The hard and specialized work of Xiaoliuqiu ferry workers

The hard and specialized work of Xiaoliuqiu ferry workers

2026-01-15

Taiwanese travelers love to visit Xiaoliuqiu, an outlying island off Pingtung County, but have you ever thought about the diligent and highly trained ferry crews who work to keep the hundreds of thousands of visitors to Xiaoliuqiu safe at sea? Their jobs aren’t easy – especially if seas are rough or they are docking into a pier. Let’s meet them.

On the eve of a typhoon, the ferry between Donggang and Xiaoliuqiu in Pingtung rocks like a carnival ride, often causing tourists to scream in surprise. But braving the huge waves isn’t about showing off, it’s something the crew has to do.

Fang Chi-hsiang
Ferry captain
If the boat doesn’t sail into the waves and instead it takes waves on the side, it’s more likely to capsize and passengers will feel uncomfortable and get seasick.

Xiaoliuqiu has become a popular tourist destination for Taiwanese travelers in recent years. During long weekends, nearly 10,000 people usually visit the island. The number of visitors in the past three years has approached 1.5 million.

Chi Ching-sheng
Ferry company manager
All crew members must undergo professional training, complete nationally certified courses, and hold government-issued licenses.

After all, boats aren’t like cars. They don’t have reverse parking sensors and their hulls are much larger. The captain is in the cockpit and cannot see to the left, right or rear, so he can only communicate with the crew via walkie-talkies.

Collisions are most likely when ships are docking.

A rope is thrown out and precisely loops around a stone bollard along the dock. This skill has been honed over many years.

- Do you need to practice for this?
- I practice every day.
- Do you ever miss?
- Yes, but not very often.
- Would you be very good at ring tossing at the night market?
- That’s different.

Tourists enjoy their trips but the safety of every voyage is thanks to the crew working hard behind the scenes.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#Xiaoliuqiu #Taiwantravel #Taiwanferries

小琉球交通船駕駛大不易　無倒車雷達考驗船長技術

2026-01-15

屏東離島小琉球，在近幾年來成為國旅的熱門景點，每到連假總是有上萬上人登島，靠得都是船運。交通船行駛在大海上看似容易，但船隻不比車輛，沒有倒車雷達等設備，靠港時必須靠五名船員前後看顧，避免撞上碼頭。

每到颱風前夕，屏東東港到小琉球之間的交通船，宛如海盜船般的身影，總是令遊客驚聲尖叫。但頂著大浪前行，不是耍酷，而是必須這麼做。

[[東琉線交通船船長方祺翔]]
"如果沒有頂浪開的話，如果浪從旁邊打的話，反而船容易翻倒，遊客也不舒服容易暈船"

小琉球在近幾年來成了國旅的熱門景點，每到連假幾乎都有萬人登島，近三年造訪小琉球的人數都逼近150萬人。

[[東琉線航運公司經理冀慶生]]
"船員通通都是要經過專業學業上的完成，以及各種國家所認證的受訓，有國家發給的證照"

船隻畢竟不比車輛，沒有倒車雷達，船體也大得多，船長在駕駛艙內，看不到左右兩側和後方，就只能靠船員用對講機聯繫。

尤其船隻靠港時，最容易發生碰撞。

纜繩拋出去，精準的套在碼頭邊的石樁上，這樣的功力可是歷年累月累積下來的。

- 這要不要練?
- 每天都會再練習
- 有沒有沒有拋進去過?
- 也是有啦比較不常
- 你如果去夜市套圈圈會不會很厲害?
- 那個不一樣

遊客開心出遊，每一趟的航行的平安，都是背後工作人員的付出。

更多新聞內容，請鎖定：
民視台灣台（152頻道）週一至週五晚上9:30
民視新聞台（53頻道）週二至週六凌晨1:00

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Chou Jung-hsuan
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Everyone says that KFC would be better off selling only egg tarts. But now, KFC has announced on Facebook that they’re discontinuing their egg tarts, to netizens’ disbelief.

Netizens left thousands of comments, saying they won’t accept it. Some even said KFC would be nothing without the egg tarts. But not everyone thinks KFC will really stop offering egg tarts.

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I think it’s fake. Because another company tried a similar campaign, but later turned out not to be the case.

So what’s the real deal? An eagle-eyed diner spotted a notice in-store soft launching a new type of egg tart: the original with flaky pastry. It seems like KFC isn’t canceling their popular egg tarts after all. But a sensationalist campaign like this isn’t their first. In 2022, KFC also made a similar announcement, only to offer a new flavor. Pizza Hut also ran a similar campaign at one point.

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C.C. Wei
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On Wednesday afternoon, President Lai Ching-te received a delegation from the city of Phoenix in the US State of Arizona, led by Mayor Kate Gallego. At the meeting, Gallego praised the results of TSMC’s investment in her city; while President Lai took the opportunity to urge a swift conclusion of a Taiwan-US agreement to avoid double taxation.

Lai Ching-te (Jan. 14)
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