Nanotech to the rescue?
If the world-renowned Queen’s Head were to disappear, tourism in Yeliu would take a hit, so experts are hard at work in search of a way to extend her life.
People have suggested various ways to preserve the Queen’s Head indefinitely—propping it up with a support structure, coating its surface, or enclosing it in something protective, for example—but all the suggestions would be ugly.
The North Coast and Guanyinshan National Scenic Area Administration a few years ago hired a multidisciplinary team of leading experts from National Taiwan University to tackle the problem. They eventually found that it would be possible to use nanotechnology to “freeze” the Queen’s Head. Suddenly, there was hope.
The NTU research team, explains Yang, has discovered that a specially formulated nanotech reinforcement compound could be used to fill in the pores and cracks in the rock, thus strengthening it and making it resistant to weathering. However, the nanotech compound currently available has side effects, and could make the Queen’s Head look unnatural. If the compound were applied in its current formulation, moisture would no longer seep into the rock. The surface would become smooth, and the coloring and grain would be affected.
Yang explains that the research team is now working to resolve the problem, and expects to come up with a solution next year. It will be the first time that nanotechnology has ever been put to this sort of use anywhere. Before any action is taken, however, the authorities will hold a national vote to let the people decide whether they actually want the Queen’s Head to be artificially preserved.
Perhaps the Queen’s Head’s fame has been excessive, overshadowing the larger significance of Yeliu as a living classroom where we can learn about the earth and how it changes. But in any case, it is certainly deserving of its designation as the top landscape in Taiwan.
The Fairy’s Shoe shown here falls in the category of ginger rock, composed of sandstone with hard calcareous concretions embedded in it. The seawater has washed away the softer sandstone to reveal what looks strikingly similar to a shoe, and the natural jointing in the rock adds a convincing decorative touch!