Online Exhibition: The Shape of Confluence – Memories of the Love River

Kaohsiung's city river—the Love River—runs through the origin and course of the city's development. Tides nurtured the Love River's rich ecological resources; since prehistoric times, it has been a fishing ground for ancestors to rely on for sustenance. During the Cheng period and the Qing Dynasty, fishing, salt, and ferry crossings presented the scenery of "Dan Ferry's Clear Sails," one of the Eight Views of Fengshan. After the Tsao-kung Canal was completed, the Love River became the canal's tailrace; the canal's beneficial waters allowed settlements on the Kaohsiung plain to settle and thrive. During the Japanese colonial period, Kaohsiung implemented harbor construction projects, and the river channel and harbor were organized into their present form; the river and harbor became one as a transportation channel, and the river's downstream area became the political and economic center, a bustling district. From the 1930s to the 1980s, various industries grew rapidly along the harbor and riverbanks, bringing employment but also pollution; the Love River gradually lost its luster and even became foul-smelling. After over 40 years of remediation, the reborn Love River has gradually shifted its functions toward flood control, tourism, and recreation, becoming an important landscape that fosters city identity. For Kaohsiung citizens, the Love River is cross-generational and also part of daily life. Most Kaohsiung people's life journeys can reflect segments of life and emotional memories with the Love River, condensing memories into various adjectives that describe certain qualities, states, attributes, and other meanings. Therefore, this exhibition attempts to use various adjectives to summon each small unit of the Love River, outlining its diverse facets in historical memory.