The Kaomei Lighthouse (高美燈塔), on the bank of the Dajia River (大甲溪) on the northern side of the Port of Taichung, is set to become a new tourist attraction, after renovation work was recently completed by the Maritime and Port Bureau.
The lighthouse was officially opened to tourists on Saturday, becoming one of 10 lighthouses nationwide, out of 35, that are open to the public.
Previously, the lighthouses were managed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Customs Administration. The Ministry of Transportation and Communications took over the management last year, and decided to turn some of them into tourist attractions.
Photo: CNA
Built in 1967 with steel reinforced concrete, the Kaomei Lighthouse has an octagonal structure and is the only one in the country painted with red and white stripes, the bureau said.
Visitors can see the wind power generators and Kaomei Wetlands (高美濕地) from the lighthouse, the bureau added.
The lighthouse stopped operations in 1982, when the lighting equipment was moved to the top floor of Far Eastern Silo and Shipping Corp, also known as the lighthouse in the Port of Taichung, the bureau said.
The Kaomei Lighthouse continued to exist without the lighting equipment, and many people have mistaken the 34m-high lighthouse as an incinerator chimney.
According to Yeh Luen-huei’s (葉倫會) Stories of Lighthouses in Taiwan (台灣燈塔的故事), the property on which the lighthouse was located also has a fountain, which is 1.5m deep and 6m in diameter.
His research showed that the water in the fountain used to shoot up about 3m because of the strong water pressure. Children were allowed to enter the property to play baseball and swim in the fountain.
However, after the 921 Earthquake in 1999, the groundwater stopped coming out of the fountain.
Aside from the lighthouse, visitors to the site can also see a rare flower called Chinese Spiranthes, a type of orchid.
When it is blooming, the flower will wrap around the stem like a dragon, the bureau said, adding that the flowers give out a light fragrance as well.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
Democratic Progressive Party caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu, front, grabs the pennant in a dragon boat race hosted by Qu Yuan Temple in the Shuanghsi River in Taipei’s Beitou District yesterday.