Taiwan’s outlying island Matsu is known for its glowing blue plankton, known as “blue tears,” in the spring. But it seems the plankton have appeared far away to Taiwan’s south, just one of many reasons to visit there this season.
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The glowing blue plankton known as “blue tears” are typically associated with the outlying island of Matsu, but recently they have appeared much closer to the Taiwanese mainland. The plankton glow blue when the water around them is disturbed, and from the moment the spectacle was spotted, it attracted fans. A Facebook post from Tainan’s mayor about the blue tears got 18,000 likes in a single day.
The plankton were first spotted at the rather unassuming Qingshan Fishing Harbor. However, the plankton are only really visible during nighttime.
The blue tears aren’t the only new attraction in southern Taiwan. The Alishan Forest Railway is also showing off its new tourist train cars. These new cars are made with local Taiwanese Hinoki and Cypress wood, and cost a total of around NTD$65 million or around US$2 million. The train has been given the name “Formosensis,” after the scientific name for the Formosan cypress. The new train is expected to be ready to ride as early as July, so southern Taiwan will certainly have something new to see for every season.