Why am I in Kaohsiung?

You might be wondering why I am in Kaohsiung instead of the more famous Taipei City. I am going there later this week, but I’m starting in this southern port town. There are multiple reasons — the history, seeing more of the country, and the climate — but the foremost reason is the TWICE concert happening here on Saturday and Sunday.

My goal was to score tickets for either day, but I missed out during the sale (Taiwan doesn’t allow reselling of tickets to combat scalpers). I had already booked my plane tickets and hotels, and they weren’t refundable. To compensate for the loss, I decided to see TWICE when they performed in Macau (Link to my blogpost about it).

One of the members, Tzuyu, is originally from Taiwan, and this is the first time the group has performed here in 10 years. They sold over 100k tickets, counting both shows, in less than four minutes. People — including me — are flocking to this city to see their idols live. To celebrate the event, the city is going all out with TWICE promotions.

Everything is blue here, with blue being both the color for the tour and Tzuyu’s representative color.

There are ads, paid for by fans, welcoming the group everywhere
Multiple landmarks light up blue every night
Bars are serving cocktails named after TWICE songs, and you get a discount when you show your ticket
Traffic lights are blue
Convenience stores are showing TWICE ads, playing TWICE songs, and selling merch
There’s an announcement, voiced by the members, every time the metro arrives
Street vendors saying they’ll be closed this weekend because they’re going to the concert
THE MAYOR DYED HIS HAIR BLUE!

So now I am “stuck” in this city, trying to make the most of it.

Kaohsiung History Museum

My first stop was the Kaohsiung History Museum. I wanted to learn a little bit more about the city and its history. I got a metro card at the 7/11 and walked to the nearest bus stop. I saw the bus driver coming over, so I waved for him to stop. He nodded kindly and kept driving — apparently thinking I told him to continue — a fun little non-verbal translation issue. And unlike in Seoul, the bus only comes twice every hour, so I had to find something else.

When I finally got to the museum I was pleasantly surprised. It was quite informative and pretty interactive. I learned about the old history of Kaohsiung (and I finally know how to pronounce it), the impact of the harbor, the rivers, and the trains. I also got some tips for other locations to visit in the city.

The second floor had an exhibit on the 228 Incident — a violent religious uprising that actually happened in this very building. It was pretty cool being so close to history. All in all, a great jumping-off point for learning about the city.

Kaohsiung Pier

I walked the pier to the Kaohsiung Music Center, passing through the 228 Memorial Park (learning is fun!) and stopped for lunch. There was a big line outside a small restaurant serving beef noodles. I knew I was in for a treat when I saw the only servers were a group of post-retirement-age women refusing to quit, and the milk tea shop next door was surviving on people buying drinks while waiting in line. The handmade noodles were delicious, and the broth tasted amazing.

I continued on to the Kaohsiung Music Center — a landmark I recognized from the museum, and one of the buildings that lights up blue every night. When I got inside, it turned out to be a bit too empty for my taste. Most of the shops were closed, and the music exhibition on the 5th floor didn’t seem interesting enough to justify the ticket price. I kept walking the pier until I reached Pier 2. They updated this old pier by refurbishing the warehouses into boutique shops and adding a lot of street art. It was cute, but felt a bit forced at times.

I visited the Art Center there, expecting more modern art, but instead found a collection of local illustrators (with their Instagram handles everywhere) and an exhibition about “animation,” which lacked some cohesion.

I liked the room about the “least favorite side dishes” the most. The artist conducted a poll to determine the least popular dishes and then created mascots to improve their image — full merch line, plushies, and cute drawings included.

Kaohsiung Fine Arts Center

After getting a few too many dumplings for lunch, I went to the Kaohsiung Fine Arts Center. I had two hours left until closing, but that was the perfect amount! The first two floors had some nice and interesting compositions. I even recognized some of the artists — the blue numbers for ARARIO, a painting of a small child like one I saw in Tokyo, and more raindrop paintings. I felt so snobby after that.

The upper floors had exhibitions about local tribes and their traditions, and one about artist collectives. I left the building 5 minutes before closing time (because that is how closing time is supposed to work). I still had some time and energy left, so I moved some of my planning around and went to the Lotus Pond a day early.

Lotus Pond

The Lotus Pond is an artificial lake in the middle of Kaohsiung, surrounded by a whole bunch of temples and pagodas. It’s a popular tourist spot, but it holds religious value too. I went there after sunset. This meant that some of the temples were already closed, but in return I could see all the pretty lights.

Right next to the Lotus Pond there was a pop-up shop for the Kaohsiung Mascot — a Taiwanese bear. The official name is Tall Bear, which sounds similar to the city's name, Kaohsiung. I think it looks really dumb, but the pop-up shop kind of won me over. They were playing a theme song for the bear, which was just its name on repeat. The store clerk got sick of it, because the music abruptly changed to something else.

Around the area there are also quite a few Buddhist temples, all devoted to different deities. Followers were burning incense, bringing offerings, and praying. I was mostly shocked by the intricate woodwork, detailed paintings, and gilded statues inside. It was a real moment of awe. The LED signs outside and the plastic candles took away from the mysticism, but as long as the followers are okay with it, it’s fine in my book.

Ruifeng Street Market

I was getting hungry and wanted to try some more street food. I took a much-delayed bus to the nearest street market, making a mental note to try and use the metro more in the future.

I walked the market, looking for something tasty. But with mostly Chinese signs and unfamiliar foods, I had some trouble finding something I was willing to eat. I walked the rows of stalls multiple times and became very familiar with the smell of stinky tofu (I now know why it’s called that).

I ended up munching on some pepper buns, bao gao, and more scallion pancakes before heading back to my hotel.

Today was another really good day of adventuring. I learned a lot about the city, saw some nice sights, and had some great food. I walked a lot, but my energy levels were very good throughout the day. Best of all, I think I’m starting to like bubble tea!