Donggang, Pingtung

Donggang Township 東港鎮
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: 東港鎮) 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 has East Haven Palace of Eastern Prosperity (東隆宮; Dōnglóng gōng; 'Donglong Temple'), which worships "Royal 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 king'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.

Tourist attractions

• An-Nur Tongkang Mosque
• Donglong Temple
• Jinde Bridge
• Penbay International Circuit

Notable natives

• Kuo Ting-tsai, member of Legislative Yuan (1993–2002)

Transportation

The nearest railway station to Donggang Township is the Nanzhou Station or Libian Station of the TRA Pingtung Line. The township houses the ferry harbor to Baisha Port and Dafu Port in 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. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)

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)