Other romanisations include Liouciou, Liuchiu, Liu-chiu, and Liu-ch'iu based on the Wade-Giles system for Mandarin and Ryūkyū from its Japanese pronunciation.

The original Liuqiu appears in the Book of Sui and other medieval Chinese records as an island kingdom somewhere in the East China Sea.

The city's tourism department ascribes the name to Vase Rock's supposed resemblance to a lion,[1] but it actually honours the slaughtered crew of the Gouden Leeuw.

"[9] A 1633 expedition under Claes Bruijn discovered it was undermanned for the task and accomplished little, aside from finding the large cave on the island used by its natives as shelter in times of trouble.

A larger expedition under Jan Jurriansz van Lingga in 1636 corralled the locals into it, sealed its entrances, and filled its air with burning pitch and sulphur for eight days.

[9] The first Han inhabitant is variously described as a Fujianese fisherman surnamed Chen, sometimes said to have arrived by accident during a storm in the same year as the massacre,[10] or as Li Yuelao, who supposedly "discovered" and developed the island after Koxinga overthrew the Dutch in 1662.

[4] During the Japanese occupation of Taiwan following the First Sino-Japanese War, the island was administered as a village of the Tōkō District of Takao Prefecture.

Liuqiu transitioned to a tourism-based economy in the early 21st century,[13] particularly following its inclusion in the Dapeng Bay National Scenic Area in 2004.

[14] Similarly, refuse from tourists and fishermen killed over 90% of the island's coral before conservation efforts began to reverse the trend.

Marine vertebrates such as sharks, flying fish, sea turtles, and cetaceans such as sperm whales may appear around the island.

[16] Because of the constant threat of summer typhoons, construction on the island is now specially designed to accommodate strong winds and waves.

The trade is increasingly reliant on foreign sailors brought in to crew local boats[23] and on cage aquaculture (t 箱網養殖, s 箱网养殖, xiāngwǎng yǎngzhí), the latter of which is also used as a tourist attraction.

Presently, production on the island's 140 hectares (350 acres) of farmland has shifted to mangos and other fruits, including papayas, guavas, and rose apples.

[23] The sea temperature of the island is above 25 °C (77 °F) year round,[citation needed] allowing many species of coral reefs to inhabit the area and making it one of the best locations for winter swimming activities in Taiwan.

After it was included in the Dapeng Bay National Scenic Area in 2004, it gained media exposure and advertised until it was one of Pingtung County's main sightseeing locations.

The island's main sights are its temples; its beaches, reefs, caves, and rock formations; its net cages for fishing; the bamboo forest and wetland park (t 竹林生態濕地公園, s 竹林生态湿地公园, Zhúlín Shēngtài Shīdì Gōngyuán) in the center of the island;[28] the architecture and shops along Sanmin Road 三民老街, Sānmín Lǎojiē); the Sanfu Fishing Port (t 杉福漁港, s 杉福渔港, Shānfú Yúgǎng); the Sea View Pavilion (望海亭, Wànghǎi Tíng) beside Beauty Cave,[29] Restoration Pavilion (t 復育涼亭, s 复育凉亭, Fùyù Liángtíng) on a reclaimed landfill on the east coast,[30] and Sunset Pavilion (落日亭, Luòrì Tíng) on the island's southwest corner;[31] and Sanzu or Wild Boar Ditch (t 山豬溝, s 山猪沟, Shānzhū Gōu), a steep gully northwest of Sanban'ao near Black Dwarf Cave.

[33] Chinese ancestral veneration is abundantly demonstrated, with most plots of undeveloped land on the southern half of the island outside the tourist areas covered with graves.

[8] Regulations established by Taiwan's Ministry of the Interior usually prohibit burials within 500 meters (1,600 ft) of a residence, but complying to this particular law on Liuqiu Island would be impossible.

[35] The people are quite religious and it is common to pray and give offerings for recovery from illness; for blessings for new ships, houses, and marriages; for protection while fishing; and for appropriate times for funerals.

Her Jade Cloud Temple (t 碧雲寺, s 碧云寺, Bìyún Sì) and her annual birthday festival on the 19th day of the 2nd lunar month are likewise the main ones on the island.

[35] This has become a major tourist draw, as has the still larger "Welcoming the King" festival held every three years in honour of the plague subduer deity, Lord Wu.