Siaogang District

Siaogang District (Chinese: 小港區; Hanyu Pinyin: Xiǎogāng Qū; Tongyong Pinyin: Siǎogang Cyu; Wade–Giles: Hsiao³-kang¹ Ch'ü¹; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Sió-káng-khu) is the southernmost district of Kaohsiung City in southern Taiwan. The second largest airport in Taiwan, Kaohsiung International Airport, is located here.

History

Siaogang was developed during Dutch occupation. The Dutch built Hongmao Harbor as an addition to Anping Harbor in Tainan. After losing the war against Koxinga, the Dutch left Taiwan. Koxinga decided to develop Taiwan as the base to revive the Ming Dynasty and prepare his troops for fighting the Qing Dynasty. He sent one of his men, Wu Yanshang, to expand Siaogang. After Koxinga, his son, and his grandson died, the Qing Dynasty quickly defeated the Ming remnants and annexed Taiwan. In 1895, the Qing Dynasty ceded Taiwan to Japan in the Treaty of Shimonoseki after losing the First Sino-Japanese War, and Siaogang was used to produce sugar for Japanese.

As a heavy industry base in Taiwan during World War II, Siaogang was more heavily bombed by the Allied force than other parts of the city. After the war, Siaogang was administrated as Siaogang Township of Kaohsiung County, a third-level government of the Republic of China, under Taiwan Province. Siaogang was annexed by Kaohsiung City and become Siaogang District on 1 July 1979, when Kaohsiung City became a special municipality.