"Stone Mushrooms" at Yeliu Geopark in Taiwan

The appearances of the mushroom rocks are quite harsh. [Photo/cri.cn]

In Keelung City in northwestern Taiwan there is a particular beach area where visitors are easily bewildered by the view of numerous, low-rising, robust rocks shaped like mushrooms. They are the mushroom rocks at Yeliu Geopark. The area was chosen as one of China's eight most beautiful sea coasts by "National Geographic" in 2005.

Although we arrived on a cloudy day, the mushroom rocks still struck us as very vivid, not only because of their yellowish color and the odd cap on each of them, but also because of their stark contrast to the serene and relentless ocean.

There are more than 100 mushroom rocks at Yeliu Geopark. According to scientific explanation, they were formed by tens of thousands of years of erosion by wind, rain and seawater.

Although the rocks appear very rough and wild, they are in fact very fragile. Since the park opened to public tourism, many of the rocks have been damaged by increasing numbers of sightseers. The park administration has enclosed protected area on the edge of the coast both to preserve the natural wonder and ensure the safety of visitors.