[Kaohsiung 高雄] Fongyi Academy 凤仪书院 + picnic to go 有。野餐－Lynda's Taiwan-logue

< Visited in May 2017 >

Fongyi Academy 凤仪书院 was constructed in 1814, during the Qing dynasty reign of Emperor Jiaqing (嘉庆). Declared a third-grade national monument back in 1985, management rights were obtained by the Kaohsiung county government in 2005, leading to a series of refurbishment and eventually opening to the public in end 2014. Accessible by MRT to Fongshan station 凤山站 followed by a leisurely stroll from exit 2, this makes an easy and favourable day excursion, including good food in the precinct - for me, lunch at picnic to go 有。野餐.

▼ Fongshan MRT station 凤山捷运站. A display on the district's history - bringing back fond memories of classroom display boards - and beautiful totem art.

▼ Taking a left turn upon exiting the station (well-guided by Google Maps).

One of the key administrative centres in Kaohsiung and a base for some military units, the colourful suburban district is primarily residential, thus the abundance of shops and food options.

▼ Reaching the Kaohsiung City Government Police Bureau 高雄市政府警察局刑事警察大队, on the right of this photo, I chose to turn in here.

▼ Turning into a smaller road and spotting a street directional sign to know I am on the right path to Fongyi Academy 凤仪书院.

The quieter roads have their own neighbourhood charm, sometimes chancing upon quaint shops and beautiful old houses with traditional facades and window grilles.

A grand looking temple within the quiet streets - the (more than) 200-year-old Fongshan Fongyi City God Temple 凤山凤邑城隍庙, constructed in 1800.

Fongyi Academy 凤仪书院 is right beside the temple.

▼ Winding round to the main entrance and ticketing counter.

Few visitors that late weekday morning, rather conducive for leisurely sightseeing.

▼ The art of conserving historical sites as modern buildings sprout in the surroundings, creating a contrasting landscape.

▲▼ An interesting outdoor section that visitors tend to linger at. Glad there were few visitors at that timing, making it easier to photograph. (With the same due consideration to other visitors, I left the area when other visitors entered the premises.)

▼ Strolling deeper into the premises, refurbished and carefully curated sections narrate more of the monument, where scholars used to stay, study and take their imperial examination.

▼ The exhibition includes historical development of Fongshan district, before, through and after the Japanese occupation.

▼ Carefully preserved artefacts are the most direct connection to the past.

▼ Wenchang Altar 文昌祠, dedicated to the god of culture and literature.

The vast premises take a good hour or so to explore. A small shop and cafe beckoned at the end of my walking route, a welcomed end-point in the merciless southern heat.

The Hanlin 翰林 beverage brand is one of the popular chains in Taiwan.

▼ The dine-in zone was not air-conditioned when I was there, likely due to a lack of crowd, but was contented to make do with a fan.

▼ Pu-er tea egg & "panda milk tea" (essentially milk tea with black and white pearls) 普洱茶叶蛋 & 熊猫奶茶 - refreshment before a planned lunch.

Back into the embrace of the afternoon sun, I took a slightly different pathway to my next destination - picnic to go 有。野餐, soaking in more of the neighbourhood sights.

▼ Taiwan... an absolute fruits haven! In recent years, I even order directly from fruit farmers (found easily on FB, though you should still exercise due diligence to check the quality of products and service), some of whom allow cash payment upon delivery to my hotel.

▼ Almost missed this narrow walkway to the cafe!

▼ picnic to go 有。野餐 - a cafe commonly blogged about when I was searching for lunch venues in this area.

▼ Some second hand kitchenware on sale outside the cafe going for NTD10-50, if you don't mind some slight defects.

▼ The cafe interior, post-lunch crowd at 2pm.

▼ Took my seat in this cosy corner.

▼ There is a 90-minute restriction during peak hours, which didn't apply to my visit.

▼ Japanese salmon with rice set, including an iced green tea 日式鲑鱼定食, 含冰绿茶. Together with a soup and side dishes, the portion was just nice and well-balanced for one hungry diner.