People with names containing ‘turtle’ free to join trip to Taiwan’s Turtle Island

姓名包含“龜”的人可免費參加台灣龜山島之旅

News has incited speculation over whether entertainer, foreigners, area man of advanced age will attend


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Does your name contain the word "turtle" (龜) If it does, you are eligible to visit Turtle Island off the coast of Taiwan's Yilan County without having to buy a ticket on Aug. 1.

In order to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the opening of Turtle Island to tourists, the Taiwan Tourism Bureau has designed some activities to direct public attention towards the island, including inviting former islanders and people whose names contain the word "turtle" to join the free Aug. 1 sightseeing trip, CNA reported on Tuesday (June 9).

The news has incited curiosity as to who will present themselves to receive this honor.

The Taiwan Tourism Bureau said that elderly Yilan resident Wu Gui-xiong (吳龜雄) is eligible, as the Chinese character for "turtle" (龜, Gui) is contained in Wu's name. One netizen suggested that the entertainer Tsai Gui (蔡閨) may also be eligible; her original name was Tsai Xi-gui (蔡蠵龜).

After hearing of the speculation, Tsai made known on Facebook that she comes from Penghu and received her name because her father saw a green sea turtle around the time of her birth.

Chen Mei-hsiu (陳美秀), director of the Yilan Coast National Scenic Area Administration, said that although her colleagues have invited Wu and Tsai to attend the Aug. 1 activities, confirmations have not yet arrived.

The director said that the contest is open to people of all nationalities and language backgrounds so long as their names fit the bill.

Turtle Island used to be home to quite a few residents, but they were relocated to the Taiwan main island by the government, mostly to a coastal village in Toucheng Township, as the island was needed for military purposes.

The attendee limit for the activity is 20.