Xiyu Pingyu Introduction
Xiyu Pingyu, the westernmost of the Southern Four Islands, is about a 25-minute boat ride from Wang'an and is adjacent to Dongyu Pingyu. The two islands are closely related and are collectively referred to as "Banpingyu" or "Yuping." At the coast, one can see the island's spiritual center, the Huaniang Temple, which is dedicated to the main deity Huaniang, as well as other deities such as Wushui and Mazu. To reach the village, visitors need to walk up a slope called "Haohan Slope" from the dock. Here, one can see many ancient houses made of volcanic rock and basalt, although most residents have already moved away. Xiyu Pingyu primarily has a quadrilateral mountain landscape, with columnar basalt cliffs on the east side and continuous cliffs on the west side, where one can find sea erosion grooves and sea caves formed by ocean currents. The east and north sides feature basalt gravel beaches, and a sea erosion pillar, known locally as "Diaozi," can be seen isolated in the ocean not far from the northeast corner of the coast. From the northwest corner, Xiweishan offers a view of Tiezhi Island and Toujin Island, where the beautiful scenery of the sea and sky merges. Not only does Xiyu Pingyu have diverse landscapes on land, but its underwater world is also splendid. The surrounding waters have a rich variety of corals with vibrant colors, making it the area with the highest coral coverage among the Southern Four Islands. Below the sea, large areas of branching or table-shaped corals can be observed, with various marine life swimming among them, making it a paradise for snorkelers and possessing significant conservation value!
