The Dadao Arts and Cultural Center Library has many children’s picture books, and there’s also the Tropical Horticulture Experimental Branch. Fengshan in Kaohsiung is more fun than you might think.
Summer family trips don’t necessarily have to involve spending a lot of money at amusement parks. The Dadao Arts and Cultural Center in Fengshan, Kaohsiung, houses an art library that collects various art books and children’s picture books, along with free DVDs, classical music, and super-strong air conditioning.
The cultural center is also close to many local snacks and historical ruins of Fengshan, and you can connect via MRT to places like the Weiwuying Arts and Cultural Center and Pier-2 Art District to form an arts and culture axis—ideal for a summer family trip focused on history and art.
Cultural Center – Fengshan’s New Landmark
The Dadao Arts and Cultural Center is located right next to the exit of Dadao Station on the Kaohsiung MRT, offering very convenient transportation. This site was originally the campus of Dadao Elementary School and was redeveloped several years ago into a multifunctional cultural park, covering 4.3 hectares. It includes four buildings: a performance hall, exhibition hall, art education center, and library, as well as an 800-seat multifunctional performance hall and a semi-outdoor theater.
Since its opening last year, Dadao has immediately become a new landmark in Fengshan, mainly because of its unique architecture. Dadao was jointly planned by the architect firm Lin Max & Partners, the design consultancy firm Hengban Design, and the Dutch firm de Architekten Cie. Its most distinctive feature is the large number of oversized semi-transparent membrane roofs on the exterior.
These roofs look from afar like the bottom of a hot air balloon, and when lit up at night, resemble giant sky lanterns, exuding a romantic and soft glow with varying colors, making them a popular photography spot. Aside from aesthetics, these membrane roofs also help guide airflow—bringing cool breezes on sunny days and offering slight shelter from rain.
Art Library – Taiwan’s First
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, said that the library attached to the Dadao Arts and Cultural Center is Taiwan’s first “art library.” It houses a total of 12 categories of art books including culture and arts, music, architecture, sculpture, painting, calligraphy, photography, crafts, dance, drama, film, and animation. Currently, it has about 150,000 volumes, which will eventually increase to 200,000. The overall reading space and lighting are also highly designed.
Most notably, the first floor of the library houses many children’s picture books from around the world. These picture books come in vibrant colors, some with 3D models, others interactive and creative, and some animal-themed books even make sounds. Some retail for thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars, which many parents hesitate to buy—but here, children can freely browse them. It’s the richest collection of children’s picture books in Taiwan.
The second floor of the library also collects a wealth of audiovisual materials such as classical music, opera, musicals, and stage plays. It features three music listening stations, ten audiovisual viewing areas, comfortable sofas, and private spaces. Just bring an ID and you can borrow a disc to enjoy a private cinema-like experience.
The Dadao Arts and Cultural Center regularly hosts various performances, ranging from chamber music, opera, and stage plays to Taiwanese opera. Various exciting shows take turns on stage, and program schedules and ticket information can be found on the official website.
Experimental Farm – Admire Unique Trees and Fruits
Located about 3 kilometers from Dadao MRT Station—about a 40-minute walk or 8-minute taxi ride—the “Fengshan Tropical Horticulture Experimental Branch” is a great place to see unusual plants.
The Fengshan Tropical Horticulture Experimental Branch is under the Council of Agriculture’s Taiwan Agricultural Research Institute. With a history of over 70 years since the Japanese colonial period, it currently focuses on research related to breeding, cultivation, pest and disease control, and post-harvest processing trials for tropical fruits and vegetables.
The improvement of varieties, pest control, and cultivation techniques for famous Taiwanese fruits such as Black Pearl wax apples, Yu Her Pao lychees, Irwin mangoes, and Milk pineapples all involved the hard work of researchers at this experimental branch.
The seedless watermelon that was famous worldwide in earlier years also came from the Fengshan Tropical Horticulture Experimental Branch. Interestingly, one out of every four watermelons globally today comes from seedlings produced in Taiwan’s “Farmer Seed Company,” and the majority of Farmer Seed’s researchers originally came from the Fengshan Tropical Horticulture Experimental Branch.
The Fengshan Tropical Horticulture Experimental Branch covers about 65 hectares. In addition to various trial fruit trees, the most interesting part is the “National Tropical Fruit Germplasm Garden,” which collects fruit trees from Taiwan and around the world, preserving germplasms and facilitating research and crossbreeding.
These fruit trees include various types of mangoes and lychees, as well as the extremely rare “black persimmon,” which is completely black inside when cut open and tastes like chocolate pudding. There’s also the “edible candle wood,” which looks like a long candlestick, is juicy, sweet, and fibrous like sugarcane, and interestingly, is rich in oil—when dried, it can actually be burned as a candle. Other rare fruit trees include cacao, sea grapes, egg trees, and wood melons.
If you have questions about fruit trees, you can apply for their services.
The Fengshan Tropical Horticultural Experimental Station is open to visitors for exercise and walking every weekday from early morning and 4:30 PM to 7:30 PM, as well as on holidays from 4:30 AM to 7:30 PM. However, visitors can only walk along designated open areas and may view these peculiar fruit trees through the fences.
To learn more about the station or arrange a guided tour, prior application is required and is limited to agricultural-related institutions. Department Chair of Plant Protection Hsu Hsiu-hui stated that the station also provides a public service: if you have issues with fruit trees at home, you can either mail in a request or visit in person to apply for free pest and disease identification and consultation on solutions. Additionally, farmers interested in cultivating new varieties should keep an eye out for technology transfer information—they might get the chance to grow popular new fruits ahead of others.
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★ Dadong Art & Culture Center Official Website / http://dadongcenter.khcc.gov.tw
★ Dadong Art & Culture Center Art Library / No. 161, Guangyuan Rd., Fengshan District, Kaohsiung City / 07-7430011 / http://dadong.ksml.edu.tw / Closed on Mondays, open Tuesday–Saturday 10:00 AM–9:00 PM, Sunday 10:00 AM–5:00 PM
★ Fengshan Tropical Horticultural Experimental Station / No. 530, Wenlong E. Rd., Fengshan District, Kaohsiung City / 07-7310191 / www.tari.gov.tw
★ 50-Year-Old Tube Rice Cake / No. 231-1, Guangyuan Rd., Fengshan District, Kaohsiung City / 07-7472653 / 11:00 AM–11:00 PM / Tube Rice Cake 35 NTD, Winter Melon Pork Rib Crispy Soup 30 NTD