Relax - Lighten Up!

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(above: Fireworks explode over the Main Stadium during the opening ceremony of the 2009 World Games in Kaohsiung..)

As the main export hub in Taiwan, Kaohsiung City is home to important ports and Taiwan's navy, in addition to manufacturing, shipbuilding and refining businesses, giving the city an industrial character since the last century.

The city, enclosed by Kaohsiung County, with the west facing the Taiwan Strait, has transformed from its industrial past, and is now the second-largest city in Taiwan, and the most rapidly developing urban center

The city's recent addition of Kaohsiung Mass Rapid Transit, similar to Taipei's Metro Rapid Transit, speeded up the pace of life in Kaohsiung and made it easier than ever to get around.

Plus, Kaohsiung shone on the world stage earlier this year, hosting the 2009 World Games.

So, lets go and explore some modern faces of the island!

I Heart River

Love River, or Ai River in Chinese, originates in Renwu Township in Kaohsiung County and flows 12 kilometers to Kaohsiung Harbor. Often referred to as Kaohsiung's spine, the Ai River plays a very similar role to the Thames in London.

The river holds great cultural significance to the people of Kaohsiung, but also plays a vital role in the city's economy and tourism.

Back in the Qing Dynasty, the river was called Takao. Before the city was urbanized in the late 19th century, the river flowed in a wide and flat channel and was the surrounding farmlands' main water source.

Then during the Japanese colonial occupation, the river was made into a canal for transporting goods. Meanwhile, Kaohsiung Harbor was built in 1908, replacing the former mangrove forest.

Many thoughtful plans have gone into some of the buildings and other structures alongside the river, including Kaohsiung Bridge and the Kaohsiung District Court, enhancing the overall beauty of the view.

Grand cultural events, like the Lantern Festival or New Year's Eve, often take place on the banks of the Love River, attracting thousands of people.

Riverside parks and outdoor cafés with live bands bring life to the area; night markets operate there in the evenings.

The river was actually once badly polluted – locals described it as “a black river” that smelt like a sewer. As Taiwan's economic core transformed from agricultural to industrial, more and more waste flowed into the water. It apparently started when paper mills ejected waste into the river, and in the mid-1960s, raw sewage began mixing with that.

Good thing though, since the city government's attempt to divert the wastewater, the water quality has vastly improved, providing locals and visitors pleasant moments at Love River.

Want to be closer to the water? Hop on the Love River boats!

Tour in Love Boats

Small boats that can hold twelve to eighteen people provide visitors with a Love River tour every evening from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m.

The boats are available on the east and west banks of the river for about NT$80 per person. Every tour is an approximately 20-minute ride.

For those who may be worried about becoming seasick, don't! These boats are guaranteed to be calm and very gentle. The journey is comfortable and safe.

Unlike most boats, the seats on the boats face the riverside views, allowing passengers to easily take pictures and embrace the charming scenery.

When rainbow lights dance on the rippling water at night, the river transforms into a fairy city and the boat ride becomes a magical experience.

Once off the boat, get ready for another type of illuminating experience around the corner, next to the city's Central Park.

Shining Artworks

A fascinating corner of Kaohsiung City, known as the Urban Spotlight sits on Wufu Third Road, between Chunghua Road and Chungshan Road. What was once an old, uninviting park is currently a significant landmark of the city.

During the day, the area attached to Central Park, appears to be just an ordinary, peaceful park with landscape designs incorporating small-scale fountains with running water. Floral shades dotting a sea of green are a calm spot in one of the busiest part of town.

However, once evening falls, the peaceful corner transforms into the vibrant dazzle of Kaohsiung City.

Famous for its glowing decoration in the evenings, Urban Spotlight, a big piece of outdoor artwork, is themed with all forms and colors of lights, from neon tubes to tinted light bulbs to floorboard lights.

It was nearly a decade ago when eight independent local artists jointly designed the layout of the lights in the park as well as the main character of Urban Spotlight: a 150-meter long walkway. The project aims to introduce a new form of art to the modern Kaohsiung culture.

With outdoor bars and cafés parked in the vicinity providing background music provided by live bands or stereos, visitors can escape from the city in the city; the aesthetic environment is not just peaceful and delightful, but it also possesses the ability to erase one's stress.

The best part of the park is certainly the public 24-hour free wireless Internet service – a first in Taiwan – further transforming Kaohsiung City into a contemporary community, moving towards becoming the country's No.1 e-City.

The Night's Still Young!

The Dome of Light roof of the Formosa Boulevard subway station in
Kaohsiung, Taiwan, is made up of 4,500 panels of stained glass which
feature images on the theme of rebirth.

As the city's financial district moved towards the east side of Kaohsiung, a new shopping zone named Shinkuchan developed near the Central Park on Wufu Road.

The shopping area operates in a manner similar to the original old bazaar, Chueh-chiang Market, although it has now been tidied up, with many dull, bleak stores converted into fashionable boutiques and popular creative craft stores.

A maze of intertwining lanes and streets of interesting shops sell an assortment of items, such as shoes, handbags and clothing, at all kinds of prices. Whether in trend or not, visitors are bound to find something they adore.

Well into the night only gives you more of a reason to go walk around and explore hidden stores found only in Kaohsiung City.

How to get there:

By HSR - Get off at Zuoying Station and take the free connecting bus into Kaohsiung City center. Train tickets are approximately NT$1,500 (S$65.55) for the one two-hour trip.

By railway - Get off at Kaohsiung Station. The journey takes on average six hours, and costs around NT$850 per trip.

By bus - Ubus, or Tunglien, takes visitors on a six-hour drive to Kaohsiung from Taipei Main Station for about NT$600.

-The China Post/Asia News Network

Lighten Up!

By Tricia Chen, The China Post/ANN | Wed, Jan 13 2010

Explore the Love River and the bustling nightlife in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

Keywords

kaohsiung