Maoao Fishing Port Introduction
Mao'ao, located in the Northeastern corner, is an ancient fishing village with a history of over a hundred years. Due to the Northern Link Railway not passing through this area and the coastal highway bypassing the village, Mao'ao has fortunately preserved its traditional fishing village appearance and has become one of the most important cultural assets of the Northeast Coast. Mao'ao Fishing Port is situated on the west side of Sandiao Cape, embraced by Lailai Mountain on the right and Laolan Mountain on the left, with a mountain peak resembling rabbit ears behind it, surrounded by lush green mountains, creating a secluded environment. Another characteristic of Mao'ao Fishing Port is its century-old stone houses. Early Plain Indigenous people used local stone materials for construction, stacking stones based on the principles of stacking and pushing against each other to build homes that could shield against wind and rain while providing insulation, keeping warm in winter and cool in summer. At its peak, there were over a hundred stone houses in the area. According to local historians, the delicacy of the stone house construction reflects the wealth of the owner. The "parallel stacking" method is more uniform but requires stones of similar lengths and thicknesses, resulting in neat and grand structures, usually owned by wealthy families. In contrast, the "random stacking" method uses stones of different sizes and is typical of ordinary households. Interestingly, there is also a method called "human character stacking," where stones are arranged in a crisscross pattern resembling the character "人" in Chinese, symbolizing "good wild people." Mao'ao Fishing Port features the most representative two-story stone house, which is said to have been built after the owner caught an abundant harvest for three consecutive years, allowing them to raise funds for this rare luxurious stone house. However, the second floor of the stone house has no rooms and is primarily used for drying fish and storing food. Although it has since collapsed, one can still sense the simple luxury of that time.
