Kaohsiung, the harbour city of the south
Taiwan's great port city has spent recent decades reinventing itself, from shipyards and steelworks to riverside walks, art warehouses, temple lakes and lantern-lit festivals.
Kaohsiung sits on the southwestern coast of Taiwan, around a deep natural harbour that made it the island's main port. For much of the 20th century it was an industrial city of shipyards, steelworks and petrochemical plants. Since the 1990s it has worked hard to change that image, and the result is one of the more interesting urban stories in Taiwan.
The harbour
The port is still the city's reason for being. A short ferry ride crosses the harbour to Cijin, a long, narrow island with a seafood street, a lighthouse and a beach facing the Taiwan Strait. On the city side, old port warehouses have been turned into the Pier-2 Art Center, a place for exhibitions, outdoor installations and weekend markets.
The Love River
Once badly polluted, the Love River was cleaned up and lined with walking paths, cafés and bridges. In the evening it becomes the city's living room. Around the Lunar New Year it is also the setting for Kaohsiung's lantern festival, when light installations line both banks.
Lotus Pond
In Zuoying, in the north of the city, Lotus Pond is ringed by temples. The best known are the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas, two seven-storey towers reached by a zigzag bridge. Tradition says you should enter through the dragon's mouth and leave through the tiger's, turning bad luck into good. Pavilions and large statues of deities stand around the water, and the area is one of the most photographed in southern Taiwan.
Beyond the city
East of the centre, in Dashu District, Fo Guang Shan is one of the largest Buddhist monasteries in Taiwan, and its Buddha Museum draws visitors from across Asia. Further south, the tropical coast of Kenting National Park at the tip of the island is within reach for a weekend.
When to go
Kaohsiung lies south of the Tropic of Cancer, and it feels like it. Winters are warm, dry and sunny, which makes the months from November to March the best time to visit. Summers are hot, with heavy afternoon rain and the risk of typhoons.
The city is easy to get around, with an MRT, a light rail line and wide riverside paths. Compared with Taipei, it feels more spacious, more relaxed and a little more open to the sea.
Photos: aiworldexplore, travelphotographer on Pixabay, used under the Pixabay Content License. These are not my photographs.
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