Yuan Gang Tourist Fishing Harbor Introduction
Originally known as Yuanli Harbor, it is named after its location at the mouth of the Yuanli River and serves as the primary harbor for the area after the Tudi Gong Harbor. According to Cai Zhen-feng's "Yuanli Chronicles," Yuanli Harbor is relatively wide and deep without hindrance, making it a popular mooring place for merchant ships. The harbor was bustling with masts and sailors and was listed as one of the Eight Sceneries of Pengshan. After the Japanese occupation, it lost its connection to China and declined. Around the 80th year of the Republic of China, it was developed into a tourist fishing port, offering visitors seafood snacks, sea fishing, and various leisure activities. The "Yuanli Harbor Tourist Fishing Port" is located at the northern end of Yuanli Township's coastline. Initially, it was a simple boat harbor formed at the river mouth, but after planning and development, it gradually became a tourist fishing port with an activity center for fishermen, a sea-view pavilion, children's playground equipment, a fish grilling area, shaded flower racks, a performance square, processing area, direct sales center, shellfish breeding pool, camping area, parking lot, walking paths, an arch bridge, and pavilions. The western plaza also features green spaces, a sports square, and nostalgic light vehicle pathways, allowing the public to jog in the morning, exercise, fly kites, watch sunsets, and listen to the waves, making it a multifunctional recreational fishing port. Here, visitors can not only buy fresh fish but also enjoy seaside activities, such as fishing on the shore, flying kites with children, or searching for clams, catching shrimp and crabs, and playing in the sand, sharing family fun. However, since it is a fishing port, the most appealing aspect is still the fresh seafood! The market fish auction at Yuanli Harbor Tourist Fishing Port takes place every morning at 6:30 AM, where freshly caught and lively seafood is auctioned off to market vendors and restaurant operators. Naturally, many people wake up early to choose fish to cook at home. The seafood here is cheaper and fresher than what's sold in the market, making it worthwhile to get up early for shopping. The activity center of Yuanli Harbor Tourist Fishing Port also features a restaurant that serves freshly caught seafood, with dishes depending on the daily catch from fishing boats, guaranteed to be "extremely fresh and delicious." If you visit the fishing port in the afternoon, be sure not to miss the beautiful sunset views at Yuanli Harbor Tourist Fishing Port, where golden rays shimmer on the crystal-clear water waves. Listening to the sounds of the waves while watching the surrounding light slowly change from warm reddish-brown to soft golden hues can be incredibly relaxing, making you feel immensely at ease. Many visitors come specifically to enjoy the sunset here! "Yuanli Fish Balls" are renowned far and wide. Yuanli Harbor Tourist Fishing Port is a typical sandy beach on the western coast with significant tidal differences, wide and gentle beaches, and a long and deep intertidal zone, resulting in abundant coastal fishery resources. The main fish species in spring include mullet, kingfish, pomfret, and ribbonfish, while summer and autumn bring fish, flatfish, shrimp, and crabs, and winter primarily features black fish, mullet, kingfish, pomfret, and ribbonfish, ensuring a rich supply of seafood throughout the year. The region produces a significant amount of sandbar sharks and hammerhead sharks, but in the early post-war period, due to inconvenient transportation and the sharks' short shelf life, there was often an oversupply during fishing seasons, leading to an imbalance in production and sales. Fishermen began to produce fish balls using freshly caught sharks to address this imbalance. Since the fish balls are made from fresh coastal sharks, they are fragrant, chewy, and delicious, with excellent taste, making "Yuanli Fish Balls" well-loved and a renowned specialty of Yuanli throughout Taiwan.
