國家自然公園英文網國家自然公園英文網

Banpingshan is situated across the Zuoying and Nanzi Districts of Kaohsiung City. Its name is derived from its screen-like appearance. The terrain of Banpingshan is almost spindle shaped; the longitudinal axis is in a northeastern – southwestern direction. The mountain is an independent, single face slanted configuration, with a height of 223 meters. After natural erosion and mining operations, the current height of the mountain is 170m.
In the early years during the economical growth periods, Banpingshan was an important mining area for lime, and was excavated by cement factories such as Chientai, Southeast Cement and Jheng Tai. The natural ecology of the mountain was severely damaged by the long-term mining operations, and the mountain lost its distinctive shape as a result of the excavation. The mining rights at Banpingshan were terminated in 1997, and immediately the mountain underwent a vegetation restoration process. The northwestern part of Banpingshan was designated as a natural park by the Kaohsiung City Government, while the southeastern part was afforested to restore vegetation, and cement industries excavated flood detention sand basins to ensure soil and water retention.

► Banpingshan

 

► Banpingshan view

► By public transportation

• KMRT(Kaohsiung Metro Rapid Transit), TRA(Taiwan Railway), THSR(Taiwan High Speed Rail)：

From Kaohsiung MRT Zuoying Station (R16), TRA Xin Zuoying Station, or  THSR Zuoying Station, via the second floor to the first floor of TRA Xin Zuoying Station, walk about 15 minutes and you can reach to Cuihua Road or Banpingshan Back Lane hiking trail entrance.

• Bus

Take the red 51, red 53, 205 bus, get off at Banpingshan Park Station, you can reach the Cuihua Road hiking trail entrance; or take the 301 bus, get off at Banpingshan Back Lane Station, walk about 5 minutes to reach the Banpingshan Back Lane hiking trail entrance.

► Driving to Banpingshan

Passengers should exit National Freeway No.1 (also known as Sun Yat-sen Freeway) at Dingjin System Interchange → National Freeway No.10 → exit from Zuoying Cuihua Road Exit → Cuihua Road North → Cuihua Road hiking trail entrance

or

exit National Freeway No.1 (also known as Sun Yat-sen Freeway) at Dingjin System Interchange → National Freeway No.10 → exit from Zuoying Cuihua Road Exit → turn to Mingtan Road to the Huanshua Road →Banpingshan Back Lane hiking trail entrance

【Banpingshan Trails Information】

1. From Cuihua Road hiking trail entrance → Banpingshan Observatory： 

    The length of the trail is 2500M.

2. From Wan temple hiking trail entrance → Banpingshan Observatory： 

     The length of the trail is 2580M.

3. From Banpinghu hiking trail entrance → Banpingshan Observatory：

     The length of the trail is 2500M.

Confucius Temple

The temple is built reflecting the style of the Sung Dynasty Shandong Confucious Temple, and the Tacheng Hall that forms the main building imitates the Taihe Hall from the Forbidden City in Beijing. It is a magnificent structure that conveys the full majesty and wisdom of the 1,000 years old Confucian philosophy. The Chinese people consider Confucius to be the greatest teacher. September 28th is Teacher's Day, which marks Confucius' birthday. It is celebrated with a solemn ceremony conducted according to ancient ritual.

Chouchai Wetland Park

After much petitioning to the Kaohsiung City Government's Public Works Bureau, the park has been adopted by the Wetlands Taiwan, and now it is the location of the "The return of the Pheasant-Tailed Jacana Project". The land was prepped and water was into the area to create a man-made wetland environment. Now many wetland creatures inhabit the area, such as aquatic insects, mollusks, fish and reptiles. The birds have also returned to the Chouchai Wetland Park, making it a park with a rich and diverse ecology.

Banping Lake Wetland Park

The area around the park used to be a geological limestone mountain called Mount Banping. It used to be an important source of Taiwan's limestone ore needs. In 1997, the mining activities ceased to operate and the mining area began to recover to its original condition. Several years later, the government carried out a conservation plan to protect the soil and water for the abandoned mine area. After years of restorative afforestation and rehabilitation, the mountain slowly regained its original beauty.

In 2004, the Kaohsiung Association of Hydraulic Engineers was commissioned by Kaohsiung City Government to execute an evaluation of the possibility of using the Chien Tai Cement Company's grit chamber area at the southern side of Banping Mountain for a wetland park. The result of the evaluation was positive and that in 2005 the City Government budgeted for and built up a nature park at the foot of the northwestern side of the mountain. They also afforested and constructed five flood-detention grit chambers at the southern side of the mountain foot. Man-made wetlands were also created to effectively function as grit-removal and flood-detention bodies.