Lan Yu is under the jurisdiction of Taitung Hsien, with an area of 45 square miles, and a population of about 3,000. Most of the people are aborigines of the Yami tribe. The Yamis are a somewhat mysterious people, primitive but friendly. They lead a self-sufficient life, combining fishing and cultivating.
蘭嶼全島面積四五平方公里，居民三千餘人，絕大多數是雅美族山胞，他們的祖先是從菲律賓呂宋島方面遷移過來的，語言接近馬來系，過著自給自足的單純生活，漁有船，耕有田，衣食足，性情也很溫良，他們很快樂地生活在自己的世界裡，唯對現代文明有一點抗拒排斥的心理。