Zhongdu Wetlands Park () is a

wetland A wetland is a distinct semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally. Flooding results in oxygen-poor ( anoxic) processes taking place, especially ...

in Zhongdu Region,

Sanmin District Sanmin District () is a District (Taiwan), district of Kaohsiung, Taiwan. History During the Ming dynasty, the Wang, Tsai, and Cheng families built houses in the area to farm the land. The area was thus named ''Sankuaicu'' (). After the Retro ...

Kaohsiung Kaohsiung, officially Kaohsiung City, is a special municipality located in southern Taiwan. It ranges from the coastal urban center to the rural Yushan Range with an area of . Kaohsiung City has a population of approximately 2.73 million p ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

History

The area where the park stands today used to be part of the Zhongdu Industrial Area during the

Japanese rule of Taiwan The Geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, together with the Penghu, Penghu Islands, became an annexed territory of the Empire of Japan in 1895, when the Qing dynasty ceded Taiwan Province, Fujian-Taiwan Province in the Treaty of Shimonoseki a ...

. After the handover of Taiwan from Japan to the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

in 1945, the area became the center of

plywood Plywood is a composite material manufactured from thin layers, or "plies", of wood veneer that have been stacked and glued together. It is an engineered wood from the family of manufactured boards, which include plywood, medium-density fibreboa ...

factories. After many of the factories closed down in the 1980s because of moving out from Taiwan, the area was left idle and not maintained, including all of the wood storage ditches. It became the breeding ground for

dengue fever Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne disease caused by dengue virus, prevalent in tropical and subtropical areas. Asymptomatic infections are uncommon, mild cases happen frequently; if symptoms appear, they typically begin 3 to 14 days after i ...

and crime. The

Kaohsiung City Government The Kaohsiung City Government is the municipal government of Kaohsiung. It was formed after the merger of Kaohsiung County and Kaohsiung City in December 2010. Its chief administrator is the directly elected mayor of Kaohsiung. History In ...

then made a decision to revitalize the area by allocating NT$3 billion of budget. The construction of the park marked the beginning of improvement in the overall value of the region in 2009. Old buildings were demolished, the advantages were relocated and a wetland was established. The aim was to change the appearance of Zhongdu region and solve the environmental problem troubling the area in the past 4 decades. The construction of the park commenced on 15 January 2010 and completed on 24 April 2011. Also constructed around the park are a 30-meter parkway and the Zhongdu Vision Bridge.

Geology

The park is located along the

Love River The Love River or Ai River () is a river (canal) in southern Taiwan. It originates in Renwu District, Kaohsiung City, and flows through Kaohsiung to Kaohsiung Harbor. Love River is the spine of Kaohsiung, playing a similar role to the River Thame ...

and covers an area of 12.6 hectares. It connects the waterfront green and open spaces along the river to form a network of ecological wetland corridor. Currently there are 39 species of birds, 3 species of reptiles, and 9 species of beetles.

Architecture

The design of the park is based on the establishment of

mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows mainly in coastal saline water, saline or brackish water. Mangroves grow in an equatorial climate, typically along coastlines and tidal rivers. They have particular adaptations to take in extra oxygen a ...

forest environment. The remains of the wood storage ditches were expanded into a circular

waterway A waterway is any Navigability, navigable body of water. Broad distinctions are useful to avoid ambiguity, and disambiguation will be of varying importance depending on the nuance of the equivalent word in other ways. A first distinction is ...

that is connected to the

. At the enter of the park lies the Central Ecological

Islet An islet ( ) is generally a small island. Definitions vary, and are not precise, but some suggest that an islet is a very small, often unnamed, island with little or no vegetation to support human habitation. It may be made of rock, sand and/ ...

. The park also features a visitor center, activity areas and outdoor ecological classrooms.

Transportation

The park is accessible within walking distance northeast of Gushan Station of Taiwan Railways. The park is also accessible within walking distance east of Makadao Station of the

Kaohsiung Metro Kaohsiung Metro () is a rapid transit and light rail system covering the metropolitan area of Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Its rapid transit network is known as Kaohsiung Mass Rapid Transit System or Kaohsiung Rapid Transit (KRT). Construction of the MRT ...

Circular Line.

References

{{reflist 2011 establishments in Taiwan Geography of Kaohsiung Protected areas established in 2011 Tourist attractions in Kaohsiung Wetlands of Taiwan

History

Geology

Architecture

Transportation

See also

References