Native name: 虎井嶼 (Chinese) | |
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Geography | |
Location | southwestern Magong City, Penghu County (the Pescadores), Republic of China (Taiwan) |
Coordinates | 23°29′23″N 119°31′35″E / 23.489747°N 119.526358°E |
Area | 1.9972 km2 (0.7711 sq mi)[1] |
Administration | |
Republic of China (Taiwan) | |
Province | Taiwan (streamlined) |
County | Penghu |
County-administered city | Magong |
Demographics | |
Population | ~100 (2017)[2] |
Additional information | |
Time zone |
Hujing Island[3] / Huching Island[4][5][6] / Hujing Islet[7][8] (Chinese: 虎井嶼; pinyin: Hǔjǐng Yǔ; Wade–Giles: Hu3-ching3 Yü3; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Hó͘-chéⁿ-sū) is an islet in Hujing Village (虎井里), Magong City, Penghu County (the Pescadores), Taiwan.[9] The island has also been known as Da'anshan (大案山) and the nearby Tongpan Island as Xiao'anshan (小案山).[10]: 19 The southern part of the island is crossed by the Tropic of Cancer.[7][11] Hujing Island is the seventh largest island in Penghu (the Pescadores). The island is 7 nmi (13 km) from Penghu Main Island. There are mountains on the eastern end (Dongshan) and western end (Sishan) of the island.[12]
Ferries run three times a day between Magong on the main island of Penghu and Hujing Island.[13] It takes about twenty minutes to reach Hujing Island from Penghu's main island by boat.[2]
The island takes its current name from a tradition in which a tiger was found in a dry cave (or well[5]) near the south end of the island.[3]
According to tradition, the Dutch built a fortress on the island which sank into the sea. No significant discoveries have been made in the area.[3]
On July 12, 1683, Qing Empire naval forces took Hujing Island and Tongpan Island in the early stages of the Battle of Penghu.[10]: 42
A World War II-era Japanese bomb shelter built on the island survives and is accessible to the public free of charge.[5]
In January 2019, there were noted complaints about collapsing roads and slow repair times around the western mountain area of the island.[14]
In June 2019, there were a total of six students in the island's primary school.[15]
The population of Hujing (Huching) village, noted for its seafood restaurants, is concentrated on the southwest end of the island.[5]
The island's geology is noted for black volcanic rock formations.[5] The island is higher in altitude than nearby Tongpan Island with a plain between the mountainous areas where most of the population lives.[7][12]