopard Rock can only be seen at low tide, and it closely resembles a golden leopard when sunray shines on it in the early morning.
In the park, there are two natural swimming pools next to the ocean that were transformed from small abalone (九孔) cultivation fields. They are quite deep and the water is pristinely clean. In spring, after the northeast monsoons die down, green algae cover the bare rocks around the pools and their banks, creating a rare and spectacular sight.
The park is also a great location to take in the excellent scenery of the Pacific Ocean and the Keelung Islet (基隆嶼), which has an area of 59.08 acres (23.91 hectares) and is 4.9 km away from the Port of Keelung.
There are also areas for the public to have picnics and a large sandy playground for kids to play in. The Peace Island Coastal Park is therefore not only a perfect spot to watch the sunrise and appreciate the awesome beauty of rock formations, but it is also a great destination for a fun and leisurely day out with the family.
