Taiwan's largest island county, the Penghu Islands have a total landmass of 127 square kilometers, spread over 64 individual islands.

This is a story behind the name of Penghu:the largest island of the Penghu,together with Chungtun,Paisha and Hsiyu islands,blocks off the very rough(peng in Chinese)waters beyond the calm and clear "lake" (hu in Chinese) formed by the sheltering embrace of the islands.

Free of any pollution,the Penghu seabed offers wonderful views,winning it the reputation of "the Hawaii of Taiwan."

Walking on the Penghu's sandy beaches, you will be surprised at their wide variety of scenic charms. Apart from the different color sands,the beaches are noted for being flat and wide,fine and soft. In fact, the special qualities of Penghu sands have resulted in their being bottled as souvenirs.

The Penghu sun is too scorching to be enjoyed. The northeasterly monsoon comes

every year with the punctuality of migrating birds. The six-month-long monsoon leads to the islands being called "wind islands," This coupled with the salinization of the land. Makes it difficult for the islands to support trees. Many islands are without vegetation protection and are quite exposed to the sun. This makes the sky a particularly intense blue and the sun casts its rays straight down on the islands with dazzling force.

Though there are few trees,huge cacti abound on the hills and slopes,creating a natural scene unique to the Penghu.

The Penghu Islands are not all about sunshine, beaches,sea waves and cacti. For the local people sea basalt is truly Nature's workmanship at its most magic.

Between 17 million and 8 million years ago,the earth's crust in the southern part of the Taiwan Strait went through a period of drastic movement. The Penghu happened to lie on a fissure in the crust. Lava surged up with roaring force and spilled out in all directions, layer after layer, creating elevations dozens of meters high. When the lava cooled down. it solidified into lava rocks (basalt)of strange and beautiful shapes rarely seen elsewhere in the world.

The Penghu Islands are China's only archipelago formed by lava rocks. The Lesser

Paisha,Kishan and Dinggou islands have been  proclaimed in Taiwan as protected basalt zones. Here, one will be surprised at the fissured, phantasmagoric stone pillars. Hearing the seawater beating thunderously against the basalt is like listening to the heartbeat of life.

Makung Island boasts the only town in the Penghu Islands to have streets,Blown by the monsoon for six or seven months a year,it is a town of low buildings,of only three to six stories in the main.

Go down along a stone paved road worn shiny by people's feet, as it leads into a smaller lane, you see huge red lanterns overhead, each bearing the words "First Street of Penghu" in brush calligraphy. This is the oldest street in Penghu and the place where its prosperity started. The "four-eye well" has openings on its four sides, through which one can look down on clear waters,and which appear on the water surface like the images of four full moons.The well is said to have been built by the troops of Zheng Chenggong(1 624-1 662),the hero general who drove the Dutch from Taiwan and restored the island to Chinese sovereignty in the l7th century.The island is poor in freshwater and the well still provides vital supplies to the inhabitants.

Head further down the winding lane,you come to the Mother Queen Palace,the oldest of its kind in Taiwan,where the Sea Goddess Mazu is worshipped. Over 400 years old, despite the fact that the paint on the pillars and beams has peeled off, and the weathered inscriptions on the stone tablets are too indistinct to read, the temple is still visited by worshippers and offers protection to the Penghu islanders.

Sitting right in the middle of the Taiwan Strait between the mainland and Taiwa Island. since time immemorial the Penghu Islands have been places of contention during times of war and a staging post for people fleeing wars and calamity. Over 700 years have gone by since the founding emperor of the Yuan Dynasty(1 206-1 368) established an inspection office in 1281 at Penghu, and many ancient military rums still tell the stories of past wars.

Wang'an Gucuo is the most distinctive old street in Penghu. In southern Fujian on the mainland,houses were typically built with coral rocks.In the same tradition, Penghu fishermen brought coral rocks ashore,letting them weather and age before cutting them into building materials. The ancient houses, old windows, and aged stones used to build houses in this particular street tell the history of how Penghu people lived.

A particular type of wall in the fields deserves mention.Basalt or coral rocks are used to build such walls as windbreaks to protect farmland and vegetable gardens again the sea winds.

Years of hi story and culture have forged a uniquely strong culture and lifestyle¡¤For centuries,Penghu people have retained the lifestyle typical of south Fujian  Province. DesDite the passing of time, many ancient rituals and folk traditions still remain popular today-for example, praying for turtles(symbol of health,wealth and happiness)during the Lantern Festival,the Sea Goddess Mazu's touring her land,and the deities welcoming ceremony.Family ancestral temples,found all over the villages,carry on family history and traditions.

"If you grow up in Penghu,you don't realize its good points;only when you've  been to many places,can you appreciate how unbreakable are your ties to Penghu." This saying of the Penghu people, who seek to adapt to natural conditions in the most simple and sincere manner, made an ineradicable impression on me.