Lanyu Island, easily accessible by air or boat, is 76 kilometers off Taiwan's southeast coast. The coastline is very rugged, but not as steep as Taiwan's east coast. Lanyu is a popular excursion for tourists who come to walk or bicycle around the coast.

Lanyu or "Orchid Island" is appropriately named for its orchids. Interestingly enough, it was originally called "Death Island" because of a mite whose bite was fatal. Lanyu is known for its primary inhabitants, the Yami aboriginal people. The island has a feel more like that of Polynesia than of East Asia, with many of its older folk still wearing traditional loincloths and working on dugout canoes or fishing.

Their traditional houses are made of stone and half-buried to avoid the damage of typhoons. Thatched roofs were used, as they were easy to repair. Cement houses have now replaced many of the traditional houses.

Of course, as with similar places around the world, the culture of the Yami on Lanyu is being overrun by that of its neighbors in Taiwan, which itself is becoming more Western every day. Many of the younger generation are moving to Taipei to find work, and those who remain on the island work primarily in the tourism industry.

For more information on Lanyu Island, visit
http://www.sinica.edu.tw/tit/scenery/1095_scn2.html