Aimen Beach, Magong City, Penghu County, Taiwán 

In Chinese, the “Ai” for “Aimen Beach” sounds the same as “love.” Therefore, locals give Aimen Beach a romantic nickname—Love Gate Beach. In front of the beach lies a cubic installation art, which loudly proclaims the beautiful name to passing travelers. Located in the east of Magong Airport, Aimen Beach is just a five minute drive to the airport. Because the beach faces toward the east, in winter the northeast monsoon blows away the dunes on the beach. To protect the beautiful scenery, pitch-dark silt nets are commonly seen on Aimen Beach in winter. They may not look attractive at first glance, but there is a beautiful story behind them.

The beauty of Aimen Beach had been the pride of Aimen residents. However, due to illegal gravel mining, the beach became a garbage mountain and was considered not worth visiting sometime in the past. Later, an elder village chief came to change all these. He picked up garbage with his own hands, moved nearby shell sands to the beach basket after basket, and erected silt fences with simple devices such as wood sticks and broken nets. Thanks to his efforts, after several years the beach finally recovered its former beauty. Serene and charming, Aimen Beach has a past that is almost forgotten.

Compared with the popular Shanshui Beach, Aimen Beach is more obscure and gets less visitors. It’s also a safe area to play in water. Those who do not fancy a water fight can step on the wooden walkway beside the beach to visit the nearby Lintou Park (林投公園), which is a good place for secret rendezvous between lovers.

Epic Taiwan Culture & Adventure Route © Monika Newbound

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