Radio Taiwan International
Date: 08 June, 2020
By: Leslie Liao

Guishan Island[/caption] A small uninhabited island off the coast of Yilan County in eastern Taiwan is commemorating 20 years of tourism. People once lived on the island but were evacuated for safety reasons. Four decades later, people that came from Guishan Island are returning in search of their roots.

It’s like a scene from a movie: the tiny Guishan Island which is named for its turtle-like shape. In 2000, Taiwan opened the island for tourism. Visitors can take a boat out to see the dolphins, or set foot on the island and explore the lush natural scenery.

Today, Guishan Island is uninhabited. But that wasn’t always the case. Before 1977, there were close to 200 families living there. The government even built a school for the local children. But the authorities relocated Guishan Island’s residents to Taiwan proper for safety reasons. 

In 1994, a hundred fishing boats transported the former residents back to their island home so that they could pay tribute to their ancestors.     [FULL  STORY]