It seems a fitting entrance, approaching a city with such a rich maritime history by ship. From the top deck of the Silver Whisper cruise ship, Kaohsiung, Taiwan’s second-largest city, materializes from the early morning mist.

First the landmark 85-story Tuntex Sky Tower rears its head above the clouds. Then,  quickly, cliffs loom at the ship’s sides, wind-whipped black sand beaches seem within reaching distance and the cruise liner passes through a tiny harbor mouth into a bustling port, where tankers, freighters and battleships line up in neat rows.

Home to the Taiwanese navy as well as light and heavy manufacturing, Kaohsiung grew with Japanese industrial know-how from a tiny fishing village to Taiwan’s second-busiest port. Ships of all sizes chug up and down orderly shipping channels, like lanes in an Olympic-size swimming pool, squeezed between the mainland and the slim, picturesque island of Cijin.

It’s not just sailors and fishermen who have traditionally called Kaohsiung home. The region has always been popular with pilgrims traveling to its many Confucius, Taoist and Buddhist temples, and now sun worshippers are heading to Kenting National Park, south of the city. The development of a high-speed train from the capital Taipei has cut travel time from five hours to 90 minutes, allowing Kaohsiung the chance of a tourism renaissance.

As the ship is nudged into position by tugs, tiny ferries flitter across the harbor to Cijin Island. Acting as a natural breakwater for the port, Cijin has a completely different feel from the rest of Kaohsiung, more like a wafer-thin seaside retreat, with low-rise homes and waterside promenades.

Visitors looking to escape the city madness can take ferries from the romantically named Love and Glory piers on the Love River, which spills into the harbor, or opt for  the less romantic route through the harbor tunnel. They can dine at seafood restaurants, take evening walks to the Cihou Lighthouse at the harbor’s entrance, ride in the island’s iconic three-wheel pedicabs, or visit the 300-year-old Tien Hou Temple, dedicated to the Goddess of the Sea.

Temples play an important role in the life of Kaohsiung – not surprising, with the superstitious nature of the seafarers who have called the region home for hundreds of years. The Lotus Pond is a man-made lake named for its abundance of summer time blooms, nestled between Guei (Turtle Mountain) to the south and Banping (Half-Screen Mountain) to the north. On its banks, the Wen Temple dates back to 1686 and remains a popular first stop for visitors ambling along the lake’s western shoreline, which is dotted with temples, shrines, parks and religious schools. A new poetry walk celebrates the city’s literary history, with 15 pieces, all written in traditional Chinese by local poets, inscribed on tablets along the shore front.

Continued: A Day in Kaohsiung: Taiwan's Second City
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