Lotus Pond

Awesome day trip to Lotus Pond (from Busan). The dragon and tiger pagoda steal the show and draw numerous tourists daily. It's free to enter (part of the draw of course), and absolutely incredible to see up close. Entering through the Dragons mouth, climbing the stairs inside the pagoda to the top for exceptional views, then down to walk behind the 2 pagodas to the tiger, climb the spiral steps to the top for an even better view, then to decend and exit through the Tigers mouth. A solid 30 minutes to enjoy is recommended. Also, going later in the afternoon to catch sunset and the blue hour are ideal. The pagodas close at 6pm to go inside. There are other statues, temples, pagoda, and water sports to enjoy on and around the lake. If time permits, a half day is needed to take it all in.

Lotus Pond (蓮池潭) is a popular tourist destination due to its convenient location near High Speed Rail Zuoying Station (高鐵左營站). This artificial lake was opened in 1951 and has several attractions to check out: + The Spring and Autumn Pavilions (春秋閣): Built in 1953, these pavilions feature a statue of the Guanyin goddess riding a dragon. Across the street, visitors will find Zuoying Chiming Temple (左營啟明堂) which offers a fantastic view of the pavilions from its entrance (involves climbing steps). Continue walking toward the end of the path to reach Wuliting (五里亭) which is another pagoda situated in the middle of the pond. + The Dragon and Tiger Pagodas (龍虎塔): Built in 1976, these seven-story tall pagodas are currently undergoing renovation since June 2023 and are scheduled to reopen in the first half of 2025. + The Confucian Temple (孔廟): The largest Confucian Temple in Taiwan and it hosts an annual ceremony to honor Confucius on September 28th. + PAMMA Coffee (泮咖啡): A trendy coffee shop featuring contemporary design and offering great views of the pond. + Lotus WakePark (蓮潭滑水主題樂園): Opened in 2014, this WakePark features a cable system for wakeboarding/waterskiing. [How to get here]: Approximately 30-minute walk or 10-minute taxi ride (2.1 kilometers) from the High Speed Rail Zuoying Station Station (高鐵左營站). Another option is taking R35 (紅35) bus from High Speed Rail Zuoying Station Station (高鐵左營站) to Lianchi Tan (Shengli Rd.) 蓮池潭(勝利路). [Conclusion]: Some visitors also utilize bike rental and rode around the pond. Overall visitors can walk to most of highlights in 1 to 2 hours and I think this pond is certainly worth a stop to check out. Some visitors even choose to rent bikes and ride around the pond for a layback experience. Most of the highlights can be explored within 1 to 2 hours (all within walking distance) and I think this pond is a worthwhile stop for anyone visiting the Zuoying area.

We stayed in Kaoshiung for a few days before going back to Taipei. Kaoshiung as a city is great: lots to eat and things to do. In October, it was hot and walking around a giant pond didn't really sound fun, so I was surprised at how much I enjoyed myself. We took a taxi from Kaoshiung city, which took about 20 mins. We got dropped off on the eastern side of the lake and walked around to the western side. Despite the fallen trees from the recent hurricane, the walk was really well kept and nice. There were a few other locals and expats walking for exercise. We passed several temples and crossed a bridge at the northern side of the lake. Unfortunately the lotus plants were in a pretty sorry shape, but I think that might be due to the hurricane. We got to the Daoist temple with the huge diety and got a little tour by a guy named Kai. We bought some souvenirs and continued on our way to where the dragon is. We bought some turtle food to feed the turtles and then continued on to where the pagodas are. They were under construction, unfortunately. Across the street, we found a little store selling clothes and sugar cane juice. It was the best cup of sugar cane juice I ever had. And it was $1.50 usd. Amazing.

The main attractions here are the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas and the Spring and Autumn Pavilions. The dragon/ tiger is under construction though. Supposedly, you enter through the dragon's throat and exit the tiger's mouth. In front of the spring/ autumn pavilions is a statue of Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy, riding a dragon. We also stopped by the Zuoying Yuandi Temple.

Our day tour of Kaohsiung was soon concluding, and our last stop was at the famous Lotus Pond or Lianchihtan 蓮池潭, where we would visit the famous Dragon and Tiger Pagodas, Cheng Huang Temple, Taoist Temple, and old and new street vendors (food and retail) while meandering around this artificial lake. The partial walk around the lake was refreshing, with cool breezes blowing through as it was 90° F or 32.2° C with 66% humidity, but we were still sweating from our visit at Fo Guang Shan even though we were riding in an air-conditioned bus. The entire loop around the lake is 2.1 miles, but we didn't have time to go around entirely because we had to return to our cruise ship. Our guide gave us the background about this artificial lake by saying the 300+-year-old small natural pond was initially used to irrigate the surrounding farms when a local mayor (1951) decided to build a temple, plant lotuses in the pond, and expand the "lake" to 104 acres. At that point, our guide segued his reverence for Cheng Huang, who or what Cheng Huang represents, and that we'd be heading to the Cheng Huang Temple. He informed our group that Cheng Huang represents the Chinese mythological "City God" or spiritual magistrate and guardian deity of the Zuoying District and its surrounding villages. It is believed that dead spirits reported all good and evil deeds to Cheng Huang, and offering devout prayers would be liberally rewarded. However, in practice, Cheng Huang is often a revered local official because he has served his community with distinction. Since their passing, the mayor and other officials have been worshiped at Cheng Huang Temple. Although the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas were under renovation, we could enter the Dragon's mouth and exit from the Tiger's throat. Unfortunately, the upgrades prevented us from climbing the 236-ft pagodas, where we would have seen the lake from above to enjoy seeing the lotuses atop the lake and the zigzagged Nine-Turn Bridge (Jiuqu) connecting the pagodas to the walking loop. However, we walked along the Nine-Turn Bridge to get to and from the pagodas and saw the Chien-Jih ceramic moral stories along the walls. The belief of walking in and out of the mouths of these creatures is to avoid bad luck and enjoy good fortune. If one could walk into live creatures and exit unscathed, it would be considered a fortunate experience. We did see several people entering and exiting several times. We admired the two guys enjoying the cable wakeboard park on the lake, part of the Liantan Water Skiing Theme Park. We were so enthralled by watching them zip around on the water's surface while being led by cables that we didn't pay much attention to the people cavorting around and sliding down the giant inflatable water slides. Lotus plants don't usually cover this side of the lake. I wish we had more time to explore this area, and I can't ding the pagodas for being under renovation as it is for safety!

Scenic lake with lots to see around it! So many temples and cool places to go. We spent the better part of an afternoon here.

The lake is located in Zuoying District, close to the train and subway station, you could walk or bike along the area.

It's one of those iconic places for a few photos when you're in the Kaohsiung area. But that will only take 30 minutes tops and then you're done. Nothing in the area so it's one of those go to locations to tick it off the list and then you're on your way. There's very clean washrooms nearby if you need it. After you're done sightseeing, go hop on a bus towards downtown or take a long walk before hitting the MRT red line (the bus also passes the red line if you'd rather not walk).

Lotus Pond is a large lake in northern Kaohsiung in the Zuoying District. It owes its name to the many lotus plants in the lake that blossom every summer, apparently first planted centuries ago. It started as a smaller natural lake, but was expanded several times to its present size. The real draw to Lotus Pond are the temples and other structures that line the western shore. While many of the structures are modern, having been built or renovated in the mid-20th century, some were originally established in the 17th century. Most of the temples retain their classical appearance, and though some may be modern, the carving and details on many of the temples are very intricate and impressive. A few structures, including the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas, have a somewhat gaudy, cartoonish appearance that can be off-putting. But they do not detract from the overall appeal of the pond. Highlights include the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas, Ciji Palace, Spring and Autumn Pavilions, Pei Chi Pavilion, and the Confucius Temple, which is one of the largest if not the largest such temple in Taiwan. The Pei Chi Pavilion features an impressive 72 m tall statue of Guan Gong. It is probably easiest to start at the south end of the pond at the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas and make your way north along the lake shore. The pagodas can be reached by a 15 minute walk from the Zuoying TRA train station.There is also a visitor center and gift shop next to the pagodas. Recommended time for a visit is a minimum of 1-2 hours, but you could easily spend 3-5 hours exploring this area. Public toilets are limited. There are a few food vendors in the area.

Good to have a walk and photo shooting. Not too busy and able to enjoy the view and relax time.