Mao'ao Fishing Port Introduction
Mao'ao, located in the Northeast Coast area, is an ancient fishing village over a hundred years old. Because the North Link Line does not pass through this area and the coastal highway bypasses the village, Mao'ao has been fortunate to preserve its traditional fishing village appearance, making it one of the most important cultural assets in the Northeast Coast. Mao'ao Fishing Port is situated on the western side of Sandiao Cape, nestled between Lailai Mountain on the right and Laolan Mountain on the left, with a mountain peak that resembles rabbit ears in the background. It is surrounded on three sides by lush green mountains, creating an isolated environment. One distinctive feature of Mao'ao Fishing Port is the century-old stone houses. Early settlers from the Pingpu people used local stone materials to construct these houses, stacking stones based on principles of pressure and interlocking, which protected against wind and rain while providing insulation, keeping the interiors warm in winter and cool in summer. At its peak, there were over a hundred stone houses in the area. According to local cultural historians, the craftsmanship of the stone walls is a symbol of the owner's wealth. The "parallel stacking" method is more refined but requires stones of similar length and thickness, resulting in neat and grand structures typically owned by wealthier families. In contrast, the "random stacking" method consists of stones of various sizes and is more common among ordinary families. Interestingly, there is also a style known as "人字砌" (human character stacking), where stones are arranged in an interlocking pattern resembling the Chinese character for "person," symbolizing "good harvests." Mao'ao Fishing Port features a representative two-story stone house, which is said to have been built by an owner who had a rich catch of fish for three consecutive years, allowing for the collective investment in this rare luxury stone house. However, the second floor of the stone house does not have any rooms; it is primarily used for drying fish and storing food. While it has since collapsed, visitors can still sense the simple luxury of that time.
