Cijin or Qijin (旗津) is an island 10 minutes ferry ride away from Kaohsiung Harbour. It is a popular day trip destination from the mainland, well known for its seafood and attractions.
I hopped onto a late afternoon ferry to Cijin, just in time to visit the island’s black sand beach and the ongoing Cijin Black Sand Festival. Cijin Black Sand Festival is held annually during the months of July to August. This year it runs from 14 July to 26 August 2018.
Ferries depart from Kaohsiung Port Warehouse No. 2 on a half hourly basis starting from 11am till 7.30pm. The return trips from Cijin Island starts from 11.15am till 7.45pm. Another option is to take ferry from Gushan Ferry Pier. Both ferry rides cost NT40 per way. Otherwise, hotel and hostel accommodation are available for those who prefers to enjoy Cijin over a night’s stay.
The beach is around a 5-minutes walk from Cijin Harbour. Along the way, stalls and shops lined the street for visitors to get that quick bite, grab a bubble tea or stop for some games. Snack on food items such as grilled squid, sausages, quail egg balls, cut tomatoes with dipping sauce or desserts such as aiyu jelly, mango ice; many of which can also be found in Taiwan’s many night markets.
Eateries specialising in seafood can easily be located along the street. At NT100 (S$4.40) a portion, I imagine one can enjoy a good seafood meal for an unbelievably affordable price. Traveling solo, I decided not to try since I wouldn’t be able to finish beyond 2 dishes.
This year’s Cijin Black Sand Festival’s theme is ‘高雄让我不想回家’, loosely translated to ‘Kaohsiung makes me don’t feel like going home’. There are 14 sand sculptures on display for this year’s festival. Each of the sculpture artistically embodies this theme in its own unique representation. Recalling my previous miserable attempts at building sandcastles, these sand sculptures looked impressive to me. Below are some photos of the sculptures I took.
This one ‘Sand to Sun’ was done by one single artist. The black sand festival logo of the year combined with a green energy light rail transit design is said to signify the welcoming of guests from all over the world to Kaohsiung on low carbon tourism.
The combined effort of 9 artists, this sand sculpture is titled ‘Capture the Beauty of Kaohsiung (高雄美景尽收眼底)’. It captures the beauty of Kaohsiung’s attractions ‘Siaogangshan Skywalk Park’ and Gangshan Aviation Education Exhibition Hall with some of its specialties such as shadow play, Gangshan goat meat and bean paste.
Created by 2 artists, this sculpture is named ‘The Sea Goddess Matsu (海神妈祖)’. Cijin Tianhou Temple is the most ancient temple in Kaohsiung and is located next to Cijin Presbyterian Church.
With me being there on a weekday, there was only sand sculptures on display. The viewing, by the way, is free of charge. If I had been able to go on a weekend, the festival has other interesting programs, such as DIY activities and performances.
It was a Tuesday evening but the beach had no lack of people enjoying the sand and the sea. I had the chance to relax and watch the sun went down before heading back to mainland Kaohsiung.
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Read about my trip to Kaohsiung in Taiwan – City of Kaohsiung Itinerary 2018 .
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