Summer family trips don’t have to mean spending a fortune at amusement parks. Inside the Dapeng Art and Culture Center in Fengshan, Kaohsiung, there’s an art library that houses a wide range of art books and children’s picture books, as well as free DVDs, classical music, and powerful air conditioning.
Nearby the cultural center, you’ll also find plenty of street food and historical sites from Fengshan’s ancient past. You can even take the MRT to connect with other cultural spots such as the Weiwuying Arts Center and Pier-2 Art Center, forming an arts and culture axis—perfect for planning a historical and artistic learning journey for the whole family during summer.
The cultural center: Fengshan’s new landmark
The Dapeng Art and Culture Center is located right next to the Dapeng Station exit of the Kaohsiung MRT, making it very accessible. This site was originally the campus of Dapeng Elementary School and was redeveloped several years ago into a multifunctional cultural park. Covering 4.3 hectares, it includes four buildings: a performance hall, an exhibition hall, an art education center, and a library, as well as an 800-seat multifunctional performance hall and a semi-outdoor theater.
Since its opening last year, Dapeng has quickly become a new landmark in Fengshan, mainly because of its uniquely striking architecture. Dapeng was jointly planned by the architect firm Lin Max Architects, Action Plan Design Consultants, and the Dutch firm de Architekten Cie. Its most distinctive feature is the large number of oversized semi-transparent membrane roofs on the exterior.
From a distance, these roofs look like the bottoms of hot air balloons, and when lit up at night, they resemble giant sky lanterns—romantic, soft, and each glowing in different colors—making them a popular photography spot. Aside from aesthetics, these membrane roofs also help guide airflow: providing cool breezes on sunny days and offering some shelter from light rain.
Taiwan’s first art library
The most special feature is the library. Chen Ying-mei, director of the Cultural Center Management Office under the Kaohsiung City Government’s Cultural Affairs Bureau, says that the library attached to the Dapeng Art and Culture Center is Taiwan’s first “art library.” It houses a total of 12 categories of art-related books, including fine arts, music, architecture, sculpture, painting, calligraphy, photography, crafts, dance, drama, film, and animation. Currently, it holds around 150,000 volumes, with plans to increase to 200,000. The overall reading space and lighting are also highly design-oriented.
Most notably, the first floor of the library houses many children’s picture books from around the world. These books come in vibrant colors, some with 3D models, others full of interactivity and creativity—even some animal-themed books that make sounds. While many of these books retail for thousands of NT dollars and are too expensive for many parents to buy, here children can freely browse them. It’s the most abundant collection of children’s picture books in Taiwan.
The second floor of the library also collects a wealth of audiovisual materials, including classical music, opera, musicals, and stage plays. There are three music listening stations, ten audiovisual viewing booths, comfortable sofas, and private spaces. All you need is an ID to borrow a disc and enjoy a quiet, private cinematic experience.
The Dapeng Art and Culture Center regularly hosts various performances, ranging from chamber music and opera to stage plays and Taiwanese opera. Check their official website for schedules and ticket information.
A garden research institute showcasing rare trees and fruits
About 3 kilometers from Dapeng MRT Station—roughly a 40-minute walk or 8-minute taxi ride—you’ll find the “Fengshan Tropical Horticulture Experimental Branch,” a great place to see unusual plants.
Affiliated with the Taiwan Agricultural Research Institute under the Council of Agriculture, the Fengshan Tropical Horticulture Experimental Branch has a history of over 70 years dating back to the Japanese colonial period. It currently focuses on research related to breeding, cultivation, pest and disease control, and post-harvest processing of tropical fruits and vegetables.
The hard work of researchers at this experimental branch can be seen in the variety improvement, pest management, and cultivation techniques of famous Taiwanese fruits such as Black Pearl wax apples, Yu Her Pao lychees, Irwin mangoes, and Milk pineapples.
The seedless watermelon, which was once world-famous, also originated from the Fengshan Tropical Horticulture Experimental Branch. Interestingly, one in every four watermelons grown globally today comes from seedlings produced in Taiwan by “Taiwan Seed Improvement and Propagation Station (Tsai-Yu Seed Company),” and the majority of Tsai-Yu’s researchers come from the Fengshan Tropical Horticulture Experimental Branch.
The Fengshan Tropical Horticulture Experimental Branch covers about 65 hectares. In addition to various experimental fruit trees, the most interesting area is the “National Tropical Fruit Germplasm Garden,” which collects fruit tree species from Taiwan and around the world. It preserves germplasms and facilitates research and crossbreeding.
These include various types of mangoes and lychees, as well as extremely rare varieties like the “black persimmon,” which is entirely black inside when cut open and tastes like chocolate pudding. There’s also the “edible candle wood,” which looks like a long candlestick and is juicy, sweet, and fibrous—most interestingly, it contains enough oil that when dried, it can actually be burned like a candle. Other rare species include cacao, sea grapes, egg fruit trees, and wood melons.
Get help for fruit tree issues
Services available upon request
The Fengshan Tropical Horticulture Experimental Branch is open to visitors daily from early morning and 4:30 PM to 7:30 PM, and on holidays from 4:30 AM to 7:30 PM, for walking and exercise. However, visitors can only stay within designated open areas and can view the unusual fruit trees through fences.
For a more in-depth tour or guided explanation, prior application is required and is limited to agricultural-related organizations. Plant Protection Division Director Hsu Shiu-hui mentioned that the institute also offers a convenient service: if you have problems with fruit trees at home, you can mail in samples or visit in person to apply for free pest and disease diagnosis and consultation on solutions. Additionally, farmers interested in planting new varieties should keep an eye out for technology transfer opportunities—you might get early access to the next big hit in fruit.