8 Fancy Places for Young Generation in Kaohsiung

Pier 2 Art Center, formerly known as the “Pier 2 Warehouse”, is the old warehouse area of the early piers in Kaohsiung. Pier 2 Warehouse was gradually abandoned until 2000 when the Kaohsiung government re-opened the vacant space and transformed it into the “Pier 2 Art Center”. It has become the cradle of Kaohsiung art culture ever since.

There are three warehouse groups at the Pier 2 Art Center, including Dayong, PengLai, and DaYi, including exhibition halls, theaters, restaurants, and shops. All kinds of themed exhibitions, sculptures, paintings, installations, architecture, and photography events are often held here. The blending of various art forms often inspires the sparks of art.

There are many creative installation arts in the area. Exterior walls of many buildings are also painted with 3D wall paintings, making them the perfect background for tourists to take pictures.

Kaohsiung Film Archive is located in a stylish modern building on the bank of the Love River (Ai He). Naturally, the exhibits are themed at movies, including a series of exhibitions of Kaohsiung’s old theater, Kaohsiung in the films, directors from Kaohsiung, actors and other film professionals, etc.

In addition to the exhibition hall, there is also a small screening room in the archive, where an artistic film will be on in the theater every day to meet the needs of movie lovers based on various preferences. There is also a small reading room that offers journals and books about movies at home and abroad for fans to read.

Located in Gushan District, Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts is the only public exhibition art museum in South Taiwan. In addition to the long-term exhibition of famous calligraphers’ work collection, there are exhibition rooms on each floor, and international contemporary art is exhibited regularly. There are also many notable exhibitions such as Michelangelo, Dali, and Yayoi Kusama, which have attracted hundreds of thousands of people to enjoy the art.

There is also a large outdoor sculpture park in front of the museum, with 20 giant sculptures blended in the green gardens, where residents can walk around freely and get close to the art works.

The opening of the “TaKaoBooks” in 2019 has filled the gap of the independent bookstores in Kaohsiung, which has gradually become an emerging art space in Kaohsiung.

The books here are not so “best-selling”. There are many selected local niche literature books, as well as southern-style literature in Minnan dialect. There is even a separate section of publications in relation to Kaohsiung's history, culture, and lifestyle.

In addition, this four-story old mansion is a place for coffee shops, lectures, and exhibitions. On weekends, there will be reading clubs, live show, or film sharing sessions, making it a stronghold for young artists in Kaohsiung.

Taipei has a supreme concert hall “Taipei Arena”. There is also a large-scale culture and sports center, “Kaohsiung Arena”, in Kaohsiung. Located in the Zuoying District of Kaohsiung City, Kaohsiung Arena is adjacent to the super shopping center HANSHIN Department Store and Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts, a wonderful place for shopping and exhibitions.

The Arena has a capacity of 15,000 seats, which can hold ball games such as volleyball and basketball games and can also be used as the venue for large-scale events and concerts. Mayday, Eason Chan, Jay Chou, Zhang Huimei, and all other superstars had held their concerts here.

Juancun (military dependents' village) is a unique historical culture. Back in the old days, the veterans and their families retreated to Taiwan and formed a village with a variety of folk customs and humanities intertwined. The veterans were blended with the culture of Taiwan Province, forming a unique culture of Juancun.

There is a Juancun cultural centre at Zuoying, Kaohsiung, where many precious cultural relics of Juancun are displayed, vividly telling the stories of veterans, their homesickness and desire of seeking root. Perhaps you have read about the story of Juancun in the book. Come here to witness the real-life of veterans in Taiwan.

Located in Qiaotou Township, Kaohsiung, Qiaotou Sugar Factory was founded in 1901 during the Japanese occupation period. After the production was stopped, it was turned into the magnificent Taiwan Sugar Museum and Creative Arts Park.

You can take a sightseeing “five-minute tour” transformed from the early factory transportation route, where children can learn about the enjoyable sugar-making process and the history of the sugar industry. In the past, the Japanese-style wooden house and the red brick water tower reserved by the old sugar factory are the perfect background for families to take photos.

Certainly, you should not miss the famous red bean yeast ice here. The sweet red bean flavor with a light yeast taste will definitely be children’s favorite!

There are only a few subway stations in the world that can be rated as attractions, and the Kaohsiung’s Formosa Boulevard Station is undoubtedly one of the best. The American travel site “BootsnAll” selected 15 of the world's most beautiful metro stations in early 2019, and the Formosa Boulevard Station is ranked No. 2, second only to Canada's Champ de Mars Park Station.

The “Dome of Light” in the center of the station's rotunda is known as the world's largest glass art. Consisting of 4,500 pieces of colored glass, it is divided into a total of four themes: water, earth, light, and fire, which represents gestation, growth, innovation, and destruction, respectively. Through the refraction of light and shadow, colorful images are created, decorating the station with gorgeous brilliance.