Beauty Cave is a cave in Liuqiu Township, Pingtung County, Taiwan. It is administered as a scenic area whose ticket also includes access to nearby Mountain Pig Ditch and Black Dwarf Cave.
| Beauty Cave | |
|---|---|
| 美人洞 | |
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| Location | Liuqiu, Pingtung County, Taiwan |
| Coordinates | 22°21′10.4″N 120°22′18.6″E / 22.352889°N 120.371833°E |
| Geology | solutional cave |
| Beauty Cave | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese | 美人洞 | ||||||||
| Literal meaning | Beautiful Person Cave | ||||||||
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| Alternative Chinese name | |||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 美人洞風景區 | ||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 美人洞风景区 | ||||||||
| Literal meaning | Beauty Cave Scenic Area | ||||||||
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Name
editThe name of the cave derives from local legends that it was the home of a beautiful young woman centuries ago. In one version of the story, during the Wanli Era[1] of the Ming Dynasty (1572–1620), she survived a shipwreck in the Taiwan Strait and made the cave her own home, surviving on spring water and wild fruits.[2] In another, the inhabitant of the cave was a Ming loyalist who was exiled from mainland China during its conquest by the Qing in the 17th century. His young and filial daughter accompanied him into exile, and they survived on plants and fish. When the father finally died, the daughter was overwhelmed. Rather than join the island's other inhabitants, she bit off her own tongue and committed suicide.[3]
Geography
editThe cave is a solutional cave formed by the gradual erosion of Liuqiu Island's limestone.[2] It also features fossilized shells and corals.[2] The surrounding scenic area includes other nearby caves,[4] divided into two parts and connected by 13 paths.[5]
History
editThe cave was built[clarification needed] in 1075.[2]
See also
editReferences
editCitations
edit- ^ Ni (2018), p. 174.
- ^ a b c d "Beauty Cave", Official site, Liuqiu: Liuqiu Township Office, 2015.
- ^ Momphard, David (18 July 2004), "Of Grottoes and Graves", Taipei Times.
- ^ The Rough Guide to Taiwan, Rough Guides, London: Penguin, 2015, p. 387–8, ISBN 9780241241936.
- ^ "Beauty Cave Scenic Spot". I Love Pingtung. Archived from the original on 31 January 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
Bibliography
edit- Ni Hao (2018), Travel Guide of Famous Islands in China, Travelling in China, No. 50, London: DeepLogic.
