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.