The Lotus Pond, Kaohsiung

The Lotus Pond in Kaohsiung's Zuoying district is a lake about two kilometres long whose shore has accumulated, over the past century, one of the most enjoyably excessive collections of temple architecture in Taiwan. The signature sight is the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas, a pair of seven-storey towers reached across a zigzag causeway and entered through the gaping mouth of an enormous dragon, walked through, and exited through the mouth of a tiger, a route said to turn bad luck into good, with the interiors painted with scenes of virtue and punishment. The Confucius Temple on the north shore, rebuilt here in 1977 on the model of Qufu, continues one first founded in 1684, and the lake hosted water events of the 2009 World Games. Along the same shore stand the Spring and Autumn Pavilions with a huge statue of Guanyin riding a dragon, the Beiji Xuantian Emperor statue rising from the water, Confucian and other temples, and a path that can be walked or cycled all the way round.

What to look for

• The Dragon and Tiger Pagodas - entering through the dragon and leaving through the tiger.
• The Spring and Autumn Pavilions - with Guanyin riding a dragon over the water.
• The Xuantian statue - the giant figure standing out in the lake.
• The lakeside path - the circuit round the water past temple after temple.

When to go

October to April is the comfortable season, as Kaohsiung is hot and humid through the summer; early morning and late afternoon are best for both heat and light. Lotus flowers on the water appear in the summer months. It is right by a metro and high-speed rail station, so easy to fit in.

Practical notes

The architecture is twentieth-century concrete and mosaic rather than ancient, and it is unapologetically gaudy, which delights some visitors and strikes others as kitsch. The pagodas have been closed for restoration at times, so check before making a special trip. The lake water itself is not especially clean. Summer heat makes the circuit hard work.

Nearby

Kaohsiung's harbour, Pier-2 art district and Cijin island are elsewhere in the city; Tainan is half an hour by rail.