Qishan District, Kaoshung

After taking a trip to Kaoshung, Pingtung and Taitun, I would like to keep updating my blog. In this article I would introduce a beautiful town in Kaoshung, Qishan (旗山). Qishan is famous for bananas; therefore, you could enjoy some delicacies made of bananas, such as banana cake or banana shelved ice. Besides, there are lots of historical sites in Qishan, through visiting here you could know more about the development of Taiwan.

Banana Cake

I bought the banana cake from YouthBanana (台青蕉創意工坊). Instead of adding artificial flavoring, they add real bananas in the cake. Opening the box, you could smell the fragrance of banana. The banana cake looks like Honey Cake; the difference is that you could see some black dots in the body of the cake which is the seed of banana. Since the cake is made without S.P.(發泡劑), the texture of the cake is not as fluffy as the normal one I eat, but plumper.

Sugar and History

Walking in Qishan Old Street, you could see a  special building at the end of the street. That building is Qishan Train Station which was one of the train stations in Qi Yi Line (旗尾線). In 1909, Takasago Sugar Company (高砂製糖株式會社) constructed "Qi Yi Sugar Factory" in Qishan. To deliver the sugar made by the factory, Qi Yi Line was built from Mei Nong (美濃) to Jiuqutang (九曲堂). The sugar industry and Qi Yi Line influenced people's life, besides transporting sugar, the train was also available for commuting.

Sugar industry used to be prosperous; however, from 1970s it gradually decline. In 1978, Qi Yi Line stopped operating and the rail was tore down in 1982. The train stations of Qi Yi Line were also tore down one after another, and Qishan Train Station is the only one left.

Qishan Old Street (旗山老街)

Qishan Train Station (旗山老街)

Visiting this historical town, you could not only sample the specialties but know the strong connection between sugar industry and the development of the district and Taiwan. Nowadays, many sugar refineries in Taiwan are transformed into tourist attraction. While enjoying the popsicles, try to know the history I think the trip would more interesting and meaningful.

It is a pity that it rained when I visited Qishan; therefore, I didn't spent enough time there. I still want to try other specialties like banana egg rolls or shelved ice. Also, there are still many historical sites I could visit. I would take a trip to Qishan again, it is really worth visiting there!

Information

The facebook fan page of YouthBanana: https://www.facebook.com/youthbanana.bcar/
Transportation: Go to Kaoshung Train Station and take Kaohsiung Transportation Co. (高雄客運) or Shing Nan Bus Co. (興南客運), getting off at Qishan south bus stop.

If you have any question or find any mistake, please leave comment below. Thanks for reading my blog.