22°40′56″N120°17′38″E / 22.68222°N 120.29389°E /22.68222; 120.29389
Zuoying 左營區 Tsoying | |
|---|---|
| Zuoying District[1] | |
 Zuoying District | |
 Zuoying District in Kaohsiung City | |
| Country | Taiwan |
| Region | Southern Taiwan |
| Population (October 2023) | |
• Total | 197,026 |
| Website | kcgtdo |
Zuoying District (Chinese:左營區;pinyin:Zuǒyíng Qū;Wade–Giles:Tso3-ying2 Ch'ü1;Pe̍h-ōe-jī:Chó-iâⁿ-khu) is adistrict ofKaohsiung City in southernTaiwan. Zuoying District has the most populousvillage in Taiwan:Fushan Village.
Zuoying was established in the mid-seventeenth century as a military fortress, known asOld Fengshan (鳳山, also Old Fongshan). It is now the site of Tsoying Harbour, known formerly asPort Saei (左營港). 'Sa-ei' is the Japaneseon'yomi (Chinese reading) of the city's name inChinese characters, but was romanized as 'Tsoying' after World War II by American Naval Consultants.[citation needed]
In May 1960 aRepublic of China Air ForceNorth American F-86 Sabre crashed into a neighborhood in Zuoying killing 11 and injuring 45.[2]
Zuoying'sLotus Lake is one of the major tourist attractions of southern Taiwan. This beautiful man-made lake is situated between Gueishan (Turtle Mountain) and Panpingshan (Half-screen Mountain). TheSpring and Autumn Pavilions,Dragon and Tiger Pagodas andConfucius Temple dot its shoreline. The Confucius Temple is the largestConfucius temple in Taiwan. The historic gates of the Old Fengshan city wall are also nearby.
There is a mountain called Shoushan or Chaishan (referred to as Monkey Mountain by many English-speakers), with a large population ofFormosan macaques and many tropical plants, and part of which lies within the restricted area of the naval base.
The district consists of Jinxue, Weixi, Dingbei, Zhongbei, Zhongnan, Miaotung, Miaobei, Weinan, Weibei, Bingshan, Xianghe, Yongqing, Juguang, Guanghui, Gequn, Mingjian, Dingxi, Shenghou, Shengxi, Shengnan, Chengnan, Lutung, Bubei, Bunan, Beixi, Beibei, Beitung, Haisheng, Chongshi, Zizhu, Guomao, Guohui, Guofeng, Xinxia, Xinshang, Xinzhong, Xinguang, Caigong andFushan Village.[3]
Zuoying hosts the Zuoying Naval Airfield (22°42′16″N, 120°16′48″E) and theRepublic of China Navy's Zuoying Naval Yard (海軍左營基地), Taiwan's largestnaval base. TheRepublic of China Marine Corps host their training program for theirAmphibious Reconnaissance and Patrol Unit (ARP) at that location.[4] A few miles south at the naval camp inShoushan (壽山營區) is the garrison theARP's secretivecounterterrorism branch; theChinese Marine Corps Special Service Company (CMC.SSC) (Chinese:中華民國海軍陸戰隊特勤隊) or more colloquially;The Black (Clothed) Unit (Chinese:黑衣部隊).[citation needed]
Villages near the naval base are composed of single-story houses, uncommon in most Taiwanese cities. The villages were first populated by soldiers of theKuomintang who came from different provinces ofmainland China and gathered here after losing theChinese Civil War in 1949. The ROC National Government provided these veteran serviceman with these single-story houses. These residential areas belonged to the navy and were under military control at that time. Therefore, people outside could not enter villages without martial permission. Without interference from outside, the culture of villages embodies that of different provinces of mainland China.
In 2017 the government embarked on a major expansion of the naval base. Under the name Weihai Project (威海), the expansion was given a budget of more than a billion US dollars.[5]
There are two stops on theWest Coast Line of theTaiwan Railways Administration that serve Zuoying District:Zuoying–Jiucheng Station andXinzuoying Station.
TheTaiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) serves the Kaohsiung metropolitan area withZuoying HSR station, currently the terminal and a joint station with TRA's Xinzuoying Station and KMRT's Zuoying Station.
