Taiwan’s North Coast and Guanyinshan National Scenic Area (NCGNSA) Administration casts the spotlight on sulfuric fire fishing from June to September as part of its thrust towards sustainable tourism.

Native to the Jinshan District on Taiwan’s north coast, this century-old fishing practise is known as benghuozi in Mandarin, and takes advantage of the abundance of sulfur in the area.

Traditional fishermen use soft sulphuric rocks to produce a flammable gas that, when ignited, is bright enough to draw the attention of thousands of fish towards the fishing boats.

This, however, is a painstaking approach: many fishermen spend up to twelve hours pulling up their catch in the darkness using mesh nets. As a result, benghuozi is now considered a dying art.

Preserving a tradition

In order to preserve this traditional treasure and promote eco-friendly fishing practices at the same time, the NCGNSA Administration has joined forces with local sulfuric fire fishing operators and travel agencies to offer experience-it-yourself tours in Jinshan from June to September each year. 

Visitors from around the world are invited to the NCGNSA for this one-of-a-kind experience and help spread the charm of Jinshan’s Sulfuric Fire Fishing internationally.

Aside from benghuozi, the Jinshan District also offers beautiful landscapes as well as invaluable cultural assets. Attractions like the millennia-old geological wonder Yehliu Geopark and the award-winning Heping Island Geopark stand out among must-visit destinations for both domestic and international visitors.