The old salt-port district on the inner harbour, just inland from Pier-2. Yancheng was the original commercial heart of Kaohsiung in the Japanese era, declined badly when the port shifted south, and has spent the last decade reinventing itself as the city's most interesting neighbourhood.
The streets are full of old shophouses now occupied by independent cafes, craft beer bars, vintage clothing shops and small galleries. The Hamasen Railway Cultural Park at its western edge is the converted Kaohsiung Harbour Railway terminal, with restored trains and a viewing platform. Walk from Pier-2 east into Yancheng and the change in pace and character is immediate.