Zhongzheng Park is a vast area of scenic terrain on Dashawan Mountain overlooking the centre of Keelung. Climb to the top of the hill to see its impressive Statue of Guanyin and enjoy a panoramic view of the city’s harbour. The park is appropriate for families, as there are fun activities for kids, such as bumper cars.
As you walk up the mountain path, note the intriguing structures on each side. In addition to the Taoist temple there is a shrine built to appease hungry ghosts.
Visit the Keelung Midsummer Ghost Festival Museum to learn about the intriguing ceremony that takes place each year in the middle of July, when locals celebrate the dead. Rituals include providing food offerings and papier-mâché works of art and burning incense. The museum contains English plaques that explain the history and customs of the festival.
At the park’s peak, capture photos of the impressive 74-foot (23-metre) Statue of Guanyin. The white sculpture is among the largest depictions of the Buddhist and Taoist goddess of mercy in Southeast Asia. Climb up the steps inside the statue to reach its peak and look out through its eyes over the Keelung Harbour and the distant green mountains.
Take the kids on the bumper cars next to the large statue. The goddess of mercy and several Buddhist sculptures make an unusual location for the screeching and crashing of bumper cars.
Continue up Dashawan Mountain to reach Ershawan Fort, which dates back to 1840. Admire its preserved walls, pleasant environment and array of gun emplacements. Follow the path past the barracks and tombs.
The park itself remains open at all times and is free to enter.
Find Zhongzheng Park a little east of Keelung Harbour. Take a taxi or bus or walk to the park from the city centre and begin an ascent of the Dashawan Mountain to see the intriguing shrines and statues.
