The Dome Of Light

February 05, 2009 By: thenhbushman Geotag Icon Show on map Category: leisure, Lifestyle, Taiwan, Technology, Travel

Photos by MJ Klein

Hui-chen and I had a few opportunities to check out the new KRT while we were in Kaohsiung. We also took a look at the “Dome Of Light” in Formosa Boulevard station.

Approaching the station, we saw these bikes in the rack:

There are plenty of bike racks to lock up your fixie along the road on the way to the KRT station.

This is the Oil Refinery Elementary School station entrance.

For some strange reason, all the side entrances were locked that day.

Here is the ground-level entrance to the station.

As we reported before, there are maps at each station – very convenient.

The train approaches and we’re about to get on.

The trains were absolutely packed due to the holiday. Hui-chen and I never even saw a seat, nevermind sitting on one. Passengers need to learn to move to the inside of the cars though. There seems to be some fear of not being able to get off at your station, much like how people crowd the elevator doors instead of moving towards the back.

We reached Formosa Boulevard Station and got off the train to take a look at the Dome of Light.

The Dome of Light tells a story that the artist had in mind when the Dome was created.

It’s quite colorful and impressive in person.

Lots of people were taking photographs that day. Notice the horn band in the background. They were using a keyboard drum machine and bass while playing live horns.

This is an explaination about the story behind the Dome of Light. There are audio tours available too, so you can take a walking tour and hear the story if you are interested.

The above-ground stations look pretty cool too.

Next we took a walk to another nearby station because it looks cool.

This is Central Park station.

The station was jam packed so we didn’t stay for long.

We hope you like taking a look at Kaohsiung with us! Be sure to give this article a rating so we know how you like it. Thanks for reading!

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19 Responses to “ The Dome Of Light ”

# 1 David on Formosa Says:
February 5th, 2009 at 7:40 pm
Formosa Station was closed when I visited Kaohsiung. I really must go back and check it out soon. It looks very impressive.

David on Formosas last blog post..2009 Taipei Book Exhibition

thenhbushman reply on February 6th, 2009 10:44 am:

Oh, it’s all open now David, and ready for your visit! i recommend you bring a wide-angle lens with you.
# 2 Ashish Says:
February 5th, 2009 at 8:42 pm
Those bikes seems like a minimalist’s approach to bicycling. Dome of light looks majestic man and as David said, it must very impressive to see that in person. Great photos MJ. Nice colors in there.

Ashishs last blog post..Strawberries in Puli

thenhbushman reply on February 6th, 2009 10:43 am:

the bikes look like fixies with coaster brakes because i didn’t see any brake levers installed anywhere. i *doubt* that they’re brakeless like the stupid rage in the US to ride track bikes on the street with no brakes (dumb!).

The Dome of Light is a surreal place in the middle of the subway and that shouldn’t surprise anyone who knows Taiwan. hope you get a chance to see it sometime.
# 3 mike01905 Says:
February 5th, 2009 at 9:33 pm
WOW… those are some amazing pics from inside of Formosa Boulevard Station. Lots of different and amazing looking colors.

thenhbushman reply on February 6th, 2009 10:38 am:

Mike, it looks quite impressive in person too. i found it interesting, but frankly not interesting enough to want to take the audio tour. but still, this shows Taiwan’s commitment to art.

mike01905 reply on February 6th, 2009 11:29 am:
One thing I forgot to mention. The first pic… kind of reminds me of being on a side street in the Harvard Square area

thenhbushman reply on February 6th, 2009 6:43 pm:

yeah it does kinda look like that area Mike. Taiwan is a country of all sorts of scenes. you’ll be seeing them yourself soon.
# 4 Carrie Says:
February 6th, 2009 at 12:56 pm
Awesome photos MJ! The Dome of Light looks incredible. I can’t wait to see it with my own eyes! Although….your photos are the next best thing!

Carries last blog post..Culture Tips: How to Eat in Japan

thenhbushman reply on February 6th, 2009 6:42 pm:

thanks Carrie. maybe we can show you around Kao sometime soon. take care.
# 5 Sandy Says:
February 7th, 2009 at 12:44 am
Fabulous photos! I love how Kaohsiung really put in the effort to have every station designed differently. I am impressed. I have only seen these stations from the outside, so thank you for posting these!

Sandys last blog post..Castles and Cathedrals

thenhbushman reply on February 7th, 2009 10:49 am:

Sandy, you’re welcome! yes, the designs of the stations is quite well executed and as you pointed out, each station is different from the others. i can’t say enough about the KRT system. it’s one of the best ever.
# 6 cfimages Says:
February 8th, 2009 at 9:39 pm
The Dome of Light looks cool. I shot a bunch of images there at CNY but haven’t had a chance to look at them yet. I’ll be happy if some of mine are as good as these.

OT but does the KMRT seem narrower than Taipei’s one to you? That was one thing S and I were wondering about – Taipei’s MRT seems to have wider carriages.

cfimagess last blog post..Tools of the Trade

thenhbushman reply on February 9th, 2009 12:18 pm:

Craig, i wouldn’t worry about your photos of the Dome – i’m sure they are spectacular.

re: Taipei MRT, to be honest i have very little experience with the Taipei system. it’s been so long since i rode the Taipei MRT that i can’t remember what they looked like well enough to respond to your question about the size. i’ll have to think about that next time i happen to ride the MRT.
# 7 Links 9 February 2009 - David on Formosa Says:
February 9th, 2009 at 8:07 am
[...] The Bushman checks out Formosa Station on the Kaohsiung MRT. [...]
# 8 dave Says:
February 13th, 2009 at 2:39 am
Nice photos. I hear there is some controversy about the “international” Artist who collected a Big paycheck for the Dome? I’ll be visiting my partner in JhongHe City,Taipei @ the end of the month. I want to check it out along with several of the places I seen on your site Thanks.

thenhbushman reply on February 13th, 2009 7:08 pm:

oh? i didn’t hear anything about the controversy. do you know what it’s about? we hope you have time on your upcoming trip to check out the Dome. thanks Dave.

dave reply on February 15th, 2009 1:51 am:
It’s apparently,per my Taiwanese friend in Taipei,something to do with the amount paid and the legitimacy of the artists credentials. Either way it’s beautiful.

thenhbushman reply on February 15th, 2009 11:33 am:

Dave, there are always controversies here involving money. i couldn’t care less either way, lol. i’m with you – the Dome looks cool so let it rest.