Confucius Rock

Green Island, Taiwan’s cliffs of igneous rock have been sculpted by millenia of wind and waves into all manner of memorable figures. These range from a slumbering woman, named “Sleeping Beauty” after the fairy tale character, to a Pekinese dog, to a Chinese general, but the most distinctive must be Confucius Rock.

Located on the mostly unpopulated east coast, in an area known to have the island’s most ancient rock formations, this stack of black igneous rocks is said by locals and visitors to resemble the great Chinese sage.

Though facing the ocean, the formation resembles images in which Confucius faces a wall in reflection. The waves crashing about him and the water spraying his robes make a vivid sight.