Donggang, Pingtung

Donggang Township 東港鎮 Tang-kang; Tungkiang
Urban township
Donggang Township in Pingtung County
Location	Pingtung County, Taiwan
Area
• Total	29 km2 (11 sq mi)
Population  (July 2018)
• Total	47,746
• Density	1,600/km2 (4,300/sq mi)

Dongang Township
Traditional Chinese	東港鎮
Literal meaning	East port township
Hanyu Pinyin	Dōnggǎng Zhèn
Wade–Giles	Tung1-Kang3 Chen4
Pha̍k-fa-sṳ	Tûng-kóng-tsṳ́n
Hokkien POJ	Tang-káng-tìn

Donggang Township or Tungkang Township (Chinese: 東港鎭) is an urban township in west-central Pingtung County, Taiwan. Located on Taiwan's western coastline, along the Taiwan Strait, it has one of Taiwan's largest fishing harbors. Dapeng Bay with its national scenic area is just south of Donggang.

The town also hosts Donglong Temple (東隆宮; Dōnglóng gōng), which is dedicated to "Lord Wen" (溫王爺; Wēn wángyé, the word Wen is pronounced the same as "plague" in Chinese) and is known for its triannual ceremony of "burning lord's boat" (burning plague boat).

History

Donggang was opened as a port by the Chinese admiral Koxinga in the 17th century. It was a major commercial port for Taiwan until the end of the 19th century. During Japanese rule, it was placed under Takao Prefecture as Tōkō town (東港街) and served the Japanese naval facilities in Dapeng Bay.

Administrative divisions

The township comprises 23 villages: Bade, Chengyu, Chuantou, Dapeng, Datan, Dingxin, Dingzhong, Fengyu, Gonghe, Jialian, Nanping, Tunghe, Tunglong, Xiabu, Xinghe, Xingnong, Xingtai, Xingtung, Xingyu, Xinsheng, Zenghai, Zhaoan and Zhongxing.

Economy

Donggang's primary economic activities are fishing and agriculture. It is famous for its fresh and abundant seafood. The town has a flourishing tourism industry which peaks during April to June, due to the availability and increasing popularity of the southern bluefin tuna for sashimi. The town's other delicacies include karasumi (desalinated mullet roe) and sakura shrimp.

File:Tang-kang-ngia-ong.jpg

The triannual ceremony of "burning lord's boat" at Donglong Temple

Tourist attractions

• Dapeng Bay national scenic area
• Donglong Temple
• Jinde Bridge
• Penbay International Circuit

Notable natives

• Kuo Ting-tsai, member of Legislative Yuan (1993–2002)
• Lee Shying-jow, Minister of Veterans Affairs Council (2016–2018)

Transportation

The nearest railway stations to Donggang Township are Nanzhou Station or Linbian Station of the TRA Pingtung Line. Ferry services connect Donggang to Baisha Port and Dafu Port on Lamay Island.

References

Lee Fongmao (2011). "East Haven Palace of Eastern Prosperity". Encyclopedia of Taiwan. Council for Cultural Affairs. Archived from the original on 2013-04-19.

External links

• Staff (2003) "Tastes and Colors of Pingtung: The Three Treasures of Tungkang" Sinorama Magazine
• Tunkang Coastline, Pingtung County (Taiwan) Coastal Photograph by Hubert Chanson, Journal of Coastal Research, Vol. 25, No. 5, Sept., p. 1176 (ISSN 0749-0208)