The iconic Queen’s Head rock (女王頭) at Yehliu Geopark (野柳公園) in New Taipei City is under spotlight after part of the Shenao Elephant Trunk Rock (深澳象鼻岩), another famous rock formation on the nation’s northeast coast, collapsed into the sea on Saturday, due to strong waves and winds.
Rueifang District Warden Yang Sheng-min (楊勝閔) said he received a report that part of the rock formation had fallen into the sea at 1:55pm on Saturday.
As the winds and waves were really strong in the afternoon, the partial collapse was likely caused by the weather conditions, as well as long-term seawater erosion, he said.
Photo: Ting Yi, Taipei Times
The district office had set up a warning line around the area in 2020 to protect the special geographic landscape by preventing visitors from climbing onto the rock formation.
In the wake of the news on Saturday, many have expressed concern over the fate of the Queen’s Head as the circumference of the rock’s “neck” has also been diminished due to erosion and human-inflicted damage.
The pace at which the circumference of the rock’s neck is decreasing has slowed since the agency in 2012 barred tourists from touching the rock formation, the North Coast and Guanyinshan National Scenic Area Administration said yesterday.
However, there is a constant concern regarding when the neck could break due to natural erosion, it added.
North Coast and Guanyinshan National Scenic Area Administration head Chen Yu-chuan (陳煜川) said his agency has been working with a professional team researching ways to reduce the effect of erosion on the rock formation, and they are exploring high-tech approaches to preserve it.
The circumference of the rock’s neck is decreasing by 1cm to 2cm every year, the Yehliu Geopark said.
Past 3D scanning measured the circumference of the “neck” at 138.27cm in 2005, 127.88cm in 2015 and 125.01cm in 2017, it said.
The latest measurement conducted in September showed a circumference of 118.3cm, it said.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or