Love River

Almost all the big cities in the world have a beautiful river running through them. In Kaohsiung, the Love River lies across the city and is particularly beautiful at times of sunrises and sunsets. The river was known as the Ta Kou River in Qing Dynasty. It was renamed as Takao River during the Japanese colonial occupation of Taiwan (1895-1945). It was also known as the Kaohsiung Canal.

After 1945, the river's banks were beautified with greenery works. They were later developed into park areas and decorated with colorful pillars. As the area gradually became a romantic place for lovers to date with each other, the river was reputed as the Love River. The name remains among the local people even though at one stage the government decided to rename it again as the Ren Ai River.

The Lover River had been a dirty river with odorous smell, due to pollution of industrial and house drainage. It was ironically regarded as the most ugly landmark of Kaohsiung City.

Nowadays, however, the river has been thoroughly cleaned and beautified. On the river's banks, a number of parks and green lands have again been developed and constructed, with a very long bicycle path. Local and international visitors love to wander casually on the pathways of the banks and admire the pleasant landscape.

At night, the Love River Sightseeing Boat take visitors along the east and west banks of the river to look at the romantic and charming sites of the river. After the boat rides, one may want to enjoy a cup of coffee at the numerous coffee shops, or to walk around the various literary and art squares along the river.