Photos Taken and Texts Written by: CHIEN-CHEN HUANG

The Lotus Pond was one of the eight major destinations in the Qing dynasty. It is famous for the numerous temples around the lake, including the Kaohsiung Confucius Temple, the Spring and Autumn Pavilions, the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas, the Old Town of Zuoying etc. Kaohsiung Confucius Temple is located at the northwestern shore of the pond and it is the largest Confucius temple in Taiwan. The Dragon and Tiger Pagodas are two seven-floor pagodas. The dragon throat is the entrance and the tiger mouth is the exit. Enter the dragon and exit the tiger means turning bad luck into good fortune. The Dragon and Tiger Pagodas are my favorite for their photogenic features. Inside the dragon and tiger, there are a lot of paintings hanging on the walls representing the classic 24 Paragons of Filial Piety to advise people to love their parents, and the Chinese Buddhist hell to warn people to avoid bad karma. In the Tiger pagoda, there are paintings of the 12 Chinese Scholars and the 36 Palaces of the Jade Emperor. If you feel hungry walking around, there are food stalls near Lotus Pond. There is one bakery near the pond offers its famous "Fire Lion" pastry, which is extremely delicious. "Fire Lion" is the mascot of the Kaohsiung Wannian folklore Festival. There are a lot of scenic and photographic spots in this area. I am sure everyone will go home with a lot of nice and satisfied pictures. It really is the major attraction of Kaohsiung City and the best destination for tourists. You will regret not visiting the Lotus Pond.