Taiwan’s second largest city and self-proclaimed industrial heartland is a mechanised medley of shimmering high-rises, bustling harbour districts and central business complexes, all hemmed in by the monkey-peppered coral rocks of Shoushan Mountain, the meandering channels of the Love River, and the temple-dotted surface of the Lotus Pond.

While the town does boast a smattering of historical attractions – largely centred on the ancient Qing city of Zuoying – Kaohsiung tour guides are usually quick to note that most of the pursuits here have a distinctly modern edge, like the experimental Pier-2 Art Center with its avant-garde sculpture works, the Tuntex Sky Tower with its soaring viewing platforms, or the sprawling Dream Mall shopping centre. Kaohsiung is also famed for its bustling night markets, and the recreational island of Cijin, which boasts a winding web of biking trails and some of the region’s finest metropolitan beaches on the China Sea. Further afield, visitors can also spy out the ageing façade of the Former British Consulate, the city’s Confucius Temple, the Fo Guang Shan Buddha Memorial Centre, and a host of various Taoist monasteries.