The Syuanwu (玄武) basalt cliffs in Penghu, a popular tourist destination, was defaced with a message of love written in large simplified Chinese characters on the cliff wall.
The 10-million-year-old rock formation on Penghu’s Siyu Islet (西嶼) draws visitors who climb its stair-like walls, as well as those who enjoy photographing its rock pillars, which are variously upright, horizontal and bent into arches with colors from gray and black to yellow and brown.
The cliff is often referred to as the Syuanwu Shower Cliff (玄武岩瀑) due to the rain-like phenomenon that occurs during the abalone breeding season when sea snails squirt water from the tops of the rock pillars.
Photo: Liu Yu-ching, Taipei Times
Netizen Jeff Chen yesterday posted a photograph on Facebook of the message that reads: “Ho Miao, I love you.”
“Before, it was researchers who climbed Syuanwu cliff, and now it’s tourists. Syuanwu is over 10 million years old, how can someone just use it as a place to profess their love?” Chen said on Facebook.
Netizens said they suspect the message was written by a Chinese tourist because it is written in simplified Chinese.
The Penghu National Scenic Area Administration office said that it would investigate the incident in accordance with Article 62 of the Act for the Development of Tourism (發展觀光條例), adding that the maximum fine for defacing a natural scenic site is NT$500,000.
The office said it would clean the rock face, but identifying the vandal would be difficult given the lack of surveillance cameras at the site.
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