On Assignment in Kaohsiung

It must have been in 2017 or 2018 when I first got wind of the dramatic changes happening in Kaohsiung, Taiwan’s biggest port city. While scouring the internet to research potential story ideas one afternoon, I learned about an ambitious project to transform its once walled-off waterfront from a neglected industrial wasteland to a vibrant arts and culture precinct, with ultramodern buildings designed by big-name architects from abroad. Someday, I told myself, I would go and write a full-length feature article for work.

Fast-forward to the early months of Covid, and the magazine compiled a roundup in which each editor nominated a country we hoped to visit once the pandemic was over. An Australian colleague brought up the Cook Islands, our editor-in-chief imagined a future journey to Rwanda, and I waxed lyrical about Taiwan, an underrated island nation I last visited with Bama in the spring of 2013. Little did I know I would have both my wishes granted this March on the heels of a company event in Bangkok — one of the few cities in Southeast Asia with direct flights to Kaohsiung.

Initially, securing the right accommodation proved to be a challenge, and once that had been nailed down, there was growing concern about the incredibly tight schedule. I would arrive late on a Wednesday afternoon and depart from Kaohsiung that Saturday night. Which left me just two full weekdays to really dig into the place, conduct interviews, and so on. Our editor-in-chief was anxious to know if there would actually be a viable story at the end. Much to his relief, I had plenty of local help. (Sometime after returning to Jakarta, I was calmly and politely told, “don’t do that again.”)

The waterfront Kaohsiung Music Center by Spanish architect Manuel A. Monteserín Lahoz

Local residents on the Whale Promenade, part of the Kaohsiung Music Center

These hexagonal shapes were inspired by natural forms in the marine world

A view of Kaohsiung’s brand-new cruise terminal, which opened days before my visit

Inside the Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts; a painting by local artist Lee Jiun-Shyan

The city’s rotating Great Harbor Bridge at sunset

The main reason it all worked out was the involvement of architects Hou Ching-Mou and Lin Wan-Jen. Responding to my email requesting an interview at their studio, the husband-and-wife team took it upon themselves to show me around town over those two jam-packed days. Wan-Jen went out of her way to arrange appointments and interviews with influential figures I either had difficulty getting in touch with or hadn’t thought of approaching. To top it all off, she also invited me to a Friday night get-together with her college friends at one of the city’s two Michelin-starred restaurants.

Not only were Ching-Mou and Wan-Jen paragons of Taiwanese hospitality. With their mix of local insider knowledge and an international background, they turned out to be the perfect guides for the trip. Both trained at Harvard after graduating from architecture school in Taiwan, and were subsequently recruited by avant-garde Dutch studio Mecanoo. That meant being based in the Netherlands for a couple of years before returning to their home country to oversee several major projects, most notably Mecanoo’s competition-winning designs for the National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (a.k.a. Weiwuying) and the redevelopment of the city’s central train station. The duo eventually parted ways with the firm and set up Studio Hou x Lin, whose creations range from the interiors of an e-sports stadium (yes, there is such a thing) to an impressive carillon on the revitalized waterfront.

Ching-Mou and Wan-Jen are both completely fluent in English, but they switched to Mandarin upon realizing I could understand and speak the language — however rusty it might have been after years of minimal use beyond the classroom. My story was enriched because they explained things in the tongue they were most comfortable in. Through these two very talented architects, I learned so much about Kaohsiung’s history, culture, and unique character. They shed light on the influential role the Japanese, who colonized Taiwan for 50 years, played in shaping the modern city: building entire neighborhoods on new land wrested from the sea, laying down railway lines, and developing much of the current street pattern. Wan-Jen told me the local shipbuilding industry actually grew out of the rubble left by Allied bombing raids in World War II (It is a little-known fact that the US Air Force rained devastation on Taiwanese cities and killed thousands of civilians in the process).

National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts — East Asia’s biggest performing arts center

Local shipbuilders were recruited to make the sweeping curves of the design a reality

Banyan Plaza, an inviting public space that weaves between the performance venues

Looking out into Weiwuying Metropolitan Park; Steampunk decor at Old Sanwa Bank

Old Sanwa Bank is a newish café in the historic Hamasen neighborhood

Inside the top-floor dessert parlor at the Hamasen Trader Building next door

The view from the upstairs veranda at Old Sanwa Bank

The street-level cake shop at Hamasen Trader Building; a former sugar warehouse

Signage at the waterfront Pier-2 Art Center; seating on a laneway running to the harbor

Japanese-era Kaohsiung as shown in a model at the Hamasen Museum of Taiwan Railway

My interview subjects did not gloss over the difficult relationship southern Taiwan has long had with the wealthier and more powerful north. Kaohsiung was once derided as a cultural desert by Taipei residents, and this perception has only begun to change in the past few years. A chief driver in this is the central government’s goal to narrow the gap between north and south, partly through financing a slew of cultural venues and new public transit, while municipal authorities are enticing microchip manufacturers and high-tech companies to set up shop in Kaohsiung. Compared to Greater Taipei, which is hemmed in by mountains, the southern metropolis has the advantage of space and the capability to host large-scale entertainment events: it was the only stop in Taiwan for K-Pop supergroup Blackpink during their recent Asia tour, a distinction that will be repeated when Coldplay comes to town this November.

Given my overambitious scheduling, there wasn’t enough time to see the fanciful twin pagodas built over a scenic lake named “Lotus Pond”. That was the image of Kaohsiung I had grown up seeing in Hong Kong. Nor did I get to visit the former British consulate on a hill guarding the northern entrance to the harbor — its combination of a tiled roof, red-brick walls, and an arcaded veranda mirroring some of the colonial-era buildings that still stand in my hometown.

What I did manage to do though was spend half a day with fellow blogger Jeff Bell and his wife Kristi before catching the high-speed train north to Taoyuan (the location of Taiwan’s main international airport). The Bells previously lived in Bangkok and upped sticks during the pandemic, swapping squiggly Thai script for even-harder-to-read traditional Chinese characters. They survived hotel quarantine to settle into new jobs and a new life in Kaohsiung with their cats.

A live music venue and the light rail line skirting the renovated waterfront

On the grounds of Dayi Park, right across the street from the Kaohsiung Music Center

Food stalls at Gushan Fish Market; Kaohsiung Lighthouse crowns a hill on Cijin Island

An open day for Taiwanese navy ships moored in the harbor

The Shell House, a sculpture on Cijin Island that resembles a giant golden clam shell

Overlooking Cijin Island’s beach and the Taiwan Strait from Cihou Mountain

Kaohsiung Lighthouse has stood watch over the port since 1883

A boat sails through the narrow northern entrance to Kaohsiung harbor

The modern city was developed around a sheltered deep-water lagoon

Jeff, Kristi, and I caught up over hearty bowls of local soup noodles in the converted Gushan Fish Market, then took the ferry across the water to Cijin Island: a popular weekend day-trip destination for its long grey-sand beach, seafood restaurants, and tented stalls selling local snacks. We happily did touristy things like eating ice cream and renting a four-seater electric trishaw, which Jeff pedaled to navigate the coastal promenade and grassy mounds above the shoreline. The three of us stopped to admire quirky large-scale sculptures along the way, like one that resembled a giant seashell, before marching up the hill to an 1880s lighthouse facing a newly expanded viewpoint overlooking the busy harbor. Back on the mainland, we strolled through the historic Hamasen quarter and enjoyed Taiwanese craft beer in a converted pier-side warehouse. Then it was time for me to bid the Bells adieu and pick up my bags at the hotel before setting out for the high-speed train station.

I loved Kaohsiung so much that I have resolved to return later this year for a holiday. Bama has wanted to visit for ages on account of the unusual design of its tallest building, 85 Sky Tower. Being a fan of Monocle, he is also excited to witness an ongoing urban transformation that demonstrates what is possible when citizens’ demands for a more livable environment are matched by political will. I look forward to introducing Bama to Kaohsiung at a more relaxed pace, exploring the many attractions I did not get to see in March, and hanging out with Jeff and Kristi again on their days off. ◊

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Postscript: The online version of my latest feature story in DestinAsian magazine can be viewed here: A New Chapter for Kaohsiung.

The view from a ferry preparing to leave Cijin Island

Harbor traffic with a backdrop of 85 Sky Tower, Kaohsiung’s tallest building

A row of historic shophouses in Hamasen

Soaking up the views from the pier at Gushan Fish Market

Stalls and retail outlets inside Kaohsiung Port Warehouse No. 2

The roof of the multipurpose hall at Glory Pier is meant to recall a coral reef

Admiring the sunset from the promenade on Glory Pier

A parting shot of the main hall at Kaohsiung Music Center