Kaohsiung
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Kaohsiung (Gaoxiong)
Kaohsiung ( Gāoxióng) is the second largest city in Taiwan and is located in the south of the island. Kaohsiung is known for its harbor, although more for commercial than tourism reasons. Hence it is also known as the Harbor Capital of Taiwan. Its year-round fine weather and the low cost of living makes Kaohsiung a must for visitors to Taiwan. Although the ranking has declined steadily over the last few years, Kaohsiung is still the world‘s sixth largest cargo-container seaport. The city has high concentrations of heavy industry, including steel production, shipbuilding, and other exports that have led to Kaohsiung‘s relatively high levels of air pollution (though the situation has improved substantially in recent years). Unlike Taipei, Kaohsiung is a planned city with wide streets and slightly less traffic congestion than the capital. In recent years the city has made great strides in transforming itself from a primarily industrial city into a modern Asian metropolis, and several areas of the city, such as along the banks of the River Ai (Love River), have benefited from major beautification projects under the tenure of former mayor Frank Hsieh. The city is often known as Taiwan‘s "Harbor Capital"because of its close connection and heavy reliance on the ocean and maritime transportation. Kaohsiung began in the 17th century as a small fishing village named "Takao" derived from the local aboriginal name meaning "bamboo forest". The name was changed to "高雄”(meaning: "high hero") by the Japanese in 1895, also pronounced "Takao" in Japanese, as they found the original name of 打狗 ("beating the dog") to be vulgar. The modern name of "Kaohsiung" is the pronunciation of "高雄" in Mandarin. Attractions --Love River --Urban Spotlight Arcade --Tuntex Sky Tower --Liouho Night Market --Zuoying‘s Lotus Lake --Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts --Chihou Battery --Cijin Ferry --Fengshan Old City --Chai Mountain --Bang Ping Mountain --Shou Shan Zoo --Former British Consulate at Takao --Holy Rosary Cathedral --National Science and Technology Museum --Kaohsiung Museum of History --Old Kaohsiung Railway Station --Sizihwan Scenic Area --Kaohsiung Astronomical Museum --Kaohsiung Hakka Cultural Museum --Chang-Gu World Trade Center --Tower of Light --Singuang Ferry Wharf --True Love Ferry Pier --Kaohsiung Fisherman‘s Wharf --Hsinshing Night Market
Explore Kaohsiung in Southern Taiwan 10 Attractions You Just Can't Miss!
Are you one of those who think Kaohsiung is nothing more than an ugly, polluted industrial centre? I use to believe so... Until I spent 2 weeks traveling in and around the city in the fall of 2010. I realised that - contrarily to the usual assumption - this harbour city is extremely pleasant, and that it is packed with inspirational sites. A quick (super important!!) note about accommodation in the city... These days everybody seems to know that Kaohsiung has become one of the most pleasant cities in Taiwan, and because of that, more and more tourists (mostly Taiwanese) visit the area on weekends. If you plan on spending a night here on Friday or Saturday, you absolutely must make a hotel reservation in advance as most hotels are fully booked on those two nights.
10 reasons to love Kaohsiung
For too long, Kaohsiung has been known to the world as Taiwan's largest port city -- it's time to give attention-craving Kaohsiung the love it deserves. Taiwan's biggest night market, sexiest restaurant and coolest metro station -- these are just some of the superlatives to heap upon Kaohsiung. As lifelong Kaohsiunger and radio DJ Hugo Wu tells CNN: "The weather is almost always good, the pace of life is slow and the city is free. Who would want to leave Kaohsiung?" Biggest night market in Southeast Asia Biggest night market Always colorful, always up late. Kaisyuan or Jin-Zuan? It’s been the hottest debate in Kaohsiung since last summer. The rivalry between Kaisyuan and Jin-Zuan -- two adjacent night markets -- began from the week they opened, only three days apart. Both claim to be the biggest market in Southeast Asia. Each has hundreds of night market stalls. Kaisyuan boasts a 30,000-square-meter space with 300 stalls. Jin-Zuan stretches 23,000 square meters but is packed with 500 stalls. Jin-Zuan wins over fans with delicious beer shrimp, handmade, pan-fried noodles and luxury, lounge-like toilet facilities. Kaisyuan wows night market goers with a mini Phra Phrom (four-faced Buddha) and Bin Bin lemon juice hand-squeezed by muscular vendors. Both are gigantic -- walking through either takes at least an hour. Jin-Zuan is open Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, 5 p.m.- 2 a.m. Kaisyuan is open Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, 5 p.m.- 2 a.m. Both are located on Kaisyuan 4th Road. MORE: 40 Taiwanese foods we can't live without
Knowledge Graph
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1 The written history of Kaohsiung can be traced back to the early 17th century, through archeological studies have found signs of human activity in the region from as long as 7000 years ago.
2 Keep in mind certain areas of Kaohsiung have been severely ruined due to the huge pipeline explosion back in late July.
3 In 2008, there were visits by Mr Eric CHU Li-luan who is the Taoyuan County Magistrate, the Mayor of Kaohsiung city and the Mayor of Taichung city.