Everything about Kaohsiung totally explained
Kaohsiung City (; old name:
Takao,
Takow,
Takau) is a city located in southern
Taiwan. Kaohsiung City is also the most
dense and the
second largest city in Taiwan, with a population around 1.51 million. As one of two
Central Municipalities under the administration of the
Republic of China (ROC), Kaohsiung City is a second-level political division, with the same status as a
province. The city is further divided into eleven
districts, each with a district office that handles day-to-day businesses between the Kaohsiung City government and its citizens.
Kaohsiung is a major center for manufacturing, refining, and transportation. Kaohsiung is the major port through which most of Taiwan's oil is imported, which accounts for the large amount of heavy industry.
It is an
export processing zone—producing
aluminium, wood and
paper products,
fertilizers,
cement, metals, machinery, and ships. With its harbor one of the four largest in the world, Kaohsiung is the center of Taiwan's
shipbuilding industry, as well as home to a large
Republic of China Navy base. Its
subway system, and the
Kaohsiung Mass Rapid Transit (KMRT), opened for revenue service in early
2008.
Kaohsiung City will host the 2009
World Games, a multisport event primarily composed of sports not featured in the
Olympic Games.
History
Founded near the end of the
Ming Dynasty in the 17th century, the village was known as Takau (;
POJ: Táⁿ-káu) in the
Holo language spoken by most of the early immigrants. The name originates from the
Makatao language of the local
aboriginal tribe and translates as "bamboo forest". The
Dutch established
Fort Zeelandia in 1624 and defeated the local tribes in 1635. The Dutch were later expelled by the
Kingdom of Tungning government founded by Ming Dynasty loyalists of
Koxinga in 1662.
Zheng Jing, the son of Koxinga, renamed the village Wan-nien-chow in 1664. The name was restored to Takau in the late 1670s, when the town expanded dramatically with immigrants from
mainland China. In 1684 the
Qing Dynasty re-annexed
Taiwan and renamed the town Fengshan County, considering it a part of Taiwan Prefecture. It was first opened as a port during the 1680s.
In 1895, Taiwan was ceded to
Japan as part of the
Treaty of Shimonoseki. It was during this period that the city's name was changed from 打狗 (
Taiwanese:
Táⁿ-káu) to 高雄 (
romaji:
Takao). While the sound remained more or less the same, the literal meaning of the name changed from "Beating Dog" to "High Hero". The Japanese developed Takao, especially the harbour. An important military base and industry center, the city was heavily bombed by
Task Force 38 and
FEAF during 1944-1945.
After control of Taiwan was handed to the
Republic of China in 1945, the official romanization of the city name came to be "Kao-hsiung", based on the
Wade-Giles romanization of the
Standard Mandarin reading of the kanji name. Kaohsiung was upgraded to a
municipality on
July 1,
1979, by the
Executive Yuan, which approved this proposal on
November 19,
1978. The
Kaohsiung Incident took place in Kaohsiung on December 10, 1979.
Geography
Kaohsiung is located south of the
Tropic of Cancer. The climate is
tropical with average temperatures ranging from between 18.6 and 28.7 degrees Celsius, and average
humidity between 60 and 81%. Average annual rainfall is 1134 mm.
The city sits on the southwestern coast of Taiwan facing the
Taiwan Strait. The downtown areas are centered around Kaohsiung Harbor with the island of Chijin on the other side of the harbor acting as a natural
breakwater. The
Love River (or Ai River) flows into the harbor through the Old City and downtown. Zuoying Military Harbor lies to the north of Kaohsiung Harbor and the city center. Kaohsiung's natural landmarks include the coral mountains
Ape Hill, Shoushan and Banpingshan.
Government
Politics
Kaohsiung is sometimes seen as the political mirror image of Taipei. While northern Taiwan leans towards the
Pan-Blue Coalition, southern Taiwan has traditionally leaned towards the
Pan-Green Coalition, and Kaohsiung is no exception.
Frank Hsieh of the
Democratic Progressive Party was reelected twice as Mayor of Kaohsiung, where he was widely credited for transforming the city from an industrial sprawl into an attractive modern metropolis. Hsieh resigned from the office of mayor to take up the office of
Premier of the Republic of China in
2005. The last municipal election, held on
December 9,
2006, resulted in a victory for the
Democratic Progressive Party's candidate
Chen Chu, the first elected female mayor of
direct-controlled municipalities in
Taiwan, defeating her
Kuomintang rival and former deputy mayor, Huang Chun-ying.
Subdivisions
Kaohsiung is divided into 11 administrative districts:
Two islands in the
South China Sea are administered by Kaohsiung City as parts of Cijin District:
Transportation
Port of Kaohsiung
Also known as the "Harbor Capital" of Taiwan, Kaohsiung has always had a strong link with the ocean and maritime transportation.
Ferries play a key role in everyday transportation, and often play the role that buses do in other cities, especially for transportation across the harbor. With five terminals and 23 berths, the
Port of Kaohsiung is Taiwan's largest
container port and the 6th largest in the world.. In 2007 the port reached its handling capacity with a record trade volume of 10.2 million TEU's.. A new container terminal is under construction, increasing future handling capacity by 2million TEUs by 2013.
The Port of Kaohsiung isn't officially a part of Kaohsiung City, instead it's administrated by Kaohsiung Port Authority, under Ministry of Transportation. There is a push for Kaohsiung City to annex the Port of Kaohsiung in order to facilitate better regional planning.
Kaohsiung International Airport
Kaohsiung City is also home to Taiwan's second largest airport, the
Kaohsiung International Airport, which is located in the
Siaogang District in southern Kaohsiung City.
Rapid Transit
A new
metro system, the
Kaohsiung Rapid Transit System is currently under construction; it's expected to open for revenue service in 2008. A
light rail line that circles central Kaohsiung City was also approved in 2007. In 2004, the Kaohsiung City Government and
Siemens AG built a temporary two-station circular light rail line, along with one trainset, in
Central Park, in order to demonstrate the feasibility of building a light rail system in Kaohsiung City. It was meant to alleviate some residents' concerns, such as producing excessive noise and hindering normal traffic flow, that light rail would negatively impact their surroundings. This Siemens Combino vehicle was later used as part of the defunct M>Tram network in
Melbourne, later transferring to
Yarra Trams.
Railroad
The city is served by the
Taiwan Railway Administration's
Western Line and
Pingtung Line.
Taiwan High Speed Rail also serves Kaohsiung City via its new Zuoying Station in northern Kaohsiung City. Future plans include extending high speed rail to the new Kaohsiung Station in the city center. The new Kaohsiung Station will be a underground station, replacing the current surface station. Additionally, these two stations will also be served by
Red line of Kaohsiung Rapid Transit System when the line open for revenue service in early 2008.
Attractions
Love River (愛河)
Urban Spotlight Arcade (城市光廊)
Tuntex Sky Tower (東帝士85國際廣場)
Liouho Night Market (六合夜市)
Zuoying's Lotus Lake (左營蓮池潭)
Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts (高雄市立美術館)
Chihou Battery (旗後砲台)
Cijin Ferry (旗津渡輪)
Fengshan Old City (鳳山舊城)
Chai Mountain (柴山)
Bang Ping Mountain (半屏山)
Shou Shan Zoo (壽山動物園)
Fo Guang Shan Monastery (佛光山)
Former British Consulate at Takao (前清英國領事館)
Holy Rosary Cathedral (前金天主堂)
National Science and Technology Museum (國立科學工藝博物館)
Kaohsiung Museum of History (高雄市立歷史博物館)
Old Kaohsiung Railway Station (台鐵舊高雄車站)
Sizihwan Scenic Area (西子灣風景區)
Kaohsiung Astronomical Museum (高雄市立天文教育館)
Kaohsiung Hakka Cultural Museum (高雄市客家文物館)
Chang-Gu World Trade Center (長谷世貿大樓)
Tower of Light (光之塔)
Singuang Ferry Wharf （新光碼頭)
True Love Ferry Pier (真愛碼頭)
Kaohsiung Fisherman's Wharf (高雄港漁人碼頭)
Education
Kaohsiung Medical University (高雄醫學大學)
National Sun Yat-sen University (國立中山大學)
National Kaohsiung University of Applied Sciences (國立高雄應用科技大學)
National Kaohsiung Normal University (國立高雄師範大學)
National Kaohsiung First University of Science and Technology (國立高雄第一科技大學)
National University of Kaohsiung (國立高雄大學)
National Kaohsiung Marine University (國立高雄海洋科技大學)
National Kaohsiung Hospitality College (國立高雄餐旅學院)
Municipal Kaohsiung Senior High School (高雄市立高雄高級中學)
Municipal Kaohsiung Girls' Senior High School (高雄市立女子高級中學)
Kaohsiung American School （美國學校）
Sister cities
Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
Macon, Georgia, USA
Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA
Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA
Miami, Florida, USA
San Antonio, Texas, USA
Seattle, Washington, USA
Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
Plains, Georgia, USA
Pensacola, Florida, USA
Mobile, Alabama, USA
Little Rock, Arkansas, USA
Portland, Oregon, USA
Busan, South Korea
Cebu, Philippines
Danang, Vietnam
Barranquilla, Colombia
Cartago, Costa Rica
Durban, South Africa
Blantyre, Malawi
Brisbane, Queensland, AustraliaFurther Information
Get more info on 'Kaohsiung'.
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