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Kaohsiung didn’t start as Taiwan’s southern powerhouse. Its first name, “Takau,” came from the Makatau people, who lived off fishing, hunting, and small-scale farming in a land once described simply as a bamboo forest. Chinese settlers under the Ming and Qing dynasties kept the name, bending the pronunciation to their tongues. Then in 1895, Japan claimed Taiwan and gave the place a new reading: “Takao.” Later, the colonial administration adopted a new official version-Kaohsiung-which has remained ever since.

For most of its early history, the area was quiet compared to northern Taiwan. Spanish and Dutch traders in the 17th century recognized its potential, but they never managed to establish firm control here. The real turning point came in the Japanese period, stretching from 1895 to 1945. The natural harbor at Kaohsiung was dredged, expanded, and reshaped into one of East Asia’s key shipping hubs. Railroads and industry soon followed. By the 1930s, it had grown into an important base for Japan’s imperial navy and a key point for exporting sugar, rice, and later heavy industrial goods.

After World War II, Kaohsiung was returned to China under the Republic of China government. In the decades that followed, Kaohsiung became the center of heavy industry. Steel, shipbuilding, and petrochemicals fueled the economy, earning Kaohsiung the title of Taiwan’s “harbor capital” by the late 20th century. The city’s skyline began to climb, with landmarks such as the 85 Sky Tower symbolizing its ambition.

More recently, efforts have been made to rebrand the city’s image and celebrate culture alongside industry. The old warehouses near the port, once used for storage and shipping, have been reborn as the Pier-2 Art Center, filled with exhibitions, murals, and installations that draw crowds from around Taiwan and abroad.

Kaohsiung is a city that has reinvented itself time and again-fishing village, colonial port, industrial hub, and now a cultural hotspot. As you begin your walk, you’ll see all these layers stitched together: steel beside street art, ships beside sky towers, and history beside reinvention. Few cities wear their past and future so boldly at once.