Mao'ao Fishing Port Introduction
Mao'ao, located in the Northeast Corner, is an ancient fishing village with a history of over a hundred years. Because the North Link Railway does not pass through this area and the coastal highway bypasses the village, Mao'ao has lucked out in preserving its traditional fishing village appearance, making it one of the most important cultural heritages in the Northeast Corner. Mao'ao Fishing Port is situated on the west side of Sandiao Cape, surrounded on the right by Lailai Mountain and on the left by Laolan Mountain, with a mountain peak resembling rabbit ears in the back, creating an isolated environment surrounded by lush green peaks. Another unique feature of Mao'ao Fishing Port is the preservation of century-old stone houses. In the early days, the Pingpu people used local stones as building materials and constructed houses by stacking stones together through interlocking principles, providing protection from wind and rain while ensuring warmth in winter and coolness in summer. At its peak, there were over a hundred stone houses in the area. According to local historians, the craftsmanship of the stone house construction reflects the owner's financial status. The "parallel stacking" method is more neatly aligned but requires stones of similar length and thickness, resulting in structures that are both tidy and grand, usually owned by wealthy families. In contrast, the "random stacking" method uses stones of various sizes and is typically owned by ordinary families. Interestingly, there is also a type with stones arranged in an interlocking manner, resembling the character "人" (ren), which symbolizes the "good nobles." The most representative two-story stone house at Mao'ao Fishing Port is said to have been built with funding from a homeowner who had three consecutive years of abundant catches. However, the second floor of the stone house does not have rooms; it is mainly used for drying fish and storing food. Although it has now collapsed, visitors can still sense the simple luxury of that time.
