A photograph taken by a former chairman of Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Department Store of the “Queen’s Head” (女王頭) rock formation at Yehliu Geopark (野柳公園) in New Taipei City changed the fate of the fishing village Yeliou (野柳).
Wu Tung-hsing (吳東興), who passed away on Thursday last week at the age of 81, was an avid photographer.
In his early 20s, while studying at Soochow University, Wu snuck into the military garrison that was at Yeliou at the time to photograph the rock formations. After he showed the photograph of the now-iconic rock at an exhibition in 1962, people began flocking to the village to see the formations.
Photo: Yu Chao-fu, Taipei Times
Yeliou residents had in the past given the rock formation many names, including “married woman’s head” and “beautiful woman’s head,” Masu Fishing Village Cultural Association president Lin Sung-yao (林松堯) said.
The name “Queen’s Head” was first used after a visitor to the village showed a British coin to a local who thought the formation resembled the queen’s image, and the name stuck, Lin said.
“The people in Yeliou are really thankful to Wu for photographing the Queen’s Head and showing his photograph at an exhibition in Taipei, letting it become so well known,” Lin said.
Photo provided by Masu Fishing Village Cultural Association
After Wu showed his pictures at the exhibition with images by his good friend, photographer Huang Tse-hsiu (黃則修), Yeliou became one of the nation’s must-see spots for Taiwanese and international tourists, Lin said.
“Wu changed the fate of Yeliou’s residents,” Yehliu Geopark manager Yang Ching-chien (楊景謙) said, adding that he had visited Wu’s exhibitions through the years.
The park protects the Queen’s Head and other rock formations from damage, and promotes the study of geology, he added.
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