As if there weren’t enough reasons to visit Yilan, a new attraction just opened on the east coast. Hanben Sea Relay Station was once a coast guard outpost in the idyllic far south of the county. After year spent idle, it’s now reborn as a tourist attraction. It features stunning views of the sea, a big swing where you can rock your worries away, and souvenirs from local artists.

This is the azure view from atop the relay station. Its boundless blue skies draw in visitors looking for perfect selfies.

And there are some unconventional attractions too. Visitors can sit on this rainbow swing for a soothing rock while they admire the view.

Tourist
It’s great! Very leisurely. The biggest attractions are the swing, the sea, the building and the murals.

Hanben Relay Station is located in Aohua Village in the far south of Yilan. It is owned by Taiwan Cement and was converted with help from Hoping和平 Power Plant. Once an outpost for the coast guard, it’s now converted into one of 12 coast guard sea relay stations nationwide – the only one built with corporate sponsorship. It hopes to promote marine education, raise pollution awareness, and support the economy of the local indigenous village.

Relay station employee
I make hair clips with woven belt. Indigenous woven belts attract tourists. It also gives us opportunities.

Pai Wen-wu
Hanben Sea Relay Station head
If there’s work close to home, of course people will stay in the village. It becomes a platform for cultural exchange. We can focus on the marine environment, or even extend it to tourist sites in the village.

The station creates jobs for local people, and includes elements of indigenous culture. To attract visitors, the buildings have been remodeled, and the big swing set up facing the sea.

Yeh Min-chun
Taiwan Cement assistant manager
We’re helping them to show the beauty of the village to more people. We also want to have a venue where we can raise awareness about marine waste issues. And there’s something else: now we believe the biggest symbol of environmental protection is solar storage facilities. There’s so much sunshine here. How can we turn it into power? Using these storage systems, we can provide this power to the station to use in the evening.

A part of the profits made by the new attraction will be donated to local elementary schools as an educational fund.