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Once a trend that swept Instagram and Facebook, the popular scenic spot of Caozhuo Dunes is the largest and most intact "coastal desert" landscape in Taiwan, stretching 8.1 kilometers. As the sun sets, rows of wind turbines stand tall while sand meets the sea seamlessly; undulating dunes crisscross with footpaths, creating a tranquil yet desolate beauty. This has attracted numerous photography enthusiasts and influencers to capture its charm. Scenes from the movie "Secret," as well as the TV drama "The Policewomen," were filmed here. Following State Highway 61 allows visitors to travel from north to south, exploring the Xucuo Harbor Wetlands, Caozhuo Dunes, Guanxin Algal Reefs, and Xinwu Stone Fences—four ecological highlights of Taoyuan. Caozhuo Dunes, nicknamed "Taiwan's Sahara Desert," formed through the accumulation of drifting sand carried by the strong winter monsoons and southern winds on land. The dunes stretch from the Old Street River mouth in Dayuan District in the north to the Dahuo River mouth in Guanyin District in the south, oriented northeast to southwest, with widths of approximately 400 meters in the northern section to 600 meters in the south. These dunes have accumulated over thousands of years, covering an area of 4 square kilometers. Some dunes reach heights of 15 meters. Trekking uphill with a zigzag path requires some effort, but the expansive view from the crest will be the best reward. The Taiwan Environment Information Association has ranked the Caozhuo Dunes coastline as one of the "Top Nine Coastal Areas Worth Protecting in Taiwan" (another Taoyuan highlight being Guanxin Algal Reefs), a rare coastline in Northern Taiwan yet unaffected by human damage. The Caozhuo Dunes shelter coral reef ecosystems and rich coastal plant life, including salt-tolerant and wind-preventing vegetation such as pandanus (Lin-tou),Casuarina (Mu-Ma-Huang), Terminalia chebula (Ku-Lian), dodder (Tu-Si-Zi), castor bean (Bi-Ma), and Gaillardia (Tian-Ren-Ju), effectively preventing sand drift and coastal erosion while offering a unique green scenery along the dunes.