Fongshan (鳳山) became the seat of Qing Fongshan County in 1788, and its old town still has the temples, a city gate, coral-stone forts and the largest traditional academy in Taiwan. The city calls it "a city museum with two hundred years of history". Take the Orange Line to Dadong (O13), where the city's walking routes start, and give it half a day.
- Station MRT Dadong (O13) or Fongshan (O12)
- Entry Free, except Fongyi Academy (NT$66)
- Closed Fongyi Academy on Mondays
- Allow Half a day; YouBike at O11, O12 and O13
Fongshan Longshan Temple
Fongshan Longshan Temple (鳳山龍山寺), at 7 Zhongshan Rd., was founded in the early Qianlong era and was standing by about 1764; the city calls it the second-oldest of Taiwan's five Longshan temples. It's dedicated to Guanyin and is Fongshan's only national monument. Open 07:00 to 21:00, free.
The gate and the forts
Fongshan's walls are gone, cleared in 1928, but four pieces of the old county city survive, all open and free:
- East Minor Gate (東便門), off Lane 44, Sanmin Rd.: a single coral-stone arch from 1804. The boat-shaped Qing piers of the Dongfu Bridge beside it, moved ashore after a 2001 typhoon, are the only ones of their kind in Taiwan.
- Xunfeng Fort (訓風砲台), behind Longshan Temple, with its 1838 plaque facing inward.
- Pingcheng Fort (平成砲台), behind Tsao Kung Temple on Caogong Rd.
- Chenglan Fort (澄瀾砲台), an eight-sided fort at Fuxing St. and Lizhi St., by MRT Fongshan (O12), exit 1.
The magistrate Cao Jin added the forts and a moat fed by the Caogong Canal in 1838. Inside the East Minor Gate, Blacksmith Street (打鐵街) still has a few smithies making ironware to order.
Fongyi Academy
Fongyi Academy (鳳儀書院), built in 1814, had 37 buildings by 1894 and is described as the largest academy in Taiwan. Restored between 2007 and 2013, it reopened in 2014.
- Hours Tue to Fri 10:30 to 17:30; Sat, Sun and holidays 10:30 to 18:30 (last tickets 30 min before)
- Closed Mondays
- Entry NT$66; NT$39 students; NT$25 ages 1 to 5 and 65+
- Station MRT Fongshan (O12), exit 2, about 6 min; Dadong (O13), exit 2, about 8 min
Two temples next door
- Fongshan City God Temple (鳳邑城隍廟), 66 Fengming St., beside the academy: built in 1800, known for its giant abacus and the plaque that greets you with "You've come". Open 05:30 to 21:00.
- Shuangci Temple (雙慈殿), 285-1 Sanmin Rd.: the city calls it Fongshan's oldest temple, over 300 years old, with a Mazu hall added in 1753. Next to it, Moru Lane is about 80 cm wide. Open 05:00 to 21:30.
Further out
- Huangpu New Village (黃埔新村): Japanese army housing from about 1943, which became one of Taiwan's first military dependents' villages in 1947. Today people live in the houses in return for looking after them, and there are guesthouses and small shops. Open all day, free.
- Dadong Arts Center (大東文化藝術中心), opened in 2012, a minute from MRT Dadong (O13), exit 2.
- Weiwuying and its 47-hectare park, on a former army base, one stop west at O10. → Weiwuying
Good to know: the former Japanese Navy Fongshan Communication Center, a national monument on the city's cycling route, is closed for construction.
→ The neighborhoods · Kaohsiung's temples
Sources: the city's Fongshan route and walking tour; Longshan Temple and the county city remains: Ministry of Culture heritage database and remains; Fongyi Academy and its directions; temples: Kaohsiung Travel and Kaohsiung Travel; Huangpu New Village: heritage database; Chenglan Fort and Dadong: KRTC. Checked October 2026.