In 1860 the Treaty of Peiking forced the Qing Dynasty to open up the ports of Takau (now called Kaohsiung), An-ping (Tainan), Tamsui, (Taipei) and Keelung to trade with UK and France. The construction of the Takau Consulate building located on top of Mt. So-Shan, overlooking Port of Kaohsiung started in 1865 and was completed in 1879 . As Taiwan was ceded to Japanese Empire in 1895, the Japanese government of Taiwan claimed the right to all foreign consulates in Taiwan in 1909 and the British consulate was then closed the next year. The late Renaissance style building with many arches was converted to a museum and café in 1986 and is a popular tourist spot for sipping coffee and watching the beautiful sunset in late afternoon. I took these pictures when I went back to visit my home town several years ago.
Stephen Hung Photography 