At 3:30 a.m., the world is still wreathed in darkness, but Tungkang harbor is lit up as bright as day. As the fully laden fishing boats dock at the nearby wharf, their catch is immediately transported to the auction square nearby. People elbow their way through the crowd, some of them carrying fish baskets or pushing cartloads of ice. Others may be haggling over a scale or bidding for fish. Fishmongers travel from every corner of Taiwan for the auction. Small trucks and motorcycles line up along the edge of the square. Steam and the aroma of food emanate from stalls selling breakfast beyond the periphery. It seems a long time before the sun rises and drives away the hustle and bustle of the night. After the fish are sold, most of the people vanish and the noise abates. So ends the fish auction at Tungkang.

History. Tungkang, literally meaning East Harbor, is so named because it is located to the east of the Kaoping River. As three rivers converge here before reaching the sea, Tungkang is a natural harbor and an ideal site for a fishing town. Facing the small island of Hsiao Liuchiu out to sea, Tungkang is the second largest town in Pingtung County.

Like many other places in Taiwan, Tungkang was established when the Ming dynasty patriot Koxinga fled to Taiwan to escape from the rule of the Manchu. During the Ching dynasty, Tungkang became a busy port, handling a large proportion of Pingtung County's agricultural exports such as sugar, rice, peanuts, hemp and rattan which were shipped to Shanghai, Canton and Amoy on the China mainland. Commodities imported from the mainland also came to the port before being distributed to every corner of Taiwan. Convenient land and water access made Tungkang a transportation center in southern Taiwan. Its strategic position also gave it importance as a fortress in the island's naval defense. A battery was set up in the harbor in 1874 and during the Sino-French war of 1884, Chinese forces used the base in their campaign to rout the enemy. When the Manchu court ceded Taiwan and Penghu to Japan after the Sino-Japanese war of 1895, patriotic soldiers resisted the arriving Japanese from the Tungkang base. Although a new vista of tall buildings and broad streets has emerged from the rubble of war, stories of the brave deeds of the past are passed down from generation to generation in Tungkang.

When Tungkang was a major port, its importance could not be exaggerated. But as time passed, its approaches became silted up, and when Kaohsiung harbor was opened to the north, it was relegated to the rank of fishing harbor.

Fishing. Most residents of Tungkang earn their living from the fishing industry. Before they sail out to sea, the fishermen can be seen patching fishing nets, breaking up lumps of ice, refueling, and storing enough food, water and gas, with the help of their families. After the work is finished, the fishermen lean on the hulls of the boats, smoking, engaging in conversation or perhaps praying silently for a rich harvest of fish.

As their boats are equipped with all kinds of sophisticated equipment for measurement and communications, fishermen are able to operate at sea as well as inshore. At present, Tungkang harbor has more than 1,200 motorized fishing boats, half of which range from 20 to 50 tons. The most valuable type of fish caught is tuna, most of which is exported to Japan to be eaten raw as sashimi, where it commands a high price. When the mullet shoals pass by the island of Taiwan around the winter solstice every year, the towns-people get ready for another rich harvest. Statistics show that Tungkang's fishermen caught 43,072 metric tons of fish in 1980, worth a total of NT$1,942,900,000 (US$5l million).

Each inshore fishing trip lasts an average 15 days, while a deep sea expedition may continue for 35 days. Profits are shared by skippers and their crew. Fishermen say that if they are lucky, they may earn an estimated NT$100,000 from each operation. This is divided up into between NT$10,000 to NT$20,000 a month for each crew member, which, coupled with earnings from fish farming, allows fishermen to enjoy a comfortable living.

Fishermen's association. Established some 60 years ago, the fishermen's association at Tungkang aims to ensure fishermen's rights, promote their knowledge and techniques, increase their productivity and harvest, improve their living conditions, and bring about modernization of the fishing industry.

In addition to fishermen, the 5,240 members of the association include skippers, owners of fishponds and part-time fishermen. They are divided into 19 groups according to where they live, and each chooses a representative to sit in an assembly.

One of the most important tasks of the fishermen's association is the management of the fish market. The three auction areas for fish, shrimps and shellfish are equipped with a cold storage and water filter tower, a scale and four-wheel pushcarts.

Market workers are paid from a levy of 2.5 percent imposed on transactions. A balance is always left over to improve fishermen's welfare and operations.

The association recently set up a committee to supervise the maintenance and overhaul of the harbor and make loans to fishermen to buy boats. It has also opened a training class for fishery skills for senior students in Tungkang Junior High School who are entering the line. It is intended that the quality of Taiwan's fishing industry will be improved in this way. To promote fishermen's welfare, the association has helped to set up a clinic, day care center and provide insurance coverage, social welfare and scholarships for fishermen and their families.

Small-town atmosphere. Every third person in Tungkang is a fisherman, while another third of the population is engaged in associated activities such as shipbuilding, cold storage, making ice, seafood and fishing equipment manufacturing and others. The remaining one-third is comprised mainly of farmers. Major agricultural products of the area include sugarcane, beans, and other vegetables.

Although modern buildings line the streets of Tungkang, the town still has a small-town atmosphere. The aroma of fish and sea air permeates everything, and women mostly wear broad-brimmed hats made of banana leaves and sports shoes as they lay out squid to be dried in the sun. At a riverside booth, three or four fishermen can be seen playing chess and sipping beer, with their feet tapping to the sound of a tape recorder.

The favorite game for young fishermen is to cast fishing nets from a plastic raft. As well as the size of catch, the fishermen's posture and the lie of the net are considered in deciding the winner.

Taiwan Hawaii. Because of its tropical atmosphere, Nanping Li to the south of Tungkang is known as the "Hawail of Taiwan." As well as having such cash crops as bananas, coconuts and sweet potatoes, Nanping is also dotted with ponds for commercial fish cultivation. Tapen Bay in Nanping district, with its spacious hinterland and natural protection afforded by narrow shoals on the coastline is to be opened up in the future to bring new wealth to the people of the area. Today, oyster culture is the major activity there.

Fish farming. With the assistance of the Tungkang branch of the Tai-wan Fishery Research Institute, fish farming has developed rapidly in Tungkang. At present, fishponds in the area cover an area of 434.7 hectares producing mainly eel, shrimps, milkfish and sea bass. In the past 10 years, the institute has successfully worked out techniques to breed shrimps and produce mullet artificially. Tungkang also has a vocational school for marine affairs.

Temples. The abundance of temples is also a notable feature of Tunkang. With a population of less than 50,000, the town has 50-odd temples. This is mainly because fishermen feel that they can ensure protection from the dangers of the sea by worshiping gods.

Although Matsu is the goddess of the sea, the deity most frequently worshiped in Tungkang is Lord Wen Wang. It is said that during the reign of Emperor Chien Lung of the Ching dynasty in 1706, some timber was washed ashore in the area of Tungkang one night. The people believed that the find was accompanied by an instruction to build a temple in honor of Lord Wen Wang. Now more than 270 years old, the Tung Lung Temple is weather-beaten and is due to be renovated soon. Highlight of the ceremony to worship Wen Wang, which is held every three years, is the ritual burning of his ship. For the ceremony, more than NT$100,000 is collected to set up an elaborate vessel. At 3 a.m., it is carried to the beach and piled up high with paper money. When the auspicious hour arrives, the boat is set on fire, implying that the lord is inspecting at sea.

Visitors to Tungkang always make a point of savoring the seafood which is served at fairs held every Wednesday and Saturday. Vendors from all over Taiwan go to these fairs to sell cloth, shoes, electrical appliances, magazines, books and newspapers.

As Tungkang is only 30 minutes drive from Kaohsiung, it is intended to include it in a tourist itinerary which will also include Kenting Park, Chialoushui and other scenic areas.

[Picture Caption]

As the sunset reddens the shoreline around Tungkang harbor, fishing boats operating inshore enter the harbor to dock.

1. At 3 a.m., the fishermen are busy transporting fish to the auction market. 2. & 3. Vendors line up along the piles of fish to bid for a reasonable price. 4. & 5. Women busy drying shrimp and squid under the sun.

1. Large baskets of oysters such as these earn a fortune for fishermen. 2. Riding on a plastic raft in Tapen Bay is a favorite pastime for young people in Tungkang. 3. Women remove oysters from their shells. 4. Stitching broken fishnets before sailing out to sea. 5. Mechanical operations used by manufacturers of fishnets in Tungkang.

1. A corner of a shipbuilding factory in Tungkang. 2. Chao Lung Temple in honor of Lord Wen Wang attracts the largest crowd of worshipers in Tungkang. Burning the lord's ship is a grand ceremony held once every three Years. 3. Matsu Temple in Tungkang. 4. Coconut trees and temples combine to create a tropical setting for Tungkang.

As the sunset reddens the shoreline around Tungkang harbor, fishing boats operating inshore enter the harbor to dock.

At 3 a.m., the fishermen are busy transporting fish to the auction market.

Vendors line up along the piles of fish to bid for a reasonable price.

Vendors line up along the piles of fish to bid for a reasonable price.

Women busy drying shrimp and squid under the sun.

Women busy drying shrimp and squid under the sun.

Riding on a plastic raft in Tapen Bay is a favorite pastime for young people in Tungkang.

Large baskets of oysters such as these earn a fortune for fishermen.

Riding on a plastic raft in Tapen Bay is a favorite pastime for young people in Tungkang.

Stitching broken fishnets before sailing out to sea.

Mechanical operations used by manufacturers of fishnets in Tungkang.

A corner of a shipbuilding factory in Tungkang.

Chao Lung Temple in honor of Lord Wen Wang attracts the largest crowd of worshipers in Tungkang. Burning the lord's ship is a grand ceremony held once every three Years.

Matsu Temple in Tungkang.

Coconut trees and temples combine to create a tropical setting for Tungkang.