Lotus Pond to the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas, Kaohsiung: free self-guided walking tour
Quick answer. A free self-guided walking tour around Lotus Pond in Kaohsiung’s Zuoying District: 4 stops, about 1.3 km, about 15 minutes of walking plus about 23 minutes of listening. Start on the shore of Lotus Pond, the lake named for the lotus a Confucian temple planted here in 1686. Follow the water to the Spring and Autumn Pavilions of 1953, two towers for Lord Guan, and to Chi Ming Tang, the phoenix hall that built them. End at the seven-storey Dragon and Tiger Pagodas of 1976: in through the dragon’s mouth, out through the tiger’s.
- Stops:
- 4
- Distance:
- about 1.3 km
- Walking:
- about 15 min
- Listening:
- about 23 min
Two ways to do this walk
Kaohsiung with Mappu
Walk Mode, in the free Mappu app
It knows where you are, tells you about everything you pass between the stops, answers your questions and keeps you on the route. Your phone stays in your pocket.
A 2-hour live walk, €4.99.
50 credits from the Starter pack. One-time purchase, no subscription.
Self-guided audio walk. No guide accompanies you. Not affiliated with the sites.
Free: the audio guides
Listen to each stop’s audio guide in your browser and find your own way between the stops.
Walking directions in Google MapsLotus Pond to the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas, Kaohsiung: how long does the walk take?
About 38 minutes in all: about 15 minutes on foot over about 1.3 km, plus about 23 minutes of audio at the 4 stops. Time inside the sites is extra.
Lotus Pond to the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas, Kaohsiung: in what order should you visit the stops?
Follow the stops in this order: Lotus Pond, Kaohsiung, Spring and Autumn Pavilions, Chi Ming Palace, and Dragon and Tiger Pagodas. The longest stretch between two stops is about 0.8 km, about 11 min on foot.
Route and map
Indicative route. While you walk, watch where you're going, mind the traffic and follow local signs and rules. The map is an aid, not a safety guide. Terms
Follow Mappu’s map: the route runs along the streets from stop to stop, and the stories keep playing as you walk.
To get to the first stop, or if you’re far from the route, Google Maps has walking directions through every stop.
Stop 1
An artificial lake ringed with temples, named for the lotus a Confucian temple planted in 1686, counted among the Eight Sights of Fongshan under the Qing and opened as a park in 1951.
about 6 min of audio
Next stop: Spring and Autumn Pavilions · about 0.8 km, about 11 min on foot
Stop 2
Two octagonal four-storey towers for Lord Guan, finished in 1953, with Guanyin riding a dragon between them and a zigzag bridge out to the Five Li Pavilion of 1976.
about 5 min of audio
Next stop: Chi Ming Palace · about 0.1 km, about 1 min on foot
Stop 3
Chi Ming Tang, a phoenix hall of spirit writing begun in a private home in 1899, renamed in 1903 when it took in Lord Guan’s statue, and given its lakeside land in 1906.
about 6 min of audio
Next stop: Dragon and Tiger Pagodas · about 0.4 km, about 5 min on foot
Stop 4
Twin seven-storey towers built by Ciji Temple in 1976 at the god Baosheng Dadi’s word, their architect picked with divination blocks: enter through the dragon’s mouth, leave through the tiger’s.
about 6 min of audio
The stop stories are AI-generated audio guides and can contain mistakes. Check opening hours and tickets on the official sites.
Planning a trip to Kaohsiung?
Get your plan
Mappu sketches your days free in the chat, no account needed. Then take the full plan with you:
- Weekend trip, €9.99: Your day-by-day plan plus 2 live walks
- Save your trip’s free guides on your phone in the Mappu app: they play with no signal
Before you go
- Check opening hours, tickets and access on each site’s official page before you go.
- Distances and times are estimates: the walking route between stops, from OpenStreetMap, at 4.5 km/h. Your route on the street may differ.
More walking tours in Kaohsiung
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5 stops · about 3.8 km · about 50 min on foot · about 31 min of audioKaohsiung Wude Hall → Takao Railway Museum → Hamasen Museum of Taiwan Railway → Kaohsiung Museum of History → Holy Rosary Cathedral, KaohsiungFree audio at every stop, or walk it with MappuSee the route
Plan more days in Kaohsiung
These day-by-day Mappu itineraries include Kaohsiung. The day links open the days that visit stops on this walk.
Route checked by Mappu on November 1, 2026. Stop descriptions come from each place’s published Mappu audio guide. Mappu is a Fenutech product.