Southern Taiwan

As introduced by the Yearbook of the Republic of China:

Southern Taiwan is a study in contrasts. Bustling modern cities with all the latest amenities are surrounded by the pastoral panorama of old Taiwan.

Tainan, the island's oldest and fourth largest city, has the unhurried atmosphere of a small country town. Famous today for its unusual snacks, it is also filled with reminders of the city's past: gates, memorial arches, remnants of forts, and temples that date back three centuries or more.

More than 200 temples in Tainan provide some of the best remaining examples of southern Chinese architecture in Taiwan. They range from the serene Confucian Temple built in 1666 to the elaborate new Temple of the Goddess of the Sea at Luermen, a complex built by some of Taiwan's finest artisans.

Tainan's other major historical sites include Fort Zeelandia and Fort Provintia, both originally built during the Dutch occupation in the 1600s, and the "new" Eternal Fortress, built by the Chinese in 1876.

Directly south of Tainan is Kaohsiung, Taiwan's second largest city, foremost industrial center, and largest international port. In addition to offering excellent shopping, dining, and night life, Kaohsiung is also close to many notable tourist attractions. One such attraction is Mount Longevity, whose hillside temples, pavilions, shaded terraces, and city view make it worth a stop. Chengcing Lake, just north of Kaohsiung, features a pagoda, islands, pavilions, tree-lined pathways, and a variety of recreational facilities. Both the graceful Spring and Autumn Pavilions and the nearby Dragon and Tiger Pagodas, all of which stand in the placid waters of Lotus Lake, are also worth a view. Beside the lake are temples dedicated to Confucius and the God of War.

About an hour's drive northeast of Kaohsiung is the island's tallest Buddha image, which gazes over the surrounding rice paddies in the countryside. The huge, 120-meter-tall gilded statue is surrounded by 480 life-size, gold-colored Buddha images near the entrance to the Light of Buddha Mountain (Mt. Foguang), home to one of Taiwan's largest temple complexes and the island's center of Buddhist scholarship.

Moon World, an area of banana and jujube orchards, bamboo groves, and fish ponds, is named for its lunar landscape of sharp-peaked clay hills with steep, deeply eroded slopes and sawtooth ridges. One of the most interesting sights here is the unpredictable "mud volcano," a small crater filled with thin, cold mud through which gas bubbles occasionally rise to the surface. A deep rumble gives a warning just before the gas bursts through, whipping the mud into a bubbling gray mass that spills out of the crater.

The southernmost point of Taiwan, which is a two-hour drive from Kaohsiung, forms a crescent known as the Hengchun, or "eternal spring," Peninsula. Kenting National Park, Taiwan's first national park, encompasses much of the peninsula and offers spectacular shorelines with both coral and rock formations. Kenting also has some of Taiwan's best beaches, with clean white sand and many types of water sports. Pleasant wooded paths wind through a large botanical garden containing a variety of exotic plant life. Visitors can also wander through unusual dryland coral formations or rest at pavilions and enjoy the view by the sea. Facilities include an international-class resort hotel, as well as economical lodgings.

In July 1995, the government established the Penghu National Scenic Area. The Penghu Islands, also known as the Pescadores, consists of 64 separate islands in the Taiwan Strait roughly midway between Taiwan and China. Fishing is the major source of income, and a meal of fresh seafood is a must for visitors. The islands offer fascinating sightseeing opportunities, with ancient temples, picturesque farms, windswept fishing villages, friendly people, fine beaches, and rugged coastlines. Fishing, swimming, snorkeling, scuba diving, wind surfing, and boating are the major recreational activities in the archipelago.