Zhongdu Wetlands Park () is a
wetland in Zhongdu Region,
Sanmin District,
Kaohsiung
Kaohsiung City (Mandarin Chinese: ; Wade–Giles: ''Kao¹-hsiung²;'' Pinyin: ''Gāoxióng'') is a special municipality located in southern Taiwan. It ranges from the coastal urban center to the rural Yushan Range with an area of . Kaohsi ...
,
Taiwan.
History
The area where the park stands today used to be part of the Zhongdu Industrial Area during the
Japanese rule of Taiwan. 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, 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 northeast ...
in 1945, the area became the center of
plywood
Plywood is a material manufactured from thin layers or "plies" of wood veneer that are glued together with adjacent layers having their wood grain rotated up to 90 degrees to one another. It is an engineered wood from the family of manufactured ...
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 tropical disease caused by the dengue virus. Symptoms typically begin three to fourteen days after infection. These may include a high fever, headache, vomiting, muscle and joint pains, and a characterist ...
and crime. The
Kaohsiung City Government 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 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 forest environment. The remains of the wood storage ditches were expanded into a circular
waterway that is connected to the
Love River. At the enter of the park lies the Central Ecological
Islet. 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.
See also
*
List of parks in Taiwan
References
{{reflist
2011 establishments in Taiwan
Geography of Kaohsiung
Protected areas established in 2011
Tourist attractions in Kaohsiung
Wetlands of Taiwan