Return to the Island of Weirs: A Chronicle of Penghu's Stone Weirs and Coastal Life

★ Traverse islands and explore diverse fishing weir cultures from a fresh perspective. ★ Uncover the secrets of stone weir construction on a homecoming adventure sparked by restoration. ★ Delve into 7 near-extinct coastal living traditions from fishing villages, featuring stories of lifelong elders and their cherished possessions. ★ Explore 9 of Penghu's most iconic stone weirs, uncovering their legends and origins. ★ Discover special "Fishing Weir Post" insights, with 9 obscure facts and reports about stone weirs, perhaps even new to locals. Have you ever seen a stone weir? Penghu's Twin Heart Stone Weir is world-renowned, but this seemingly romantic heart shape was actually an ingenious trap to lure fish! Building weirs to encircle fish was a universal understanding among humankind's early explorations of the ocean. In Penghu, you'll find the most diverse, aesthetically pleasing, well-preserved, and densely distributed collection of stone weirs. They once provided sustenance for countless fishermen and even fueled legends of overnight fortunes, solidifying their status as an island intrinsically linked to the Penghu people. Beneath the sea level of these islands and reefs lie mysterious structures resembling crop circles. These are the enduring contracts, forged from basalt over three hundred years ago, between our ancestors and the ocean. By truly understanding the nuances of tides and currents, and by mastering the weight and shape of each stone, the stone weirs, with their long embracing arms and vast heart-shaped enclosures, capture fish as the tides shift. Two young Penghu natives, born on the island yet unfamiliar with the sea, embarked on a journey to explore the civilization of stone weirs, starting with their restoration. They witnessed the near-lost art of stone masonry, marvelled at peculiar shapes and ingenious functions, and studied intricate operational mechanisms. Following the craftsmen, they immersed themselves in village life, experiencing the local daily rhythms from the ground up. They painted a true portrait of the island hidden beneath the waves, documenting ways of coastal living that are on the verge of being forgotten—observing the sea, mending weirs, casting nets, harvesting seaweed, hand-line fishing, crafting fish traps and straw sandals, pan-frying fish, and preparing the ubiquitous preserved seafood "Gua." This is the collective ocean memory of the Penghu people, connected by the weirs, bridging generations and preserving countless stories of the weirs and those who guarded them.