Port of Kaohsiung
Encyclopedia
Harbor
A harbor or harbour , or haven, is a place where ships, boats, and barges can seek shelter from stormy weather, or else are stored for future use. Harbors can be natural or artificial...
in Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, handling approximately 10 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) worth of cargo in 2007. The port is located in southern Taiwan, adjacent to Kaohsiung City, surrounded by the city districts of Gushan
Gushan District
Gushan District is an administrative district of Kaohsiung City, Republic of China in southern Taiwan.-Transportation:Gushan is serviced by the Siziwan Station of Orange Line and the Aozihdi Station of Red Line of the rapid transit....
, Yancheng
Yancheng District, Kaohsiung
Yancheng District is the smallest district of Kaohsiung City in southern Taiwan. It is the least populous district of Kaohsiung since 2004. Yancheng district is also an old town of Kaohsiung.-Transportation:...
, Lingya
Lingya District
Lingya District is one of the districts of Kaohsiung, Taiwan. It is geometrically located in the center of Kaohsiung. The Tuntex Sky Tower and the Kaohsiung City Hall are located here...
, Cianjhen, Siaogang, and Cijin
Cijin District
Cijin District is a district of Kaohsiung City, Taiwan, covering the entire Cijin Island. Cijin Island was once connected to the mainland at the southern tip, but in 1975, this link was severed to create a second entry point to the Port of Kaohsiung....
. It is administrated by Kaohsiung Harbor Bureau, a division under the Ministry of Transportation
Ministry of Transportation and Communications (Republic of China)
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications of the Republic of China is a cabinet-level governmental body of the Executive Yuan. It is in charge of all policy and regulation of transportation and communications networks and administration of all transportation and communications operations...
of Executive Yuan
Executive Yuan
The Executive Yuan is the executive branch of the government of the Republic of China , commonly known as "Taiwan".-Organization and structure:...
.
History
The port was a natural lagoonLagoon
A lagoon is a body of shallow sea water or brackish water separated from the sea by some form of barrier. The EU's habitat directive defines lagoons as "expanses of shallow coastal salt water, of varying salinity or water volume, wholly or partially separated from the sea by sand banks or shingle,...
before being eventually developed through into a modern harbor over the period of several hundred years. At the time of 16th century, some villages had already established on the seashore of the present-day Kaohsiung, which was called as "Takau" by natives at that time. The colonists of Dutch East India Company
Dutch East India Company
The Dutch East India Company was a chartered company established in 1602, when the States-General of the Netherlands granted it a 21-year monopoly to carry out colonial activities in Asia...
(VOC) arrived at Takau in 1620s and then began to develop the lagoon. The port, in which referred to as the "Takau Port" (打狗港), grew up slowly during the Dutch Era, Koxinga Era
Kingdom of Tungning
The Kingdom of Tungning was a government that ruled Taiwan between 1661 and 1683. A pro-Ming Dynasty state, it was founded by Koxinga after the Ming government in mainland China was replaced by the Manchu-ruled Qing Dynasty...
, and the early Qing Dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
.
In 1858, the Qing Dynasty lost the Second Opium War
Second Opium War
The Second Opium War, the Second Anglo-Chinese War, the Second China War, the Arrow War, or the Anglo-French expedition to China, was a war pitting the British Empire and the Second French Empire against the Qing Dynasty of China, lasting from 1856 to 1860...
to the French-British and signed the Treaties of Tianjin. According to the treaties, the Qing's government was asked to open five ports of Taiwan for foreign trade. As one of the five ports, Takao Port had officially opened to the western traders since 1864. Afterward, the Qing's government ceded Taiwan to Japanese in 1895 after losing First Sino-Japanese War
First Sino-Japanese War
The First Sino-Japanese War was fought between Qing Dynasty China and Meiji Japan, primarily over control of Korea...
.
In the early Japanese-ruled era
Taiwan under Japanese rule
Between 1895 and 1945, Taiwan was a dependency of the Empire of Japan. The expansion into Taiwan was a part of Imperial Japan's general policy of southward expansion during the late 19th century....
, the colonial government decided to undertake large projects with the intention to develop the port into a modern harbor. Japanese built the port up in three stages, the first was finished in 1908, the second in 1912, and the third was halted half way after the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
broke up. During World War II, the port was heavily bombed of Allies
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
.
After the war, government of Republic of China
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
restarted the development of the port. The "second port" was built in 1975 by breaking the land bridge between Siaogang and Cijin
Cijin District
Cijin District is a district of Kaohsiung City, Taiwan, covering the entire Cijin Island. Cijin Island was once connected to the mainland at the southern tip, but in 1975, this link was severed to create a second entry point to the Port of Kaohsiung....
.