The two hearts
Dark lines over green water.
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The Twin Hearts Stone Weir is an old fish trap of stacked stones on the north coast of Qimei Island in the Penghu archipelago. It takes the form of two joined hearts seen clearly from the cliff above, the most famous image of the islands, and it is considered a potential World Heritage Site. It is one of hundreds of ancient tidal stone weirs in Taiwan. These are among the ancestral fishing methods of the seafaring Austronesian peoples, with examples in the Philippines, eastern Indonesia, Micronesia and Polynesia, as far as Hawaii. The method later passed to the Han Taiwanese and the Japanese. It works with the tide: fish swim in at high water and are left trapped as the sea falls. You view it from a platform on the grassy cliff above the shore. Dark lines of stone draw the hearts over green and blue water, with a long barrier reaching seaward beside them. The whole shape shows at low water, while a high tide can partly cover it. The cliff has an open view of the sea, and the wind is usually strong. The weir is 2.5 km in a straight line north-east of Qimei harbour and 41.3 km south of Magong. Check the tide table before you go. The island is reached by boat or small plane, and wind sometimes stops the services, so leave spare time in your plans. Bring a hat and sunscreen, and do not climb on or move the stones.
Dark lines over green water.
The whole scene from above.
A stone arm reaching seaward.
North coast of Qimei Island, Penghu County
At low water, so check the tide table before going to the cliff.
By boat or small plane, and wind can stop services.