Another sunny morning in Kaohsiung saw Tim travel down from Tainan to meet Rich, Elaine and Martyn in the City Suites hotel. Everyone bundled into a taxi bound for Gushan Ferry Pier (骨山輪度站). The ferry fee was a mere NTD30 but Tim had problems finding the exact amount of change required and caused a catastrophic delay of ten minutes which would impact disastrously on the day’s schedule. At least this is the line that his comrades teased him with relentlessly throughout the day.
The ferry trip afforded spectacular views across Kaohsiung Harbour, and we could clearly see the British Consulate and Shoushan mountain, which we had hiked up the previous day. Our journey of fifteen minutes or so terminated at the Chi Jin Ferry Terminal where we alighted and made our way towards the ChiHou Lighthouse – our first port of call.
Chi Jin Island is an interesting place. It is long and narrow from the north to the south (8.5 km long with an average width of 400 m) and provides a protective barrier from the elements for Kaohsiung Harbour. The island is home to a strong fishing community and visitors can find some fantastic, fresh seafood restaurants at reasonable prices. The island also features a clean beach, cycling and surfing opportunities, historic sights, delicious ice cream, and several art installations along the coast. On the day of our visit, there were several areas undergoing renovation and our access (particularly to beach areas) was restricted.
As we walked towards Chi Hou Lighthouse (旗后燈塔) we were struck by the beauty of our surroundings. At a stretch of the imagination (quite a big one), we could almost have been in the Mediterranean. The sparkling water, blue sky, palm trees and brightly coloured houses of Chi Jin gave us a distinct impression of southern Europe.
Approaching the stone steps leading up to Chi Hou Lighthouse we could read about the history of this special place on a signboard. It turns out that the lighthouse was built in 1883 by a British engineer called John Harding, who was commissioned by the Qing government. His original instruction was to build a Western-style white square brick tower. This was, however, later rebuilt into its present octagonal form by the Japanese in 1918. It was only opened to civilians in 1992.
The lighthouse is a distinctive white colour, as are the surroundings, and this contrasted beautifully with the two trees in front and the multi coloured houses in the background. By this time, we all felt as if we were holidaying on a Greek island and took time out to order drinks from a kiosk on the grounds. As we sat slowly sipping our iced coffees and enjoying the views, time seemed to grind to a halt, and the sight of a lizard on the grass prompted discussions of Jim Morrison (the Lizard King) and whether making fake lizard trousers from the skins of the invasive species of iguanas in Taiwan would be a viable endeavour (given that the Taiwan government offers a bounty for captured iguanas!).
Indeed, our comfortable shady spot was so soporific that we could have stayed there all day, but our mission was calling – so we wrapped up our revery and girded our loins for the next stage of the walk. We made our way across the north end of Chi Jin Island through a woody area dotted with disused sentry boxes and what looked like small air-raid shelters.
Our next port of call was the Chi Hou Fortress – a red brick fort complete with cannons, built to guard the northern entrance to Kaohsiung Harbour. We learned that the first fortifications were built in 1720 when Taiwan was ruled by the Manchu-led Qing Empire of China. After the Japanese expedition in 1874, the Qing authorities constructed a modern fort, which in 1880 had new British-made Armstrong guns installed. The battery was designed by British engineer, H. W. Harwood.
After Taiwan was ceded to Japan in 1895 (a transfer formalized by the Treaty of Shimonoseki) the local troops fought on, using the fort as a base. Japanese ships opened fire on the fort and after a short, intense but ultimately ineffectual response, the fort fell to the Japanese the same day. After World War II the hill was fortified by the Republic of China army: light gun and machine gun nests cut in the rock can still be found there.
The view from the top of the fort afforded a panoramic vista across the Chi Jin beach and even stretched to the industrial areas of Kaohsiung Harbour in the distance.
Descending to the area of brightly coloured houses that dot the most densely populated end of the island, we then started a long walk along Chi Jin 3rd Road (旗津三路) which runs alongside the beach for the length of the island. Since 2013 the Kaohsiung City government have been carrying out phased coastal restoration projects, using offshore breakwaters to restore Chi Jin’s beaches, and injecting new elements into the Chi Jin Coastal Park (旗津海岸公園).
Posters alongside the beach construction site showed digital images of how the beachside area would look after an ongoing renovation – with wide walkways connecting areas of trees and seawater swimming pools. But for now, these beachside areas were closed off to us, and so we remained walking alongside the busy main road.
We passed a surf board store, and a large yellow temple, the Min Min Temple (憫愍寺), but the main attraction of this seaside walk was the famous Rainbow Arch (旗津彩虹教堂). This multi coloured arch was designed to create a three-dimensional sense of space with the changing light and shadow of different times of the day. The rainbow colours represent happiness and bring good luck to newlyweds. Not surprisingly, the Rainbow Arch has become a hugely popular place to take wedding photos.
Once we left Chi Jin island we faced the prospect of passing through the heavy industrial area of Hsiao Gang (小港區). The north of this area is home to Kaohsiung International Airport, but south of this the land is dominated by the factories of China Steel Corporation, CSC (中國鋼鐵). Officially established in 1971, CSC is the largest integrated steel maker in Taiwan. It is the 23rd largest steel producer in the world, but looking at the endless rows of mills, foundries and factories that stretch as far as the eye can see, you would be forgiven for thinking that they occupy a higher position in the rankings.
We were wondering how CSC has managed to compete with mainland China’s state-subsidized steel industry after all these years. It turns out that CSC stays viable by focusing on high-value-added, specialized products, superior quality control and proactive research and development (to develop advanced, corrosion-resistant, and high-strength steels), rather than competing solely on price.
Walking through the heavy industrial area of Hsiao Gang would have been not just unpleasant but also extremely difficult in terms of viable paths, so we took a taxi to the Hongmaogang Cultural Park 紅毛港文化園區 so we could bypass the Hsiao Gang District and get to the other side. However, when we arrived at the Cultural Park it was fenced off and totally lacking in culture (and access). It turned out that the whole area belongs to the port authority and so it was not accessible to pedestrians. After looking at google maps again we asked the driver to take us south to Fengbitou fishing harbour (鳳鼻頭漁港) as there was clear access to a walking path from there avoiding all the large container lorries.
On the journey, our taxi driver told us that a large part of the Hsiao Gang District consists of reclaimed land, particularly surrounding the Port of Kaohsiung. A second port construction south of the Cianjhen River has heavily transformed the area. In recent years Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) has been pushing for construction of a new international airport that can operate 24 hours a day. Chen has stated that a new airport could be built on reclaimed land outside Kaohsiung Port. However, the project remains on hold for the time being.
On alighting at Feng Bi Tou harbour (鳳鼻頭漁港) we thanked our cab driver for such an informative tour and asked a local man at the harbour about a route to the beach, as our plan was to walk as much as possible by the shoreline. He told us to walk up to the main road, Nan Hsing Road (南星路), then turn right at the first betelnut stall. This turned out to be wonderful advice as it led us to a long sandy beach – such a nice contrast to the factories of Hsiao Gang.
After walking the extent of the Chung Men Beach (林園中門沙灘) we continued our walk through the Lin Yuan District (林園區) on the Hai Chien Road (海墘路). We passed two large temples on the way – the Jin Fa Gong (進發宮), dedicated to the worship of Ma Zu, and Lin Feng Gong (林鳳宮).
We once again joined a stretch of road, Gang Pu 2nd Road (港埔二路), that ran adjacent to the shoreline. We noted with curiosity the labyrinthine network of irrigation pipes running along the sea barrier. There were dozens of pipes all running along and over each other. Where were they leading to, and what was their purpose? And how on earth could they be identified and maintained? But ours was not to question why, ours was just to walk and sigh.
Before long we came across the very isolated Hai Jing “entertainment centre” which promised shrimp fishing, air conditioning and a free food and card games package. It looked very sad and deserted in the day time, but who knows – it was probably a hive of activity at night.
As we sat down for a rest and some snacks in this god-forsaken corner of the world, a taxi pulled up alongside the sea barrier and two young ladies alighted. This struck us as rather strange, as we wondered who could possibly choose to visit this particularly blighted spot for tourism. After striking up a conversation with them, it turned out the two women were mother and daughter. The mother was Vietnamese, married to a Taiwanese man and they had lived in the area when the daughter was young. They were now living in Taoyuan and they had returned to this spot for old times’ sake.
After this interesting interlude, we continued through Lin Yuan District to Feng Yun Village (鳳芸里), stopping only briefly at a remote Hi-Life convenience store for ice lollies.
Crossing over the bridge at Feng Yun village we trudged determinedly onward along the very straight Li Hsing Road (力行路) for quite a while until our eyes were greeted by a charming sight; dozens of schoolchildren were navigating tiny sailboats on a small seaside lake. It turned out that these minor mariners were students of the Shan Wei Junior School (汕尾國小) which seemed to have a tradition of training young yachtsmen and women.
Leaving behind our small-scale seafarers, we turned a few corners, and walked a couple more streets, and our eyes beheld a wondrous sight. It was the Sacred Tree of the Southern Border! This much fabled tree (市境之南樹) is famous for being the southernmost hibiscus tree in Kaohsiung. Legend has it that on New Year’s Day in 2019, newly appointed Kaohsiung mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) hung a wishing plaque that read “May Kaohsiung Prosper” on the tree. The tree has since been worshipped as the “Kuo-yu tree” by his followers.
Upon hearing this story, Elaine had a strong urge to vomit, which may have been a political comment or the result of sunstroke. Whatever the cause, Rich, Tim and Martyn rushed to provide their perturbed partner with bottles of mineral water. This seemed a good place to finish the walk, and so a taxi was called to take the four valiant voyagers back to Zuo Ying HSR station where a delicious dinner was enjoyed at Kai Fan Sichuan Restaurant.
The prospect of crossing over from Kaohsiung County to Pingtung County was one to relish, as the next stage would be the final stage in the mission to complete the west coast of the island!
End of Day 36. By DJ Timmy Tim.
Distance Walked Today 14.5 km.
Distance Walked in Total 761.5 km.
Part one of today’s walk is below:-
Part two of today’s walk is below:-
Total Walked.
Hello! I’m Linda, the producer of the Formosa Television program “Our Family.” I’m delighted to see your website documenting your round-the-island journey. I wonder if Mr. Smith remembers Mr. Wang, a planner from Formosa Television, whom I met at the High Speed Rail station this March. He told me about your story, so I’d like to learn more about it.
I’ve left my email address… Please contact me! Thank you.
lindakuo1105@gmail.com