Fongshan City

Fongshan City (zh-tht|t=鳳山市|hp=Fèngshān Shì|tp=Fòngshan Shìh; POJ: Hōng-soaⁿ-chhī) is located in southern Kaohsiung County, Taiwan. Immediately east of Kaohsiung City, Fongshan is capital of Kaohsiung County and is home to the Chinese Military Academy.

During the Dutch era, the current location of Fongshan was called Pongsoya, a group of eight Makatao villages and one of the most populous areas of Taiwan. In the Qing Dynasty, Fongshan County (鳳山縣) included areas south of Tainan City (then called Prefecture City) and west of the mountains. In 1875, the southern part of Fongshan County was separated into Hengchun County (恆春縣). After the Japanese Colonial Government started to develop the Kaohsiung Harbor in the early 20th century, the importance of Fongshan was replaced by Kaohsiung City. Although Fongshan is the capital of Kaohsiung, it has become a de facto satellite city of Kaohsiung City.

There are three military units currently located in Fongshan. Both Chinese Military Academy and R.O.C. Army Infantry School were migrated from China and re-established here in 1950. Chung Cheng Armed Forces Preparatory School was established in 1976. These three units used to be the main economic driving force, but their importance seems to diminish gradually as Fongshan has established itself as a conjunction between Pingtung City and Kaohsiung City.

Although there are several industrial zones at the rim or outskirt of the city, the major life style in Fongshan seems to be very residential. Lots of apartments were built near the proximity of Kaohsiung City as a result of shifting economic weight. Like most of areas in Taiwan, it also has many night markets scattered around within the city. Most of the night markets run until 2:00 am. Some of them run business on different days of a week, but some others are all year round. Some of them are temporary, while others have become permanent establishments.

* Area: 26.76 km²
* Population: 338,900 people (2007)

Built up area

This township is part of Kaohsiung built up area which encompasses 10 cities ("or townships") out of 18 in official Kaohsiung Metro Area.

Climate

Fongshan is in topical zone. Average temperature is 23 Celsius (°C). Average precipitation is 1,500 to 2,000 millimeters.

Communication

Roads

* National Highway No. 1 (Taiwan)
* Provincial Highway No. 1 (Taiwan)
* Provincial Highway No. 1 - Shu (Taiwan)
* Provincial Highway No. 25 (Taiwan)
* Provincial Highway No. 88 (Taiwan)

Railroads

* Kaohsiung Mass Rapid Transit, Orange Line, KMRT
* Taiwan Railway Administration, Pingtung Line

ee also

* Walled City of Fongshan

External links

* [http://www.fengshan.gov.tw/ Government website]