Historical Background

Yungan Shiang, Kaohsiung County was once called "Yunganzai," the smallest township on the Coast area of Kaohsiung. Alhonyh n was till 1950, Yungan Siaiig tinallv became an independent administr- ative district from the governance of Miliio Sliiany. yet due to the production of salt fields and development of aquaculture since Japanese ruling over Taiwan, it has characteristic industries that contribute greatly to national economy.

In recent promotion of "feature develop- ment of township" policy, Yungan Shiang has been known for the farming of rock fish and the guided tours combing with ecology, history, culture, and local industry. In 2000. annual rock fish festival. "The Heart of Yungan, The Love of Rock Fish," started in Yungan aiming to combine industrial, historical, culture, and ecological resources to intorudce Yungan to interested visitors in more details and let them to know more about Yungan, one of the charming cities on the coastal area of Kaohsiung County.

Singda Power Plant is at north border between Yungan Siang and Jiading Siang; to the west, there is 6.8-meter coast line of Shingang Village. The south- east part of Yungan connects with Gang- shan Township and Agongdian River is at the south border between Yungan and Mituo Siang. During Japanese ruling over Taiwan, Yungan Siang was under the administration of Renshou Li and after the retrocession of Taiwan from Japan, it was then governed by Mituo Siang. It was till 1950, local elites such as Huang Wen-shou and Siyue Jiin-nong, proposed to set up an independent administrative district in accordance with local self-governance and regional adjustment. The name of Yungan refers to the wish to be always with happiness and it is composed of six villages of Yungan, Baoning, Weisiin, Yunghua, Siingang, and Yantian. Although currently Yungan has only the population of 14,000, it contributes incredible aquaculture farming values.

Located on southwest coast of Taiwan and has south border ot'Agongdian River with Mituo Siang. In the past hundred years. industries and clustering in Yungan developed along with the flooding and treatment of Agongdian River as well as the environmental change of inner sea area. South Coast of Taiwan where Yungan is located was an area full of sandbar and lagoons, the inner sea part of "Old Raokang." The high rising area at the east side of the highway, the current Bamboo Kang in Weisiin village, is the first developed and gathering site of Yungan where Han people entered to cultivate sugarcane plant in Ming Jheng Dynasty and after the middle of Late Cing Dynasty, fish pond and salt field became the leading local industries.

A big impact on coastal area was the building of large-scale artificial island, the 2700 wave protection dive, and a 14-meter depth port by sand pumping as well as a 75-hectare reclaimed land used for Liquid Cas Received Station at Yungan the initiated by China Petroleum Corporation in 1984 in costal area of Singang Village of Yungan Siang.

The measures resulted in the declination of coastal line along the sides of Agongdian River between Mituo Siang and Yungan Siang, but due to the shielding of ware protection dive,the area at the north once again formed sand banks, used for the planning and building for coastal recreation area.

The treatment for Agongdian River and building of wave protection dive, to some degree, has reduce the occurrence of nature disaster, yet the industrial develop- ment shaped the environment of Yungan. Yungan Industrial Park was built in 1975 in the era of economic leaps of Taiwan in the 1980s. At the peak, the Park had more than 100 tenant plants.

In 1978, the construction of Singda Power Plant of Taiwan-Power Co. commenced and the plant site covered the north side of Yungan and Jiading to provide sufficient power supply for Taiwan's economic development; however, the plant brought impacts to some ecological and industrial environment. The 200-year long salt production industry in Yungan became history because of poor salt quality caused by fly ash. But the contribution ofSiingda Power Plant to local construction enables Yungan to build its better infrastructure in both hardware and software and to provide better community service.

Today, Yungan has transformed its indust- rial production from net fishing and salt making to aquaculture farming. Along with the presence of Singda Power Plant and Liquid Gas Received Station of China Petroleum Corporation, lives in Yungan have been changed. But traditional living ways have been maintained in living clustering and religion believes.

Like its neighbors, Mituo and Jiading, aquaculture farming is also very popular in Yungan, but fanners here pump only surface water and there is no land sinking problem, showing positive meaning of mutual prosperity of industrial develop- ment and environment.