N Island Facts - Xiji Island

This file is intended as a test of the markdown parsing system I've built for my blog. The content is a copy of my latest "N Island Facts" entry, which is a running series I publish biweekly in mathNEWS, one of my school's student newspapers. Past issues can be found in every article going back to Fall 2025, and going forwards for the forseeable future!

It’s another new term and that means more Islands! For those who don’t know, I like researching islands… a lot. Usually that just means I’m wasting lecture time, but since I’m on a co-op term this Fall I get to mix things up by wasting working hours instead. In an effort to make that time somewhat useful I like to bring you all my favourite find every two weeks, and this time it’s a good one: Xiji Island

• A small rocky island off the West coast of Taiwan, part of the larger Penghu archipelago (roughly 12,315 km North of MathNEWS)
• Data is sparse on this island, Google Maps doesn’t list its name and, gasp, there isn’t even a Wikipedia article
• The island was first inhabited sometime in the mid 1800’s (the oldest tomb dates to 1875), and was entirely abandoned by 1978, almost exactly a century
• The village was a fairly typical small fishing community, with an estimated peak population of ~400
• Residents say it was a difficult place to live, noting “wind, little water, and salty rain killing crops”
• In the mid 1900’s, after reclaiming the islands from Japan, the Taiwanese government began investing in islands in the Penghu archipelago, building larger docks and more fishing infrastructure. Xiji island’s high cliffs would have made a dock marginally more expensive, so it was skipped over in favour of other nearby islands (for example Dongji Island, 4 km to the East)
• This caused Xiji’s economy to stagnate while their neighbours grew. Young people began leaving the island to seek better jobs and the population dwindled. By the late 70’s only 5 families were left on the island, and no young people. The residents all agreed to move to neighbouring islands (like Dongji, which still supports a small town and population) leaving Xiji abandoned
• In the 50 years since the Island has been untouched (except by its feral goat population), many of the buildings are now in a state of ruin
• Tourists still visit occasionally to see the “Blue Hole,” a crazy cliffside cave that I don’t think a description could do justice, you’ll have to look it up (pictures of Xiji in general are pretty beautiful and haunting, would recommend)
• Unsurprisingly, the village is now rumored to be haunted (former residents dispute this)

That’s all on this island, let me know if you have an island you want me to cover! fatcullen2@gmail.com