Former British Consulate at Takao

Britain opened a consulate at Takao, as Kaohsiung was then called, after the port was opened to foreign trade, and the residence built on the bluff in 1879 is the oldest surviving Western building in Taiwan. It is a colonial bungalow of red brick with arcaded verandas on all sides, with the office building down at the harbour edge and a stone stair of a hundred and some steps linking the two. The terrace looks straight down the harbour mouth.

Background

Ports in Taiwan, Takau among them, opened to foreign trade after 1860, and in 1861 the naturalist Robert Swinhoe became the first British vice-consul on the island. He set up the office in Tamsui, but it moved to Takau in 1864 as the southern port grew in importance for trade. The British trading firm McPhail & Co. built the present residence in 1879, a two-storey red-brick house with Renaissance influences. The consulate closed in 1910, and from 1931 the building served as a marine observatory for weather and ocean readings. Listed as a historic monument in 1987, it was restored in the early 2000s and now houses exhibits on the treaty port era and on how Kaohsiung developed.

Source: Wikipedia, "Former British Consulate at Takao"

What to look for

• The 1879 residence - red brick with arcaded verandas, the oldest Western building in Taiwan.
• The connecting stair - a stone staircase down the bluff to the harbour-level office.
• The harbour view - the mouth of Kaohsiung harbour directly below.
• The restored interiors - period rooms with displays on the consular period.

When to go

Year round; the site keeps daily hours and closes on some weekdays. Sunset from the terrace is the best hour. Summer afternoons are hot on the bluff.

Good to know

The building was heavily restored after long neglect and much is reconstruction. The stair between the two buildings is a long climb. It gets crowded at sunset.

Nearby

Sizihwan beach is below, and Cijin Island is across the harbour mouth.

Key facts