KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan -- It takes a little over two hours to rocket from Taipei to Kaohsiung by high-speed rail. But speed is not everything. Making the return journey on local and express trains covers diverse island terrain peppered with vintage station houses and historic sites, opening new dimensions to any visitor's take on contemporary Taiwan.
A quick tour of the island's second city reveals that the image of a grimy industrial port lodged in my head is outmoded. Marquee attractions like the iconic National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts -- the world's largest performing arts theater -- signpost the city's objective of being a 21st-century creative and technological powerhouse.
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