Yehliu Geopark

Wind, water, time, and tourism have worked to create a rocky alien landscape in Taiwan, known today as the Yehliu Geopark.

Stabbing out into the East China Sea, the thin spit of land now known as a “geopark” is awash in all manner of sculpted rock formations. The most well-known shapes are the top-heavy hoodoos that act as the symbol of the park, but there are a wide variety of shapes that have been etched into the land across the centuries. The unique landscape is the result of wind and waves crashing over the thin spike of earth, coming from the sea on almost every side. 

Many of these natural stone forms have even been given fanciful pet names like the oft-photographed, “Queen’s Head.” In the park you can also find formations called the “The Fairy Shoe,” and “The Sea Candles.”

In addition the to the stunning geological wonders in the geopark, the other increasingly common sight are the throngs of tourists that have begun flocking to the site. Unfortunately, like the wind and water that shaped the bulbous vistas, the very presence of so many humans is beginning to shape the land as well. Popular sites like the “Queen’s Head” have become so overrun that bright lines have been painted on the ground to keep anyone from disturbing the delicate rocks. The rocks took centuries to form, but could be forever changed in an instant, with our interference.