Original text by Kenedi Nurhan, executive summary Darmansjah
An elongated park by the river. Complete with special bicycle paths and roads for pedestrians. A number of special bridge-also for pedestrians and cyclists-stretched, linking the two banks of the river that divides the city in the south Ila Formosa.
This is theheart ofKaohsiung, iconiccivic prideinTaiwan'ssecond largestcityafterTaipei. The riverclean, clear waterforacitythe size ofindustryandservices.
Certainlynotclearasmountain waterthat flowsintothe lakeinthe Sun(Sun-Moon Lake) is a mainstayinthe areatouristTaichung, CentralTaiwan. However, the clarity oftheriverwaterstillstood out. Especiallyat nightseenfrommulticoloredlightsglowthat appearsintheriverwhenhe wasreflectingthe charm ofthe nightasparkling city.
Thisriverused to beverydirtyandsmelly, not unlikesewage, "said AntonyakaTienLiuchong, travelguideswho accompaniedus aroundTaiwan, lateApril toearly May.
Romanticism
Beyond thewrittenagendawhichis alwaysa referenceguideof thetrip, the arrival in Kaohsiung, weagreedthat nightto enjoy theromanticatmosphereon the banks ofa riverwhose nameno lessromantic: LoveRiver, the riverof love!.
Brochuresandtravel booksaboutTaiwanalwaysincludeLove Riveras amust-see destinationwhentoSouthernTaiwan. Equivalent toSunMoonLakein CentralTaiwan. TarokoNationalParkin theeasterncoastalregionHualeininTaiwan, as well asskyscraperstowerTaipie101, Shilin Night Market, andXimendinginTaipeiCity, NorthernTaiwan.
However, for some reason, the list ofour travel plansprofferedTaiwanTorusimBoard, the name ofLove Riveris not listed. "Maybe because it'snot toofarfromour hotel, sowewereasked totake the initiativethemselvesdetermine thechoice of locationto enjoy an eveninginKaohsiung,"said afellow traveler, partof themembers of the groupnumbered14people.
Thus, the groupfinallychoseto spendthe nightsuitindividual taste. Mostdecidedto goto theshopping center. While Iandsomeothercolleagues-including seniormarketingmanager ofPT. GI, as the head-group prefersto walk theapproximately1kilometertothe banks ofthe Riverof Love.
Late atnightyetwhenwearrivedon the banks ofthe Riverof Love.The cyclistspassingspecial lineavailable. Restaurants andcafesare stillvisited bymanyvisitors. NuancedsongsplayingJazzandBluessoundsof splashingwaterbetweentheriverandfellcrashingto the edge.
In the river channel, under the lights glittering, ferries and motor boats look back and forth. It rests on a number of travelers, enjoying the evening at the beginning of summer that still feels cool.On the banks of the river, in the garden and there are benches along the side of the path bounded metal chains on the banks of the river, a couple sitting holding hands. Almost to the end, Kaohsiung harbor-one of the most important seaports in Taiwan-which is at the mouth of the estuary is still active.
City history
Option of spendinghalf thenighton the banks ofthe riverof lovewas notmistaken. In additionto experienceandenjoy the panoramicromanticloveatmosphericriverat night, more than that, a lot ofvaluable lessonspresentedbehind it all.
Love RiverinKaohsiungarguablyrepresentsone side ofthe history ofcivilizationof a city. During theQingdynasty(1644-1911), when theisland ofFormosawaspartand parcel ofmainlandChina,Love River-when itwas still calledthe RiverDagaoarequite wide-natural andusedforagriculturalirrigation. Flatlandon either sideusedforbreeding.
In 1908, the sea portbuiltrightat the mouth ofthe river. This situationcontinued whenFormosafellunder the controlof the Republic ofChina-Taiwan withlegendaryfigures: ChiangKaiShek.
Concomitant changes in Taiwan's economy from agriculture to industry, in the 1960s, factories began to appear around Kaohsiung. Urbanization was accompanying. Since then, the Love River became polluted heavily. Industrial waste and domestic sewage flows into river bodies, presenting pleasant sight with a very pungent odor.
In 1979, a movement to normalize love river rolled by the Kaohsiung city government. A set of doors built to catch water and waste bins. Trash haul was then sent to a treatment plant in the district Cijin, a small island off the coast of Kaohsiung.
The results did show progress. Love River began unsightly, but not maximized. Capture system and sewage treatment is applied at an early stage is only effective outside the rainy season, from October to April. When the rainy season, from May to September, the water gates to be opened as an increase in water level in the river bodies.But the Kaohsiung city government seemed not to know the word surrender. Various steps taken by various Mason. Although often plagued by natural cycles, including tidal phenomenon that comes from the mouth of the river, the river restoration program normalization and continues today!. Currently there are at least nine floodgates catcher domestic garbage and industrial waste on both sides of the banks of the River of Love.
Thanks to the persistent efforts and continuously without stopping, once dirty river and smell it now as lost him. Thereof when the city government to build a park full of shady trees, colorful flowers, as well as bike paths and roads for pedestrians, love River continues to preen organize themselves.
It was there that evening we were stranded on a piece of travel in Southern Taiwan. When getting late night, the sound of jazz and blues music increasingly faint sounds, footsteps we stepped away, while leaving Question: is it possible there are officials in the islands who want to reap the valuable lessons from the banks of the River Love?