Exploring Cijing Island | 旗津

Three years ago, when I was a student in Kaohsiung, I visited Cijing Island several times — with            friends and classmates.

To get to Cijing Island, you first have to make your way to Sizihwan Station 西子灣站 on the orange line on Kaohsiung's MRT, then walk for roughly 5 to 10 minutes to get to Gushan Ferry Terminal 鼓山輪渡站. There, you grab a ferry to Cijing Island. You can use your Easycard or iPass card, swipe, and get on the ferry. 

You can choose to sit on the upper deck to get a better view of the sea or you could sit on the lower deck and avoid having the wind blow on your face. It's really up to you. I prefer sitting on the upper deck the get a closer view of the boat leaving the Kaohsiung Harbor 高雄港, as its better for taking pictures. 

The ferry itself takes around 10-15 minutes...though beware that the waiting line tends to get long during the weekends. So it may take a while for you to get on one. 

Once the ferry docks, you get off at Cijing Island Ferry Terminal 旗津輪渡站 which is usually bustling with people. The terminal itself is made to look like colonial architecture.

Since the island itself is quite small, you can choose to travel by foot or rent a bicycle either before catching the ferry from Kaohsiung or rent one directly in Cijing Island. 

You can either make your way through the old streets and get some seafood while making your way to the beach..or you could climb up through a hill and experience Cihou Fort 旗後砲臺 and Kaohsiung Lighthouse 高雄燈塔 (also known as Cihou Lighthouse 旗後燈塔) 

   I chose the latter...but I did visit the beach AFTER soaking in some history. 

Inside Kaohsiung Lighthouse, there was a mini museum where there were pamphlets and artifacts explaining its history. There was even a miniature version of the lighthouse present in the building as well. The lighthouse was actually built by the British in the 1800s. After the Japanese arrived to Taiwan, it was rebuilt as the harbor expanded. 

The lighthouse itself it stunning and provides a magnificent view of Kaohsiung Harbor. 

From there, you can cross a narrow path through the hill to make your way to Cihou Fort 旗後砲臺. This is a historical fort which was used for guarding the northern entrance to Kaohsiung Harbor. 

The fort overlooks the Taiwan Strait 台灣海峽, where in a sunny day, we can see the blue seas all the way to the horizon. It was originally built in the 1700s, by the Qing Empire though it was expanded on in the 1800s. As a history buff myself, I took my time in exploring the gates and the barracks before leaving. 

I spent some time walking around the beach with my friends, though it was quite crowded. So we made our way to the Cijing Shell Museum 旗津貝殼館. This museum had a vast collection of different seashells and explained in details about the habitats these seashells thrive in and where they're found around the world. Overall, it wasn't bad. I learned a lot and I would recommend it to those who like museums...and especially those who love seashells.

It's really worth visiting this tiny island, at least once, especially if you're in Kaohsiung. You can easily spend an entire day exploring the island, eating seafood, or even just taking pictures!

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