Travel/POI: Kaohsiung - 85 Sky Tower, Kaohsiung Music Center, Pier-2 Art Center (高雄85大樓, 高雄流行音樂中心, 駁二藝術特區), Taiwan

Kaohsiung is located in the southern part of Taiwan. It is the second largest city and the largest port city in Taiwan. Some people compare these two places, the Kingdom of the Heavenly Dragon (Taipei) and the Kingdom of the Earthly Tiger (Kaohsiung), to the north-south rivalry. I was born in Taipei and seldom had the chance to visit the south or Kaohsiung when I lived in Taiwan. In April 2023, I had the chance to visit Kaohsiung for a few days. I'll briefly record my exploration of the sights. Let's first look at the origin of Kaohsiung's name. According to Japanese anthropologist Inō Kanori, the Kaohsiung coast was inhabited in the early days by the Makatao, an indigenous people of Taiwan, who called the forest of prickly bamboos used to protect against pirates "takau", which was transliterated by the Chinese as "beaten dog". During the Japanese colonial period, the Japanese rewrote the word "打狗" into the Chinese character "高雄", and it was not until after World War II that the Republic of China government used the Wetoma romanization of the Chinese language "Kaohsiung" as its official name. In 2010, Kaohsiung City and Kaohsiung County were merged and reorganized into the Greater Kaohsiung City with great potential and competitiveness in Southern Taiwan. There are currently 38 administrative districts in Kaohsiung, including the former Kaohsiung City (Nanzi District, Zuoying District, Gushan District, Sanmin District, Yancheng District, Qianjin District, Xinxing District, Lingya District, Qianzhen District, Qijin District, and Xiaogang District) which is the most prosperous and populated area; the former Fengshan District (Fengshan District, Dailiao District, Josong District, Linyuan District, Renwu District, Dashiu District, and Dashe District) which is the most well-preserved ecological area; the former Gangshan District (Gangshan District, Luzhu District, Qiaotou District, Ziguan District, Meituo District, Yong'an District, Yanshao District, Tianliao District, Ahlian District, Jiajiaotou District, Hu'nei District) which is an important town for the sugar industry and is also the place where shadow puppetry flourishes; and the former Qishan District (Qishan District, Meinong District, Neimen District, Sugin District, Jiacian District, Liugui District, Maolin District, Taoyuan District, and Namaxia District) which is the place where the indigenous ethnic groups and Hakka communities gather. We mainly visited Kaohsiung city this time. The two MRTs in the cross shape plus the circular light rail make it easy to get around. Due to the hot weather, we only visited a few places. We took the LRT from Gushan Station to Dayi Pier-2 Station, and along the way, we could see all kinds of public art works, whether they were murals on the walls of buildings or sculptures along the streets. The ordinary streets were embellished with colorful tourist attractions. A few Kaohsiung landmarks (e.g. Kaohsiung 85 Sky Tower, Kaohsiung Music Center, Great Harbor Bridge) also come into view.

高雄位於臺灣的南部，是臺灣的第二大城市和最大的港口城，有人以天龍國(臺北)與地虎國(高雄)來比喻這兩個南北相抗衡的地方。我出生在臺北，住臺灣的時候很少有機會去南部或是高雄玩。2023年4月恰巧有機會能在高雄玩幾天，就簡單記錄一下探索景點。讓我們先來看看高雄地名的由來，根據日本人類學家伊能嘉矩 (Inō Kanori) 的考證，高雄沿海早期主要為臺灣原住民族馬卡道族 (Makatao) 居住的地方，他們稱防禦海盜的刺竹林為「takau」，漢人將其音譯為「打狗」，在日治時期，日本人依「takau」的日語諧音將「打狗」兩字改寫為漢字「高雄」，直到二次大戰後，中華民國政府才將「高雄」以中文的威妥瑪式拼音改寫為「Kaohsiung」。2010年高雄市、高雄縣合併改制成為南臺灣具潛力與競爭力的大高雄市。高雄目前共有38個行政區，包括前高雄市（楠梓區、左營區、鼓山區、三民區、鹽埕區、前金區、新興區、苓雅區、前鎮區、旗津區、小港區）是最繁華且人口集中最多的區域；前鳳山分區（鳳山區、大寮區、鳥松區、林園區、仁武區、大樹區、大社區）是保有最完善的自然生態地區；前岡山分區 (岡山區、路竹區、橋頭區、梓官區、彌陀區、永安區、燕巢區、田寮區、阿蓮區、茄萣區、湖內區）是重要的糖業重鎮，也是皮影戲繁華之地；以及前旗山分區 (旗山區、美濃區、內門區、杉林區、甲仙區、六龜區、茂林區、桃源區、那瑪夏區）是原住民族及客家族群的聚集地。我們這次主要在高雄市區遊玩，十字型的兩條捷運再加上環狀輕軌，交通方便。由於天氣炎熱，我們只點到似的探訪了幾個地方。我們坐輕軌從鼓山站往駁二大義站方向去，一路上可看到各種公共藝術作品，無輪是建築物牆上的壁畫，或是街旁的雕塑，一條平平凡凡的街道被點綴成多彩多姿的觀光打卡點。幾個高雄的地標(例如:高雄85大樓, 高雄流行音樂中心, 大港橋)也映入眼廉。

85 Sky Tower, formerly known as Tuntex Sky Tower and TC Tower, is the second tallest skyscraper in Taiwan (after Taipei 101) and the tallest building in Kaohsiung. Originally, the 75th floor was the highest observation deck in Southern Taiwan, overlooking Kaohsiung's spectacular seascape and cityscape. Unfortunately, according to the Tourism Information Website of the Tourism Bureau, MOTC, the Sky Tower is currently closed from the 37th to 85th floors due to renovation.

高雄85大樓, 前稱東帝士85國際廣場、東帝士建台大樓、TC Tower。是台灣目前第二高的摩天大樓(僅次於台北101)，也是高雄最高的建築物。原本75樓是南臺灣最高的觀景台，可以俯瞰高雄市壯麗的海景與市景，可惜根據交通部觀光局的觀光資訊網，85大樓目前因整修作業，37～85樓層暫不開放。

Image Gallery-Click to enlarge 圖片庫-點擊放大

Kaohsiung Music Center (Gao Liou), the design team used the ocean as the imagery and built a special shape of the building to make it an international music landmark. The grounds include the Wave Towers (Large indoor performance hall), Coral Zone (6 small exhibition spaces), Whale Promenade (Complex commercial spaces), Dolphin Walkway, and LIVE WAREHOUSE in the Dayi Warehouse in the Pier-2 Art Center. Before I knew what Kaohsiung Music Center was, I was already attracted to the eye-catching Wave Towers (Soprano Tower, Bass Tower, Haiyin Hall, and Sea Breeze Plaza). For those who wish to visit, the outdoor area is fully open, and information on indoor opening hours and activities can be found online.

高雄流行音樂中心(高流), 設計團隊以海洋為意象，建造特殊造型的建築物使之成為國際型的音樂地標。園區場域包括：音浪塔(室內大型表演場館)、珊瑚礁群(6間小型展演空間)、鯨魚堤岸(複合商業空間)、海豚步道、還有位於駁二藝術特區大義倉庫的 LIVE WAREHOUSE。在我還不知道高流是何物時，我已被最為搶眼的音浪塔(高音塔、低音塔、海音館和海風廣場)吸引住了。想要參觀的話，戶外場域全面開放，室內開放時間及活動資訊可在網上查詢。

Pier-2 Art Center, the term "Pier-2" originates from Kaohsiung's Pier-2 Warehouse which is connected to the second warehouse of the pier and it is located in the third canal of Kaohsiung Harbor. Originally Pier-2 is a general harbor warehouse. Now, it has been transformed into an international art center based on the concepts of "progressiveness, experimentation, and innovation" through the efforts of artists and local cultural workers. To find out what shows or events are happening here you can check online.

駁二藝術特區, 「駁二」一詞源自高雄駁二倉庫，接駁碼頭第二號倉庫，位於高雄港第三船渠內。駁二原為一般港口倉庫，在藝術家及地方文化工作者推動下，這裏成為以「前衛、實驗、創新」為理念來打造的國際藝術園區。想要知道這裡有些什麼展演或活動可上網查詢。