JHONGSHAN 1St ROAD．KAOHSIUNG

Text and Photography by Erica Yu

Look no further than Jhongshan 1st Road if you wish to learn the essentials of Kaohsiung. Stretching from the MRT station north to Kaohsiung International Airport in the Siaogang District, Jhongshan 1st Road is divided into four sections, beginning in the heart of the city. Stroll this lush green route and see how it buzzes with nightlife.

Formosa Boulevard station

Designed by famed Japanese architect Takamatsu Shin, the station is the world’s second largest round train station. Underneath its futuristic façade is an exquisite tainted-glass dome roof, an original artwork by Italian-American artist Narcissus Quagliata.

At the junction between Jhongshan 1st Road and Jhongshan 3rd Road

Wedding Shops and Bridal Wear Streets

This is the area teeming with wedding and bridal wear shops and beloved by those ready to tie the knot. Cangai, Kiss99 and France Taipei are just a few of the more frequented shops that offer everything from photography to wedding planning.

Jhongshan 1st Road, front of MRT station

Liuhe Night Market

The Liuhe Night Market is heaven for foodies, as it hosts scores of stalls selling eel noodles, fried mackerel soup, papaya milk, stewed pork, pepper pork buns, spiral corn dogs, as well as cheap steak places and seafood shops.

At the junction between Jhongshan 1st Road and Liuhe 2nd Road

Star Place

With the Dutch architectural firm UNStudio the mastermind behind its design, Star Place is 10 storeys of extravagant shopping filled with fashion labels like Louis Vuitton, Prada, and Bulgari. The shopping mall quickly acquired an iconic presence in the city because of its avant-garde glass façade that glows from LED lights at night.

57 Wufu 3rd Road 五福三路57號 +886 7 2613060

Shinkuchan Commercial Zone

Shinkuchan is where Taiwan’s young and stylish shop, and it also boasts the biggest supply of foreign goods in southern Taiwan. Be sure to drop by Shinkuchan Shopping Center.

Lane 167, Wenheng 2nd Road

Central Park

Located within spitting distance from the Central Park MRT station and spanning 12.27 hectares, Central Park is the green lung of Kaohsiung with a conversation square for art exhibitions and a shallow pool.

Between Jhongshan 1st Road and Wufu 3rd Road

Alice World

The Yujhu Shopping Center is often likened to Tokyo’s Harajuku district as it’s stocked up on pretty and provocative laced clothing flown in from Japan. For light meals and pastas in an interior that resembles Alice’s Wonderland, go to Alice World, a quasi-maid café on the second floor. You’re served by French maid costume-clad waitresses alright, just not as risqué.

2/F, 25 Yujhu 1st Street 玉竹一街25號2樓 +886 7 2813391

Good man caffe

Open 24 hours a day, Good Man Caffe is divided into a coffee shop on the ground floor and steakhouse on the first. Good Man is known for its aromatic latte made from illy coffee beans, and various hot pot soup bases, such as the nourishing wolfberry and milk.

14-2 Jhongshan 1st Road 中山一路14-2號 +886 7 2169433