We had concluded our previous walk at Oyster Liao Seaside Beach (蚵仔寮海邊沙灘), just north of the main urban area of Taiwan’s third largest city, Kaohsiung. Some of our readers may have known this southern port city as the second largest city in Taiwan. Kaohsiung has, however, been surpassed in recent years in terms of population by the central city of Taichung which has been growing rapidly and now boasts a population of 2.8 million compared to Kaohsiung’s 2.7 million.
As we rolled into Kaohsiung’s ZuoYing High Speed Rail station we were excited by the prospect of a two- day journey starting from the northern edges of Kaohsiung city and walking through the belly of the beast to emerge on the border of neighboring Ping Tung County. We were looking forward to experiencing the sights, sounds and smells of this vibrant port city. Kaohsiung is best known as Taiwan’s primary heavy industrial hub, famous for steel production, petrochemical refining and shipbuilding. We had heard that many parts of the city had been transformed from polluted wastelands into green and pleasant cultural centres, tourist spots and transport hubs, and we were keen to witness these changes. We were to find that whilst many aspects of metropolitan Kaohsiung had indeed undergone an amazing evolution, many industrial areas still remained the same.
After taking our time-honoured group photo outside the HSR station, we made our way across Highway 17 and across a small park leading to Chouchai Village (洲仔). This sleepy community of retired farmers with its rows of traditional houses seemed completely untouched by the frantic urbanization surrounding it. The adjacent Chouchai Wetlands (洲仔溼地) revealed itself to be a popular eco-tourism site with its diverse array of aquatic plants, and birds such as Moorhens and Egrets.
Leaving Chouchai Village we ambled toward the shores of one of the most traditionally famous of Kaohsiung’s tourist attractions – the Lotus Pond Scenic Area with its many historical buildings, both ancient and modern. Its origins date back to 1686 when a local official planned to build a Confucious Temple there and constructed a pond in which he planted lotuses.
We started our tour of the area at the Wen Chang Shrine (文昌祠) and then made our way to the main buildings of the ZuoYing Confucious Temple (左營孔廟). Only one small shrine of the original temple now remains, and the new temple was constructed in 1976. It is a hugely impressive project and features a main building, the Da Cheng Palace (大成殿), which mimics the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Beijing Imperial Palace. Every year, on Teachers Day (September 28th) the temple hosts a Confucious Memorial Ceremony where the performers all wear Ming Dynasty style costumes. This ritual is performed not just to commemorate Confucious but also to recognize teachers’ contribution to society.
We were looking forward to taking a look inside the temple (Tim was especially itching to run through a kung fu routine in such an inspirating location) but alas, it was closed on Mondays! We could only gaze in astonishment through the railings.
Our next port of call along the banks of the Lotus Pond was the Yuan Emperor Temple (元帝廟北極亭). The original temple dates back from 1666, during the time of Koxinga, but a later incident involving a local fisherman finding a statue of Xuantian Shangdi (玄天上帝) led to this deity getting the number one spot in the rebuilt temple. There is also a long walkway out into the lake with a 72-meter statue of Xuantian Shangdi at the end of it.
We then passed the Chunqiu Pavilion (春秋閣), built in 1953, which features a statue of the deity Guan Yin riding a dragon. Martyn couldn’t resist the urge to “enter the dragon” and did so through its gaping mouth.
We reflected on the fact that these constructions were built in the 50s, 60s and 70s as Taiwan’s economy was growing at a clip, the country was emerging as one of the “four Tigers” and people were just starting to enjoy just enough leisure time for domestic tourism. A trip to the lake would have made a great day out, wandering around with the family, taking photos and snacking on all the finger food sold by the myriad street stalls.
We came at last to the most famous of these towers of tack – the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas. Built in 1976, the seven-story pagodas allow visitors to enter through the dragon’s mouth and exit through the mouth of the tiger. Tim was keen to explore inside, but his curmudgeonly companions curtly cancelled his climb up the captivating concrete constructions. Bah, humbug!
We then walked past a section of the Old Fengshan (Zuoying) City Wall, built in the early Qing period and considered the first stone city wall in Taiwan, before heading toward the ocean on Jie Shou Road (介壽路). Our plan was to reach the northern end of Shoushan (壽山), a mountain 365 metres high, north of the main entrance to Kaohsiung Harbor. We had hoped to join a path on the north end, and walk around the mountain on the ocean side, taking in the great views. However, we had not reckoned on the extent of the military exclusion zones in that area!
Making our way along Jie Shou Road we noted the ZuoYing Naval Base on the right and the proliferation of military bases in the area. We also noted with curiosity a very interesting new amenity next to a 7-11: a fully-automated scooter “wash-box”. Rich contemplated paying for a scrub-up for Tim, as he was already starting to hum.
On the road to Shoushan we also passed a 2022 installation of bronze statues called “Key to Decisive Victory”, and also the site of The Taoyuan Execution Ground (桃子園刑場原址): one of the main execution grounds used by the Taiwan Navy in the 1950s. Any officers or soldiers sentenced to death would be executed in secret there – and in silence, as “iron bars were used instead of bullets”. Very gruesome!
After our path to Shoushan was blocked by two military bases we realized we had no other option than to go around the mountain on the inland side, using a busy main road. This was not ideal and not what we had hoped for.
After tramping along the busy and dusty Gushan 3rd Road (鼓山三路) for about an hour we were fed up and decided to go “off piste” and take a hiking route up through the middle of Shoushan, eventually descending on the ocean side. We could enjoy hiking up a mountain trail and also relish some stunning views. It turned out to be a great idea.
We began our trek up the mountain by following an alley next to the Wan Shoushan Longquan Temple (萬壽山龍泉寺). One of the signs greeting us as we started the trail warned to not “bring animal traps into the park”. We were not planning on abducting any monkeys that day, so wended on our way with clear consciences. Our first destination would be the Four Banyans (四棵榕) and we marched ahead with a great sense of purpose, soon realizing that this was going to be quite a grind, as the steep and rocky paths resulted in heavy breathing and burning thighs. All good wholesome fun! Elaine diverted us with a scary tale of how she had been attacked by hornets while out walking on a familiar trail with Martyn. If not for timely advice from Elaine’s wildlife photographer son Henry, the attack might have been fatal. Luckily, all those attacked (including Martyn’s dog) were released from hospital soon after the incident.
After an hour’s strenuous hiking we arrived at Yan Gu Ting (岩谷亭) where we were treated to the sight of a multitude of monkeys, Formosan Rock Macaques, making mischief. It is always inspiring, when climbing mountains in Taiwan, to come across senior citizens bounding up the trails with wild abandon – sometimes dressed in just shorts and trainers. At Yan Gu Ting there were some simple exercise facilities provided for hikers and we saw several hardy souls enjoying a good workout.
At the top of the mountain, we were treated to breathtaking views of Kaohsiung, taking in the 85 Sky Tower, the Han Shen Tower and the unmistakable honeycomb structure of the Kaohsiung Music Centre. The monkeys lining our path were becoming ever more numerous, and there was mounting concern that Martyn might be abducted by the playful primates and raised as one of their own.
After descending the mountain on a nice, not-too-steep path we joined the Singguo Road (興國路) which passed the Martyrs Shrine (忠烈祠). Rich was desperate to “drop the kids off at the pool” and was delighted to find a facility along the route. When he finally emerged, the accompanying soundtrack was definitely James Brown: “I feel good, I knew that I would!”.
As we made our way down past the entrance to National Sun Yat-Sen University (one of the top universities in Taiwan, established in 1924) we asked a friendly security guard for the best way to the coast. Following his instructions we descended into the main campus and clambered up a coastal embankment to take in impressive views of the beaches, golden in the setting sun.
With renewed pep in our step, we bounded along a very pleasant coastal path lined on one side with pine trees, past a local couple taking wedding photos. We soon came upon the sign that greeted us to our final destination: Former British Consulate Residence at Dagou.
After climbing up several flights of stairs we arrived at the marvellously scenic location of the Consulate, with views across the city and the ocean. You have to hand it to the British colonialists of the past – they knew a good spot when they saw one. It was fascinating to learn more about the establishment of this historical building and the community here.
After the Second Opium War, under the 1858 Treaty of Tianjin, Taiwan was forced to open ports like Anping, Takao, and Tamsui to foreign trade. The location of the British Consulate was finally moved to Takao and was built in in 1866, with trade focusing on camphor, tea, and opium. Robert Swinhoe arrived as the first British Vice Consul in 1861.
To recreate the scenes from this period of history, there were installations around the consulate using life-size figures dressed in historic costumes. These displays were very effective in bringing that period of history to life in front of our eyes.
In addition to his diplomatic career, Robert Swinhoe was also a prominent biologist, and one of the life-size figures on display depicts Swinhoe collecting samples of new species. Many Taiwanese species were named after him, including the Swinhoe brown frog (odorrana swinhoana) and the well-known Swinhoe’s pheasant (Lophura swinhoii), which is endemic to Taiwan and one of its most iconic birds.
There was also a life-size figure of the medical missionary James Maxwell, in action – diagnosing a local Taiwanese for eye infections. Maxwell set up the first western hospital in Taiwan – in 1865 in Tainan. He also gave public demonstrations of eye treatment in the hope of converting ever more souls to Christianity.
As the sun set over Shoushan we made our way toward the city centre, walking past Pier-2 Art Centre (駁二藝術特區). We eventually arrived at City Suites, where Rich, Elaine and Martyn would stay that night. The hotel recommended a popular re-chao restaurant on the corner of Wufu 2nd Street (五福二路) and He Dong Road (河東路) called Tokyo Tavern (東京酒場). This turned out to be the answer to all of our prayers – a brightly decorated, buzzing restaurant with a wide variety of mouthwatering dishes, next to the Love River. Our first cold beers tasted even more heavenly after our strenuous hike up Shoushan and the food tasted just as good as it looked.
With bellies full and minds nicely addled by the alcohol, Rich, Elaine and Martyn headed back to their hotel, while Tim took a taxi home to Tainan to the sound of some banging drum and bass tunes.
End of Day 35. By DJ Timmy Tim.
Distance Walked Today 24 km.
Distance Walked in Total 747.0 km.
