The Bridge Is Closed. Is Sanxiantai Still Worth It?

Drive north on Provincial Highway 11 (台 11 線), past the town of Chenggong (成功), and the coastline gives a sudden bend.

Where it curves inward, you've reached Sanxiantai (三仙台).

One Islet, Three Rocks, Eight Arches, One Legend

Sanxiantai is an offshore islet together with the coral-reef coast around it. Three great rocks stand on the islet; the whole island covers about 22 hectares, and its highest point is roughly 77 metres above sea level. Geologically it belongs to the Dulanshan agglomerate.

The East Coast National Scenic Area Administration's introduction says that, by legend, Lü Dongbin (呂洞賓), Li Tieguai (李鐵拐), and He Xiangu (何仙姑) once ascended this island, and that is how it came by its name — Sanxiantai, the Terrace of the Three Immortals. The same page sets two tellings side by side: the Han Chinese legend of those three immortals, who descended here and left their footprints, and the Amis legend of the sea dragon 及發烏安, who lives in a sea cave beneath the island and guards this place.

What ties the mainland to the islet is Taiwan's most iconic bridge over the sea — eight arches that rise and fall like eight Ws. The crossing takes fifteen minutes, and every crest offers a new vantage: to the right, the open Pacific; to the left, the mountains of Taiwan's main island; below, water clear enough to show the coral.

Closure notice: The eight-arch bridge is closed for renovation after damage from salt corrosion and rusted steel beams. From 4 May 2026 the bridge is shut and no crossing is allowed, with works expected to finish by the end of 2027. During the closure you cannot walk out onto the bridge or reach the loop trail on the islet. Still open: the mainland-side coast, the wave-cut platform at low tide, and the visitor centre — and from the shore you can still take in the eight arches and the islet beyond them. (The lighthouse stands on the islet itself, so it is out of reach while the bridge is closed.) In a typhoon or heavy rain the whole recreation area closes as a precaution. Please confirm current access with the official notices of the East Coast National Scenic Area (Tourism Administration, MOTC), or call 089-854097, before you go.

Sunrise Is Sanxiantai's Most Precious Hour

For New Year's Day 2026, Taiwan's Central Weather Administration listed sunrise at Sanxiantai at 06:35 (CWA, New Year 2026 sunrise times, in Chinese).

The earliest sunrises come from late May to mid-June, at about 05:10; the latest in mid-January, at about 06:38 (Central Weather Administration, Taitung County reference point — Sanxiantai differs by a few minutes; check the day's data), the sun leaps clear of the Pacific horizon — gilding first the silhouettes of the three rocks, then lighting the eight arches one by one, until the whole scene looks like a photograph slowly surfacing in the developing tray.

A local tip: arrive 30 minutes early (04:30 in summer, 06:00 in winter). Watch the sky shift from the car park first, then move down to the mainland-side shore — the best spot for photographs while the bridge is closed (when it reopens, the crest of the first arch is the classic vantage).

More Than the Bridge

Sanxiantai isn't a place you photograph and leave.

• The coastal trail: once the bridge reopens to foot traffic, a loop trail on the islet runs about 1.57 km — the official signage gives roughly two hours there and back — revealing all three rocks from changing angles, along with sea-carved formations and coastal vegetation. During the closure, follow the mainland-side coast instead, taking in the rocks and arches from the shore
• The wave-cut platform: at low tide, a broad shelf of eroded rock emerges before Sanxiantai, letting you walk almost to the water's edge (mind the tide table — a rising tide can strand you)
• The lighthouse: it stands on the islet, not on the mainland side, so it is out of reach while the bridge is closed
• The visitor centre: the briefing hall offers a thorough introduction to the geology of the east coast
• The islet is a nature reserve: take no plants or animals; the whole area is non-smoking, with fines of NT$2,000–10,000

「

The finest view is the one worth waking early for.

」

Pair It with Fish at Chenggong Harbour

Ten minutes south of Sanxiantai is Chenggong Fishing Harbour (成功漁港) — Taitung's largest fishing port, and the east coast's biggest hub for billfish.

• September to March: billfish season (black marlin, striped marlin), sold fresh off the boat at Xingang Fish Market (新港漁市)
• March to June: mahi-mahi season — the sweet, firm flesh found only along the east coast
• April to July: flying-fish season, the traditional fishing season of the Amis (阿美族)

"See Sanxiantai → drive ten minutes to Chenggong Harbour for lunch" is an easy stretch of the east coast. At the seafood restaurants beside Xingang Fish Market, you eat fish landed that same day.

How to Plan Sanxiantai

Half a Day (Most Recommended)

Time	Itinerary
04:30	Arrive at the Sanxiantai car park, watch the sky change
around 05:10	Sunrise (late May to mid-June, the earliest of the year)
05:30	Walk the mainland-side coast, viewing the arches and the islet from the shore (bridge closed for renovation; the loop trail on the islet reopens once the bridge does)
07:30	Drive ten minutes to Chenggong Harbour
08:30	Breakfast by the harbour (fish just off the boat)
10:00	Continue north on Highway 11: Baxiandong, Changbin

A Full Day (Along the East Coast)

Add: the coastal art at Jialulan (加路蘭) → the Xindong Sugar Factory in Dulan (都蘭新東糖廠) → Shanyuan Bay (杉原灣) → Taitung City

How to Get to Sanxiantai

• By car: north from Taitung City along Highway 11, about 1 hour 10 minutes (55 km)
• By private car: recommended. There are no buses at sunrise hour, so a hired car is by far the easiest way
• By bus: the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle East Coast Line (frequent by day, none before dawn)

Which Season Suits Best

• April to June: the sea at its bluest, mahi-mahi season, few crowds
• July to August: sunrise around 05:20–05:30, the summer sea at its grandest
• September to November: billfish season begins, autumn light turns gentle
• December to February: strong northeast monsoon, fierce swells — but the colours of sunrise are especially beautiful

A Last Word

What Sanxiantai teaches is this — world-class scenery is often very close to us; we simply don't wake early enough.

It's only an hour's drive from Taitung City, yet far fewer people see the sunrise than come to take photos.

And that is Taitung's gift to the earnest traveller: rise just one hour earlier, and you'll see a postcard no one else has seen.

A postcard the three immortals set aside for us, long, long ago.

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Further reading:

• An afternoon in the artists' town of Dulan: One Sugar Factory, a Circle of Artists, a Stretch of Sea
• For the full east coast: East Coast Tribes, 3 Days