The 1959 Hengchun earthquake (Chinese: 1959年恆春地震; pinyin: 1959 nián Héngchūn dìzhèn) struck the southern tip of Taiwan on August 15.

With a Richter magnitude of 7.1, it was the tenth deadliest earthquake in twentieth century Taiwan, killing 16 or 17 people.

The earthquake occurred at 16:57 CST on Saturday 15 August 1959, with an epicentre 50 kilometres (31 mi) east-southeast of Cape Eluanbi, the southern tip of the island of Taiwan.

[1] According to Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau the casualties and damage were as follows:[1] Due to Hengchun's exposed position on the southern tip of Taiwan, residents frequently built heavy houses of stone to counter both the effects of typhoons and the seasonal northwesterly monsoon winds.

[1] The shock occurred in the late afternoon, which meant that many people were outdoors when it struck, lessening casualties from building collapse.