RUIFANG DISTRICT — Three years ago I came and took the pic you see above. I visited here again recently hoping to take some more shots and hopefully get one like the one above perfectly in focus. However I am sad to announce that this shot is no longer possible. You will see why below.
Like most people I discovered this place via Instagram. There are so many hidden gems in Taiwan so every few months or so a new one goes viral and carries with it good and bad implications.
The good implications are obvious. It allows non-Chinese speakers like myself to discover remote locations and get great shots. Locals come in and support small shop in the area. Young beauties get their boyfriend's to take daddy's benz out for the day so she can get her next Tinder profile pic. It's a good time for everybody.
The bad implications are that eventually the vultures and government swoop in and ruin the place. This place is now crawling with food vendors who want to turn it into a market. And the government has put ropes up everywhere restricting what areas people can walk. They even employ a guard to make sure nobody gets too close to the edge. These rope and the guard basically block all the good angles and prevent the types of shots that this place was good for.
Don't get me wrong, it's still a cool place. There's plenty of room to explore and the views are amazing. But seriously... Even if 50 people fell off the edge I see no reason for ropes and a guard.
Instead of being angry and thinking about how the government is just a soft version of the mafia I tried to just relax and enjoy the ocean. As you can see in the pic above it was particularly nice that day.
This was the best shot of the rock I could get of the rock and I had to step over the rope really quickly to get it.
As I said above this place is still worth the visit, and maybe if you go on a weekday you'll be able to get the shots you want without being bothered by Big Brother. Good luck!
📍 Address: Shenao Road, Ruifang District, New Taipei City, 224