'Baisha Sanctuary, Sky Hill': Miaoli County Creates New Coastal Tourism Axis
Capitalizing on the 460,000-strong Baishatun Mazu pilgrimage, Miaoli County launched the 'Baisha Sanctuary, Sky Hill' project. With a budget of 405 million NTD, it will connect Cape of Good Hope to Baishatun, integrating religion, ecology, and coastal tourism by 2027.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 19, 2026 at 19:23
- 🔍 Collected: April 19, 2026 at 19:31 (7 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 19, 2026 at 21:37 (2h 5m after Collected)
Central News Agency
(CNA, Reporter Kuan Jui-ping, Miaoli County, 19th) The Baishatun Gongtian Temple Mazu pilgrimage in Tongxiao, Miaoli, has driven peripheral tourism due to its unique religious and cultural charm. The county government is using the overall corridor project "Baisha Sanctuary, Sky Hill" to integrate and connect Houlong's Cape of Good Hope to Tongxiao's Baishatun, creating a brand new coastal tourism axis.
This year, over 460,000 people registered to participate in the Baishatun Mazu pilgrimage, and Gongtian Temple in Tongxiao Township, Miaoli County, has become a nationally renowned religious sanctuary, with a constant stream of devotees from all over coming to worship. According to data from the county's Culture and Tourism Bureau, among major tourist recreation areas in the county, Baishatun Gongtian Temple firmly holds the title of "popularity king." The annual number of visiting tourists has grown from less than a million a decade ago to about 5 million today, repeatedly topping the list of most popular scenic spots.
Culture and Tourism Bureau Director-General Lin Yen-fu told CNA that the county government, themed "Baisha Sanctuary, Sky Hill," participated in the Tourism Administration, Ministry of Transportation and Communications' "Mid-term Plan for Upgrading Experiential Tourism Local Travel Environments (2024-2027)" important corridor highlight creation project. Standing out among 16 counties and cities, the approved plan has a total budget of 405 million NTD.
The Bureau pointed out that the plan centers around Baishatun Gongtian Temple and the Houlong Cape of Good Hope recreation area. Through four main pillars: "sustainable eco-tourism," "coastal railway culture," "religious cultural tourism," and "innovative recreation experiences," it will build physical tourism environments and promote marketing and smart tourism.
Lin Yen-fu noted that the Houlong Cape of Good Hope observation deck is located at the highest point of Miaoli's coastal hills, offering panoramic views of the sunset ocean scenery and the passing coastal railway. The surrounding area also boasts special geological resources like national wetlands, the ten-thousand-year-old Guogang shell fossil bed, and the Houlong stone weir group, which have already accumulated a certain volume of tourists.
The Baishatun Gongtian Temple Mazu pilgrimage is an intangible cultural asset of Miaoli County, designated by the Ministry of Culture as a national important folk custom. The area around Gongtian Temple has naturally formed a religious tourism settlement, which can extend south to tourism resources like the Tongxiao Xinpu Sunset Boulevard, Xinpu Station, and the Taiyen Tongxiao Tourism Factory.
He said the plan primarily connects an approximately 6-kilometer corridor area between Houlong Cape of Good Hope and Tongxiao Baishatun, preparing physical environments across five major spatial plans. This includes building a sea breeze observation deck, tourist market center, zipline camping area, and wind energy theme pavilion at Cape of Good Hope; setting up a service station at the Guogang Tunnel; planning the Cape New Paradise coastal recreation area, ecological interpretation sites for stone weirs and clams, and a ten-thousand-year geological interpretation site; developing the Shanbian Mazu cultural landscape corridor and the old Nangang ocean-view recreation area; and revitalizing the old street landscape in front of Gongtian Temple.
The software plan will be promoted through aspects like "green transport experience," "sustainable tourism promotion," "tourism industry upgrading," "integrated marketing promotion," and "digital tourism marketing."
Lin Yen-fu pointed out that various node projects are currently under construction one after another, striving for completion by the end of 2027. The hope is to create a brand new recreational tourism corridor featuring coastal ecology, history, religion, humanities, and wind power energy education, where visitors can ride coastal bicycles, experience ziplines, hike trails, and engage in water activities.
In addition, the county government is striving for the Ministry of Transportation's Taiwan Tourist Shuttle to add a new line from Baishatun to Miaoli High-Speed Rail Station, and through the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle Nanzhuang Line and the "Central Taiwan Fun Pass," optimize transportation shuttles to enhance travel convenience.
The Agriculture Department is also planning coastal leisure agriculture tourism, centered around the coastal Mazu culture, connecting the Yuanli Love Orchard, Tongxiao Gongtian Temple, Tongxiao Farmers' Association rural shops, and the Hudong Leisure Agriculture Area, allowing tourists to experience faith tours and local culture.
Miaoli County Magistrate Chung Tung-chin stated that Miaoli's coastline spans over 50 kilometers, crossing Zhunan, Houlong, Tongxiao, and Yuanli, containing rich and diverse natural landscapes and cultural assets. He hopes that following the Sanyi Old Mountain Line cross-domain highlight project, which created the nation's first Old Mountain Line rail bike, reshaping the coastal tourism axis and advancing both mountain and sea will elevate the level and attractiveness of tourism, propelling Miaoli toward becoming an emerging international tourism highlight. (Editor: Chen Ching-fang)
(CNA, Reporter Kuan Jui-ping, Miaoli County, 19th) The Baishatun Gongtian Temple Mazu pilgrimage in Tongxiao, Miaoli, has driven peripheral tourism due to its unique religious and cultural charm. The county government is using the overall corridor project "Baisha Sanctuary, Sky Hill" to integrate and connect Houlong's Cape of Good Hope to Tongxiao's Baishatun, creating a brand new coastal tourism axis.
This year, over 460,000 people registered to participate in the Baishatun Mazu pilgrimage, and Gongtian Temple in Tongxiao Township, Miaoli County, has become a nationally renowned religious sanctuary, with a constant stream of devotees from all over coming to worship. According to data from the county's Culture and Tourism Bureau, among major tourist recreation areas in the county, Baishatun Gongtian Temple firmly holds the title of "popularity king." The annual number of visiting tourists has grown from less than a million a decade ago to about 5 million today, repeatedly topping the list of most popular scenic spots.
Culture and Tourism Bureau Director-General Lin Yen-fu told CNA that the county government, themed "Baisha Sanctuary, Sky Hill," participated in the Tourism Administration, Ministry of Transportation and Communications' "Mid-term Plan for Upgrading Experiential Tourism Local Travel Environments (2024-2027)" important corridor highlight creation project. Standing out among 16 counties and cities, the approved plan has a total budget of 405 million NTD.
The Bureau pointed out that the plan centers around Baishatun Gongtian Temple and the Houlong Cape of Good Hope recreation area. Through four main pillars: "sustainable eco-tourism," "coastal railway culture," "religious cultural tourism," and "innovative recreation experiences," it will build physical tourism environments and promote marketing and smart tourism.
Lin Yen-fu noted that the Houlong Cape of Good Hope observation deck is located at the highest point of Miaoli's coastal hills, offering panoramic views of the sunset ocean scenery and the passing coastal railway. The surrounding area also boasts special geological resources like national wetlands, the ten-thousand-year-old Guogang shell fossil bed, and the Houlong stone weir group, which have already accumulated a certain volume of tourists.
The Baishatun Gongtian Temple Mazu pilgrimage is an intangible cultural asset of Miaoli County, designated by the Ministry of Culture as a national important folk custom. The area around Gongtian Temple has naturally formed a religious tourism settlement, which can extend south to tourism resources like the Tongxiao Xinpu Sunset Boulevard, Xinpu Station, and the Taiyen Tongxiao Tourism Factory.
He said the plan primarily connects an approximately 6-kilometer corridor area between Houlong Cape of Good Hope and Tongxiao Baishatun, preparing physical environments across five major spatial plans. This includes building a sea breeze observation deck, tourist market center, zipline camping area, and wind energy theme pavilion at Cape of Good Hope; setting up a service station at the Guogang Tunnel; planning the Cape New Paradise coastal recreation area, ecological interpretation sites for stone weirs and clams, and a ten-thousand-year geological interpretation site; developing the Shanbian Mazu cultural landscape corridor and the old Nangang ocean-view recreation area; and revitalizing the old street landscape in front of Gongtian Temple.
The software plan will be promoted through aspects like "green transport experience," "sustainable tourism promotion," "tourism industry upgrading," "integrated marketing promotion," and "digital tourism marketing."
Lin Yen-fu pointed out that various node projects are currently under construction one after another, striving for completion by the end of 2027. The hope is to create a brand new recreational tourism corridor featuring coastal ecology, history, religion, humanities, and wind power energy education, where visitors can ride coastal bicycles, experience ziplines, hike trails, and engage in water activities.
In addition, the county government is striving for the Ministry of Transportation's Taiwan Tourist Shuttle to add a new line from Baishatun to Miaoli High-Speed Rail Station, and through the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle Nanzhuang Line and the "Central Taiwan Fun Pass," optimize transportation shuttles to enhance travel convenience.
The Agriculture Department is also planning coastal leisure agriculture tourism, centered around the coastal Mazu culture, connecting the Yuanli Love Orchard, Tongxiao Gongtian Temple, Tongxiao Farmers' Association rural shops, and the Hudong Leisure Agriculture Area, allowing tourists to experience faith tours and local culture.
Miaoli County Magistrate Chung Tung-chin stated that Miaoli's coastline spans over 50 kilometers, crossing Zhunan, Houlong, Tongxiao, and Yuanli, containing rich and diverse natural landscapes and cultural assets. He hopes that following the Sanyi Old Mountain Line cross-domain highlight project, which created the nation's first Old Mountain Line rail bike, reshaping the coastal tourism axis and advancing both mountain and sea will elevate the level and attractiveness of tourism, propelling Miaoli toward becoming an emerging international tourism highlight. (Editor: Chen Ching-fang)