Travel/POI: Kaohsiung - Kaohsiung Lighthouse, Cihou Fort (高雄燈塔, 旗後砲臺), Taiwan

Kaohsiung Lighthouse, also known as Cihou Lighthouse and Cijin Lighthouse, is located on the top of Cihou Mountain in Cijin District, Kaohsiung. 1860 marked the end of the Second Anglo-Chinese War, forcing Ching Dynasty Emperor to sign a treaty allowing several ports to be constructed in the previously off-limits Taiwan. These four ports included Danshui, Jilong, Anping and Dagou (a name Kaohsiung used until the early 1900s). The construction of a lighthouse was proposed in 1864 when the port of Dagou was officially opened. As ships came in and out of the harbor more often, the traditional Chinese navigation facilities, such as light poles or flag poles, were not in keeping with the needs of the times, and shipwrecks were common. As the sugar industry grew, the Dagou port became more prominent. The need for a lighthouse became apparent. In 1883, a British technician was hired to build a lighthouse on the top northern end of Cihou Mountain. When Taiwan fell under Japanese Colonial Rule in 1895, the harbor's significance grew. By 1916, the port was becoming one of the world's most important maritime hubs, so the Japanese government also began renovation on the lighthouse. The lighthouse project was completed in 1918 and until this day maintains the same outer appearance. The eye-catching, octagonal structure stands eleven meters tall with a white exterior and black roof. It includes a cylindrical, floor-to-ceiling windowed lantern room, European style offices, an antique sundial on the lawn and a wrap around balcony offering panoramic views. The anemoscope on the roof has directions inscribed in Chinese which was rare during Japanese Colonial Rule. Its equipment however has undergone several upgrades since then. Its present fourth-order, 85,000 candlepower, rotating Fresnel lens continues to function 24 hours a day. Overlooking Kaohsiung Harbor from this elevated area, Kaohsiung's landmarks such as the 85 Building, Kaohsiung Music Center, and Great Harbor Bridge are all in full view, while on the other side you can see National Sun Yat-sen University and Shoushan.

高雄燈塔又稱旗後燈塔、旗津燈塔，位於高雄市旗津區旗後山山頂。1860年的英法聯軍逼迫清廷政府簽下條約，開放台灣的四個港口：淡水、雞籠(基隆)、安平、打狗(高雄)，1864年打狗正式開港即有建造燈塔之議。而後船隻出入增多，中國傳統式的燈竿或旗竿導航設施不符時代需要，常發生船難事件，並隨著糖業的興盛，使得燈塔的需求浮現。遂於1883年聘英國技師築燈塔於旗後山北端山頂上。1895年日人治台後，對高雄港更積極建設，1916年日人重建燈塔，至1918年完工。燈塔塔身為八角形，至頂部轉為圓筒狀，有陽臺可供遠眺。塔前仍有一座西洋式白牆辦公室，草坪上有一座日晷儀。燈室外面裝玻璃，圓頂上有風向儀，風向儀上書寫有漢字─東、西、南、北，此種造形極為少見。塔身塗白色，頂部為黑色，高達11公尺。戰後燈塔的外觀並無太大變化，燈光設備多次更換，目前已換裝為新式四等旋轉透鏡電燈，光力增強為85萬支燭光，以利高雄港維持24小時航運。在這高地上俯瞰高雄港，高雄地標如85大樓、高雄流行音樂中心及大港橋都盡收眼底，另一邊則可眺望中山大學以及後頭的壽山。

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

How do we get up to the mountain to see the lighthouse? We took the ferry at the Gushan Ferry Pier Station. Before boarding the ferry, we went to the Gushan Fish Market for a stroll. This fish market occupies an area of more than 600 ping was once the first modern fishing port in Kaohsiung. In 2021, the Kaohsiung City Government spent 140 million NTD to renovate and revitalize the space, which was opened in October 2022 in a grand style. We went to this bright and spacious fish market in April 2023 and found it quite pleasant, but a bit deserted. Unexpectedly, on September 4, 2023, due to the decrease in crowds, it was announced to "close the market for 3 months and seek merchants".

要怎麽上山看燈塔呢？我們到鼓山輪渡站坐渡輪。上渡輪之前，我們先去鼓山魚市場逛了一下，這個占地超過600坪的魚市場曾是高雄第一座現代化漁港，2021年高雄市府斥資1.4億元整修活化空間，2022年10月風光開幕，我們2023年4月去逛這個明亮寬敞的魚市場覺得蠻舒服的，但是有些冷清，沒想到2023年9月4日因為人潮減少而必須「封館3個月重新招商」。

It takes only 5 minutes to get to Cijin by ferry from Gushan Ferry Station. The scenery is nice.

從鼓山輪渡站坐渡輪到旗津只要5分鐘，班次很多，風景也不錯。

The road to the lighthouse seemed a bit challenging, but walking slowly along the way, we eventually reached our destination while walking and sightseeing.

上燈塔的路看起來有些挑戰性，但一路上慢慢走，邊走邊看也就到目的地了。

From the Kaohsiung Lighthouse, we took a different route to the Cihou Fort, a national monument of historical, artistic and scientific value. The Cihou mountain is the gateway to Kaohsiung Harbor. After the Japanese punitive expedition to Taiwan in 1874, the Ching Dynasty sent Shen Bao-chen, the Minister of Ship Administration, to Taiwan for naval defense. In the first year of the Guangxu reign (1875), he built a fortress on the mountain combining Chinese and Western styles, which was completed in the following year. The fort was divided into three areas: the barracks, the command area, and the drill ground, on which four British-made cannons were placed, testifying to the war and defense thinking of the Ching Dynasty. The main gate of the "Cihou Fort" is a Chinese-style eight-wall gate, characterized by the Chinese character "囍" (Double Happiness), built in bricks on both sides of the gate. During the Battle of Yiwei in 1895, the Japanese army occupied the undefended Cihou Fort. At the end of the Japanese rule, the cannons were dismantled and melted down, and the Cihou Fort became ruins. After World War II in 1945, the National Army built another bunker between the battery and the lighthouse. In 1985, the Ministry of the Interior of Taiwan announced that it was a Grade II monument, and in 2019, the Ministry of Culture announced that it had been upgraded to a national monument. Climbing up to the high wall of the fort, you can see the Cijin Beach on one side, the cityscape with houses stacked like blocks on the other, and the Seahorse Embankment, a hot spot for watching the sunset.

從高雄燈塔出來，我們轉另一條路至旗後砲臺，這個國定古蹟有其歷史、藝術及科學價值。旗後山為扼守高雄港進出的咽喉，清同治13年(1874)在日軍入侵牡丹社事件之後，清政府派船政大臣沈葆楨來臺辦理海防事務，於光緒元年(1875)在旗後山上興建一座中西合璧的砲臺，於次年完工。砲台分三區：兵房、指揮區、操練場，其上安置四門英製砲，見證清領末期的戰防思考。「旗後砲臺」之正門為中國式建築風格之八字牆，而門牆兩邊用磚砌的「囍」字，為其特色。光緒21年(1895)乙未之役，日軍占領無人防守的旗後砲台。日治末期，大砲被拆走、熔毀，旗後砲臺成為斷垣殘壁。1945年二戰後，國軍於砲臺及燈塔之間另築碉堡。1985年台灣省內政部公告為二級古跡。2019年文化部公告升格為國定古蹟。登上砲台高牆，一邊可眺望旗津海水浴場，另一邊可看到房屋堆疊如積木的城市景觀，在這裡也可眺望形狀類似海馬的「海馬堤防」，一個看夕陽的熱點。

After walking down the hill from Cihou Fort, we arrived at the Cijin Beach. We planned to go to Old Street for seafood, but the store we wanted to go to was closed so we headed back home.

從旗後砲臺繼續往山下走，就到了旗津海水浴場。原想去老街吃海鮮，想去的店公休，只好打道回府。

As I research information around the Cijin area, I come across a blog called “Spiritual Travels” by Nick Kembel. There is a good post “A Travel Guide to Cijin, Kaohsiung’s Port Island District” written in English. It is a good resource for non-Chinese readers.

當我在搜尋旗津地區的資料時，我看到了 Nick Kembel 寫的一個名為“精神旅行”的部落格。有一篇很好的英文文章《高雄港島區旗津旅遊指南》。 對於非中文讀者來說這是一個很好的資源。

Other Kaohsiung related post 其他高雄相關的帖子

Other Travel/Point of Interest Links 其他旅遊景點連結

References 參考資料

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