Seeing the Algal Reef: A Bird's-Eye View of Taoyuan's Coastline
In 2013, director Chi Po-lin's documentary Beyond Beauty: Taiwan from Above brought the algal reefs along Taoyuan's coast into the public consciousness. The camera revealed a breathtaking expanse of reddish-brown reef stretching along the shoreline across Datan, Guanyin, and Xinwu — a natural wonder unique to Taiwan, built up layer by layer over vast stretches of time. Yet the lens also captured another face of Taiwan: environmental pollution flowing through rivers across the land, inextricably woven into the lives of those who live along the coast, ultimately leaving the ocean to bear the burden of it all.
The residents of Yongxing Community have depended on this sea since childhood. In recent years, the Datan Power Plant and the Guanyin and Xinwu industrial zones have moved into the neighboring area, making industrial water use and wastewater discharge a growing concern for the marine ecosystem. Yet with the establishment of protected zones and concerted efforts by relevant authorities to implement monitoring and governance, the ecology has been able to recover, step by step.
Interviewing community residents at the Yongxing Community Development Association.
A Half-Farming, Half-Fishing Way of Life: Coastal Wisdom Passed Down Through the Tides
For generations, Yongxing Community has sustained itself through a "half-farming, half-fishing" way of life. The intertidal zone along the shore nurtures a rich array of species. Residents recall that in years past, "you could step into a tidal pool and instantly be surrounded by fish." Rock oysters, banded grunts, shrimp, and crabs were everywhere in abundance. Fifty years ago, the algal reef zone functioned like a natural stone weir, providing an exceptional fishing ground and nursery for marine life.
Spring was the busiest season. From March to May each year, residents spent their days catching milkfish fry. After the second rice harvest, from November through the Lunar New Year in around February, they would haul in mullet fry during the day. Starting in December, as the tide rose each evening, they would wade out to the river mouth to catch eel fry — working through the night until around the end of March. When prices were good, these fry could account for roughly 80% of a farming household's income. This speaks to just how abundant the intertidal zone once was in fish, shrimp, and shellfish. Marine worms served as bait; seagrass was used as feed for pigs; and the wind- and drought-resistant leaves of the screw pine (Pandanus) became the most locally rooted material for traditional hand-weaving.
Golden rice paddies at the edge of summer, bathed in the evening sun across the community.
Protection and Stewardship: From Protected Area to the Rise of Citizen Scientists
In 2014, the Guanxin Algal Reef was designated a Wildlife Protection Area under the Wildlife Conservation Act — a landmark decision that ensured the preservation of this precious reef ecosystem. For residents who had lived alongside this coast their entire lives, however, the establishment of the protected area also brought contradiction and challenge.
From childhood, residents had fished and gathered shellfish along this shoreline; their livelihoods were deeply intertwined with the algal reef. After the protected area was established, some residents found their way of life changing, yet they also understood that only through legislation and formal systems could this coastline continue to reflect the beauty they had known since childhood. For this reason, residents have called for more than just protected-area designation — they stress the need for pollution monitoring, patrol systems, and complementary policies to make protection truly effective. In recent years, the city government has worked together with the local community to seek a better balance between conservation and daily life.
The coastal scenery along Yongxing Community's shoreline.
As fish catches have declined year by year, residents of Yongxing Community have come to recognize that traditional methods alone can no longer sustain their livelihoods. In response to the shifting coastal ecology, the Community Development Association and local residents organized a "Coastal Patrol Team" to carry out day-to-day patrols of the algal reef and surrounding shoreline. These residents are, in their own right, citizen scientists. Though lacking formal training, their years of lived experience and local knowledge give them a keen eye for changes in the intertidal zone — noticing where fish and shrimp populations have thinned, or where certain species have appeared in unusual numbers. They are often the first to spot something out of the ordinary, frequently ahead of professional researchers. This year, the Taoyuan City Environmental Protection Bureau partnered with the community to promote ecological surveys and environmental education, enabling residents to become both active participants in conservation and vital guardians of the local ecosystem.
(Top) Species from the Guanxin Algal Reef documented by community residents on their mobile phones. (Bottom) Community residents taking part in conservation patrol work, serving as citizen scientists conducting transect-based ecological surveys.
Tourism in Transition: Ecological Tourism and the Community's Future
Facing the pressures of an aging population and industrial transformation, Yongxing Community has begun exploring tourism as a new path forward. In recent years, driven by rural regeneration programs and environmental education policy, the community has combined the algal reef ecological classroom with a range of thoughtfully designed experiences — including intertidal zone guided tours, kayaking along Houhu Creek, community walks to the local Earth God temple, and traditional fishing culture activities. These offerings weave together local history, culture, and natural environment into an immersive experience. Visitors can engage firsthand with the algal reef and estuarine wetland ecosystems, while the wisdom of the "half-farming, half-fishing" way of life is transformed into educational content that carries local cultural values forward. At the same time, the community has developed distinctive agricultural products such as "Yongxing Black Rice," blending tourism with agriculture to generate new economic momentum for the community.
The iconic mural wall in Yongxing Community.
Closing Thoughts
The story of Yongxing Community reflects a challenge shared by many coastal communities across Taiwan: amid the pressures of industrial encroachment, uneven resource distribution, ecological protection, and industrial transformation, how does a community find a path that both safeguards the natural environment and sustains everyday life? What residents yearn for most is simply to "live in peace and safety." They do not long to return to the past, but neither do they wish to see the environment deteriorate once again.
Through the joint efforts of government agencies and local residents, Yongxing Community has not only stood watch over its home but has gradually begun to explore new possibilities in ecological tourism and specialty industries. Along this coastline, amid ongoing transformation, a future rooted in sustainability and coexistence is slowly taking shape.
