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The picturesque Maling Keng area in Keelung City was cultivated by ancestors as early as in the late Ming and early Ching dynasties.
A coalmine center in the Ching Dynasty, Maling Keng used to be a highly populous area and the court of Ching even set up a government office in the area. With economic crops like tea and camphor, Maling Keng was very prosperous, like the night market area in today’s Keelung City. After the restoration of Taiwan, thenational government put in a lot of efforts to develop the area. Located in the suburb area of Keeling City, Maling Keng began to decline.
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Thanks to the flourishing marine transportation business in the early years, Shishihchiao and Yuanyangtan became the distribution center of tea and camphor shipped to Mengjia and Dadaocheng for export, making Shishihchiao and Yuanyangtan a member of the golden triangle together with Wudu and Nuannuan.
Tea and camphor were the major agricultural produce in Maling Keng in the early years, but the production gradually declined after WWII. Currently, bamboo shoots and Chinese yam are the specialties of the area. With the assistance of local farmer’s associations and the government, many recreational farms have been established in the area, making it an ideal spot for tourism. |