Longhu Ta in Kaohsiung, dragon and tiger pagodas on Lotus Pond
Published on 09/07/2026 at 18:04 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Longhu Ta in Kaohsiung is a pair of brightly coloured pagoda towers beside Lotus Pond, fronted by a giant dragon and a tiger that turn temple architecture into a walkable story. Built in 1976 in Zuoying District in southern Taiwan, the complex brings late twentieth-century religious construction into a lakeside landscape lined with older shrines and pavilions.
Dragon and tiger towers over Lotus Pond
Longhu Ta centres on two multi-storey pagoda towers that stand on platforms set out over the water near the shore of Lotus Pond in Zuoying District in the northern part of Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan.Dragon and Tiger Pagodas Each tower rises from a concrete base connected to the shore so that the pagodas read as a pair of vertical landmarks emerging from the lake surface rather than from solid ground. Their red and yellow structural frames, tiled roofs and projecting balconies follow the stacked rhythm associated with traditional Chinese pagodas, but the overall impression is distinctly late twentieth century.
In front of the pagodas stand two large animal figures, a dragon in front of one tower and a tiger in front of the other, their bodies stretching back towards the bases of the structures.dragon and tiger statues The dragon and tiger are painted in vivid colours, with details such as scales, stripes and facial features picked out in contrasting tones. Visitors enter the complex by walking into the mouth of one creature and moving through a corridor built within its body, linking the lakeside path with the pagoda platform.
A 1970s addition to a historic lakeside temple landscape
The Dragon and Tiger Pagodas known locally as Longhu Ta were built in 1976 as part of the broader Lotus Pond temple landscape in Zuoying District.temple landscape in Zuoying Their construction added a distinctly late twentieth-century layer to an area where temple halls, pavilions and other pagodas already stood along the lakeshore. Lotus Pond, also called Lotus Lake, is an artificial lake whose edges are lined with religious buildings, including structures connected by bridges that step out over the water in a series of platforms.artificial lake lined with temples
The pagodas themselves rise to seven storeys, their height making them among the more prominent modern towers around the lake.seven-storey Dragon and Tiger Pagodas The zigzag bridge and causeway approach from the shore emphasise their separation from the land, while the dragon and tiger figures give the complex a mythic character tied to Taiwanese folk religion. Entering through the dragon’s mouth and exiting via the tiger’s mouth is described as an auspicious sequence within local belief, embedding the act of walking through the figures in a pattern of fortune and transformation.entering the dragon and exiting the tiger
Longhu Ta within Kaohsiung’s Zuoying District
Geographically, Longhu Ta stands beside Lotus Pond in Bidong Village in Zuoying District, north of central Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan.Bidong Village in Zuoying District Kaohsiung itself is a major city and port on the south-western coast of Taiwan, and the Zuoying area forms one of its older districts. Lotus Pond sits within the Lianchihtan scenic area, a zone where religious structures and recreational paths share the lakeside, and where water, walkways and temple roofs form a continuous sequence.
The wider district connects Longhu Ta with other temples and pavilions visible along the shore, including complexes joined to the land by bridges and walkways. From many vantage points around the lake, the twin pagodas of Longhu Ta can be seen rising above the water, framed by lower buildings and by the line of trees along the banks.towers dating to the 1970s The setting ties the complex not only to the religious life of Kaohsiung but also to its urban lakeside leisure spaces, where walking paths and cycling routes thread between temple entrances and waterfront viewpoints.
Visiting Longhu Ta: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- Longhu Ta stands beside Lotus Pond in Bidong Village in Zuoying District in the northern part of Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan, and is reached via city transport connections towards Zuoying stations on rail and metro lines.
- The site involves walking along lakeside paths and across causeways to reach the pagoda platforms, with staircases inside the towers for those who climb to higher levels.
- Lotus Pond is a low-lying artificial lake, so the terrain around Longhu Ta consists mainly of paved paths and bridges at modest elevation above the water.
- The official language is Chinese and the currency is the New Taiwan dollar.
- Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.
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Frequently asked questions about Longhu Ta
Where is Longhu Ta located within Kaohsiung?
Longhu Ta stands beside Lotus Pond in Bidong Village in Zuoying District, north of central Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan, within the wider Lianchihtan scenic area.
What can visitors expect when exploring Longhu Ta?
Visitors walk along lakeside paths and approach the pagodas via bridges, entering through the dragon and tiger figures and, if they choose, climbing staircases inside the towers.
What makes Longhu Ta distinctive among Kaohsiung’s temple sites?
The combination of twin seven-storey pagodas built in 1976 and the large dragon and tiger entrance figures, set out over the water of Lotus Pond, gives Longhu Ta a striking lakeside profile.
