MatsuWeathered Shores

Thick concrete walls and metal shutters open toward the beach. A room of loudspeakers adds another trace of the islands' military past, while small flowers grow beside the stone paths outside.

Temple gateways, embroidered flags and rows of lanterns bring bright colour to the villages. Sparrows gather beneath a temple ceiling; goats and a cat appear among the grass, stone ledges and rooftops.

Weathered boats and fishing traps sit close to the shore. The Luoshan Nature Trail follows a rocky headland, with white water below the cliffs. Later photographs shift from a hazy sun to Qinbi's illuminated waterfront and stars above the coast.

On Nangan, waves break over rust-coloured rocks and the granite Mazu statue rises above the hillside. Lanterns fill the foreground below it. At Shengtian Park, white-eyes perch among pink blossoms, their bright eye-rings visible between the flowers.

Painted military slogans survive on a small doorway set into stone. At Beihai Tunnel, an exhibit depicts the workers who excavated the rock. Beyond it, still water reflects the rough ceiling of a passage built to shelter vessels.

Niufengjing Wulinggong Temple combines red walls, curved rooflines and colourful deity puppets beside the sea. A different kind of light appears in an indoor demonstration at the Blue Tears Ecological Museum: blue points against the dark.

Daqiu's sika deer appear against the surf, on dry slopes and beneath the trees. Rocky outcrops carry the view back to the sea. The final photographs return to Beigan, where late light warms a weathered coastal house and a small harbour.