Kaohsiung (Gaoxiong)

[Tara Ann Carter]

Considered to be a hub, this port turned planned city has public transportation, streets designed to be wide transit-friendly thoroughfares, and integrated bike lanes. Art such as a the Dome of Light in the MRT Station highlights the fusion of high culture and connectivity in the 3rd largest city in Taiwan. Home to over 2.7 million people, Kaohsiung residents are a blend of religious and ethnic identities. Around a third of the population identifies as Buddhist, another third as Taoist, with the remaining third comprised of Muslims and Christians.

 

Some fun reads:

7 Reasons to Fall in Love with Kaohsiung

18 Reasons Why Kaohsiung is Underrated

5 Minute Video - Kaohsiung Highlights

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[Tara Ann Carter]

Koahsiung has gone by many names in it's history. Here's a link to a quick read about this city's history: 

Renaming Places

[clay dube]

Great start here. Kaohsiung is also part of the Democratic Progressive Party's stronghold. It's long been led by Chen Chu, a woman. Here's a presentation she made two months ago in Washington, DC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n19qp0gvz-w .

 

[Kristen Waltz]

Thanks for getting the conversation started Tara! I'm a foodie, so I was excited to read that Kaohsiung has the biggest night market in southeast Asia. I can't wait to try some of the pan-fried noodles, hotpot, smelly tofu, and whatever else tempts me! Check out Tara's second link if you're wondering how smelly smelly tofu is, and if you'd be willing to try it.

I'm also excited to check out some of the seriously impressive art installations throughout the seaside city. 

Catch a few of these sights on Kaohsiung's City Government "Arts & Culture" page. Click around the tabs for the best experience. I particularly liked the "Dome of Light" at Formosa Boulevard and the Pier-2 Art Center pieces.

While they're fascinating to behold, the story behind Kaohsiung's public art project provides a deeper layer of cultural significance (source). Approximately NT$185 million (converted, $6.2 million US dollars) went into the project, making it a contentious public issue. The argument rests in a clash between the traditional manufacturing sector that built Kaohsiung and its reinvention as cultural center and tourist attraction. The controversy boils down to one question: what is the "right" way to represent Kaohsiung?

I found the debate to be best summarized by an artist who teaches in Kaohsiung: "[My colleague] asked me as a Kaohsiung native how I thought about all the new, fancy, glittering architecture we have been getting in Kaohsiung. I think she felt a little awkward about posing this question, but she said: ‘Don’t you think they seem to be very out of place? They don’t really represent Kaohsiung.’ In return, I asked her, in her opinion, what represented Kaohsiung. She didn’t explain it explicitly but said, ‘After all, Kaohsiung is a working-class, industrial city.’ If this is her image of Kaohsiung [as a transplant from Taipei] … What she said actually makes me think of hei-hua [literally “black painting”], advocated by a group of Kaohsiung artists 10 or so years ago. Behind hei-hua was also the idea that Kaohsiung was a city of heavy industries. Black was its color because it was heavily polluted; and [the density of] the black color captured the soul of the city’s population that was predominantly hard-working, blue-collar labourers. I understand [the hei-hua artists] tried to depict Kaohsiung City and its people in their most true light while at the same time use their art was a way to underscore the injustice Kaohsiung had endured - and the high price Kaohsiung had paid - as Taiwan’s heavy 33 industrial base. I used to agree with them and their artistic expressions. However, more and more I feel otherwise. Times are always changing; and the city is changing… rapidly. Even if Kaohsiung has been an industrial city and the city’s residents have had a working-class culture and identity, it doesn’t mean that they will always be so. Who is to say the new architecture doesn’t represent Kaohsiung or exemplify its working-class identity? Maybe Kaohsiung people genuinely like the new architecture. Are we then to say they are not true to who they are for liking such architecture?"

This is just one example of Kaohsiung's rich history and culture. I'm excited to explore the city and learn more! In the meantime, I pose a few questions. What foods are you hoping to try? What are your thoughts on Kaohsiung's public art project? Do you resonate with the artist's take in the quote above? What do you think about the goal of representing a city the "right" way? 

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