South Bay (Taiwan)



South Bay, also known by other names, is a bay and adjacent beach near Hengchun in Pingtung County, Taiwan. It is part of Kenting National Park.

Names
"South Bay" is a calque of the bay's Chinese name, written in traditional characters or  in simplified characters. It is also known as the Nanwan, from the Chinese name's pronunciation in Mandarin; as Blue Bay; and as Gualiang or Kwa-liang Bay.

History
The bay used to be a whaling area during the Japanese rule. It is still home to small fishing villages.

Geography
The bay is bound on the west by Cape Maobitou and on the east by Cape Eluanbi. The beach has white sand and a length of around 600 m.

Facilities
The area around the beach provides facilities such as changing rooms, toilets, rental and sale of swimming equipment, restaurants and parking. Common activities at the beach and its surrounding areas are swimming, surfing, snorkeling, scuba diving etc.

Transportation
The beach is accessible by bus from Xinzuoying and Kaohsiung Stations, run by the Taiwan Railways Administration.