Jibei Island Introduction
Jibei Island covers an area of approximately 3.1 square kilometers, with a coastline of about 13 kilometers, making it the largest island in the North Sea and one of the most popular tourist destinations in Taiwan. The island's terrain is higher in the east and lower in the west, characterized by beautiful beaches and sandbars formed by marine sediment, which are its most prominent geographical features. The beach is located in the southwest of the island, extending south from Xikanshan. At the end of the beach, a sandbar stretches into the sea due to the influence of ocean currents, measuring about 800 meters in length and up to 200 meters in width. Surrounding the island, many large and small stone fish traps have been artificially distributed, with over two hundred existing during their peak, currently only 88 remain. The island is about 5 nautical miles away from Chikan, with a boat journey of approximately 20 minutes. Jibei Island is not only one of the fishing grounds in northern Penghu, but due to its significant tidal fluctuations and extensive intertidal zone, early settlers observed fish ecology for a long time and used tidal differences for fishing, utilizing the surrounding basalt and coral reefs to build stone traps during low tide. Historical records indicate that during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, when the "trap tax" was levied, Jibei had one large trap and four small traps, suggesting the construction of stone traps began well before the Qianlong era. The coastal waters of Jibei Island are densely packed with stone traps, with the remaining 88 traps accounting for nearly one-seventh of the over 580 traps in the entire county. During low tide, one can wade from a local site called Yungwanzi to the northwest Guoyun. The coastal stone traps on both the east and west sides of Yungwanzi are dense, representing nearly half of Jibei's stone traps (about 40). This type of fishing trap, built from basalt by residents utilizing the intertidal zone, is the most distinctive cultural landscape of Jibei Island. A popular tourist site was the hit television drama "Dolphin Bay Lovers", where the character Zeya (portrayed by Hsu Shao-yang) encountered Yi Tian-bian (portrayed by Zhang Shao-han) in Dolphin Bay, which is located at Jibei Shawei. "Have you heard the legend of the dolphins? It is said that dolphins once held a steel ring to help a pair of separated lovers reunite, thus becoming the guardians of love! In the Dolphin Bay of Tian-bian, a tale of love and legends is passed down!" When the series aired, it attracted many fans to this location. The boat house where Yi Tian-bian first met Xu Zeya as adults, Yi Tian-bian's family's noodle shop, and the bus stop at Dolphin Bay are all focal points for fans to capture on camera. Are you one of them? When visiting Jibei Island, don’t forget to explore the community to find the home of the show's female lead, Yi Tian-bian. If you take photos, feel free to share them with us! Additionally, the music video for the song "Forget" by the healing songstress Xin Xiaoqi was also filmed in Jibei, showcasing the unique beauty and vibrancy of Penghu's summer. The beloved "Da Ren Ge" - Chen Bo-lin and Ke You-lun, filmed the "7-ELEVEN" promotional advertisement in 2006 in Jibei, featuring them riding a motorcycle under white clouds in the sky and jumping into the clear ocean water, which were also shot in Jibei.
