Old houses of Kaohsiung
Taiwan in general and Kaohsiung particularly is not renown for its architecture. There are some worthy modern buildings and some nice old ones but for the most part, Kaohsiung is full of ceramic tiled, rust stained concrete boxes.
Most of Kaohsiung has been built in the last 60 years. The first half of that period people were poor and the national identity characterised Taiwan as a temporary refuge before returning to the mainland. There was neither the money nor the pride to build beautiful houses.
The last 30 years Taiwan has increased its wealth but I contend it is yet to find a pleasing national style that combines concrete, steel and ceramics beyond simple functional boxes.
On a couple of recent outings I captured a number of interesting houses in Kaohsiung.
Initially the intention was to capture some of the old wooden houses that might have some Japanese architectural influence. There are a few wooden houses in Kaohsiung, they are old and quickly vanishing. I read they are difficult to insure.
If you look up past the overhead power lines and rust stains some other small gems can be found.
Like these few with a tinge of 1960′s art-deco influences
The deep red brick houses can be quite attractive. Most red bricks are porous so they don’t make practical exterior walls unless they are eaved or are double course.
There is still the odd traditional house to be found inside the city.
A three story house squeezed onto a slither of land.
An old dormitory house of Taiwan Power Company. The sign still rests above a chained closed door.
Here are a few examples of styling on facades.
But you really have to look hard to see past the plain old ugly.
There are plenty more pictures in the Kaohsiung Houses album section.
A pretty motley collection of building photos, which accurately depicts the state of Kaohsiung, including the butt-ugly. But I like these older, storied buildings much more than the high-rise newer buildings that are supposed to make it a world city.
Stephen reply on February 15th, 2009:
There are a lot of newer high-rise around. It seems strange to me that people trade out of an old three story home to reside on the 14th floor of a new complex.
But some of those older houses are cramped and pretty poor quality. Specially the ones build with red-brick walls rendered and tiled. They all leak!
excellent photo essay Stephen. i must be the only one who likes Kaohsiung though. i love the wide thoroughfares and the lighted street name signs. i think that Kao is a high class city where you can find anything you want, with wider spaces than crowded Taipei (a city of which i am not fond). the new KRT is another feather in the cap of Kaohsiung.
Stephen reply on February 15th, 2009:
Thanks MJ,
Taipei and Kaohsiung are two very different cities, that is true. Whoever decided on making Taipei the capital was not an outdoors person, Kaohsiung in now enjoying its 4th mild month without rain while I only see cold and drizzle in Taipei. There is definately more space and housing is far more affordable in the south too. Kaohsiung has a lot more going for it than outsiders give credit for!
Being a citizen of both Australia & Taiwan, I’ve come to realise that although Australia is fully functioning democracy, it is a country that has many restrictions and regulations. Anything in regards to construction, zoning or usage in regards to private property will always certainly require council permit/approval.
Whereas in Taiwan, it seems to be quite the opposite. It might not be a fully functioning democracy, but once it is your property, you can pretty much build what you like and what you do with your property with minimal restrictions from local government.
Stephen reply on March 5th, 2009:
David,
I absolutely agree. It is easy to forget how annoying, time consuming and expensive all those regulations in Australia are. They are certainly a big price to pay to gain the order, safety and conformity we enjoy in Australia. I’m no judge of which is a better system. The dynamism and vibrancy of Taiwan is fantastic. So is order and safety of Australia. What I am really thankful for is to be able to move freely from one to the other. Being able to enjoy one country and appreciate the other. That is a freedom enjoyed thanks to a democracy in both countries.
I lived in Kaohsiung 1984 thru 1990…
These pictures bring a tear to my eye…
Thank You!