Kaohsiung is the biggest harbour city in Taiwan. It is constantly evolving so you can
always see new skyscrapers constructing there, also the hot weather and heavy industry
make the city more dynamic and energetic. Ship, boat, yacht and ferry can
be seen along the wharf and are used as transportation tools.
When
I enter this site, the first sight jumping out to me is one of the British
icons--the Red Royal Postbox, standing in the facade of the building.
Walking inside the building, the
red-brick building was reconstructed with a wooden, arched veranda in 1900,
which was designed as a venue for receiving diplomatic envoys and guests.
The
British Consulate was originally set up inside a ship named “Ternate” (living
and working on a ship isn’t a bad idea but less personal privacy!). In 1876,
they started to build the official residence on the hill, with a trail path
linking to the office in foot of the hill and completed to open in 1879.
The Takao British Consulate has a fine view facing the harbour, and it is next to the customs to provide easy access for consular affairs and commercial trade.
I
suppose that they once tried to cultivate some roses in the backyard to have a
small British garden, but the weather in Kaohsiung is really too hot to keep such
delicate flowers.
Not
only has the British-style souvenir shop there, but it also offers British
afternoon tea in the teahouse named Rose House upstairs (It was packed! no seats for me...).
 |
| See! those British afternoon tea utensils are there |
Anyway, there is a great sense of history here, ranging from the unique British style buildings around the Takao harbour to the memorabilia displayed in the exhibition room.
If it is not enough, I would suggest get a ticket to have a flagship Journey -“Swinhoe Adventure” following Takao's first Consul - Robert Swinhoe's footsteps to recall the past!
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