Chengcing Lake (), also known as the Cheng Ching Lake, Dabei Lake (大貝湖), or Toapi Lake () in Taiwanese, is an artificial

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much lar ...

located in Niaosong, Kaohsiung,

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northe ...

. The lake is not far from downtown Kaohsiung and the major suburban district of Fengshan. The lake is a source of the water supply network and a tourist area of the Kaohsiung region.

Park and aquarium

A portion of the lake with its shore is administrated as a gated park. A chateau of

Chiang Kai-shek Chiang Kai-shek (31 October 1887 – 5 April 1975), also known as Chiang Chung-cheng and Jiang Jieshi, was a Chinese Nationalist politician, revolutionary, and military leader who served as the leader of the Republic of China (ROC) from 1928 ...

, the former president and military leader of

, is located in the park. Around the lake shore, Chiang also established an underground military headquarters, which has been adapted into a public aquarium, the

Cheng Ching Lake Exotic Marine Life Museum Cheng may refer to: Chinese states * Chengjia or Cheng (25–36 AD) * Cheng Han or Cheng (304–338) * Zheng (state), or Cheng in Wade–Giles Places * Chengdu Chengdu (, ; Simplified Chinese characters, simplified Chinese: 成都; pin ...

. It was originally built as a tunnel in 1961, as protection against a nuclear attack. The

Bridge of Nine Turns A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

across the lake was built in 1960. It is 230 meters in length by 2.5 meters wide, including nine right-angled turns. The restored Zhongxing Pagoda the lake area's tallest structure, standing 43 meters high, with good views from the top, which can be reached via winding stairs. After

Mainland China "Mainland China" is a geopolitical term defined as the territory governed by the People's Republic of China (including islands like Hainan or Chongming), excluding dependent territories of the PRC, and other territories within Greater Chin ...

fell under the control of the

Chinese Communist Party The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victorious in the Chinese Ci ...

in 1949, General Huang Chieh led 30,000 Republic of China Army soldiers to Vietnam and they were stationed at Phu Quoc Island. Later, the army moved to

in June, 1953. There is currently a small island in Chengcing Lake that was constructed in November 1955 and named Fuguo Island (富國島) in memory of the fleeing Chinese soldiers in 1949.

References

Lakes of Kaohsiung {{Taiwan-geo-stub

Park and aquarium

See also

References