Sun-Shooting Tower , located in Chiayi Park, a place where you can enjoy a panoramic view of Chiayi City, capture the beautiful sunset, and admire the urban nightscape. The surrounding area also features several famous attractions such as the Chiayi Arboretum, where you can step from the city into a forest in seconds, the Chiayi City Historical Relic Museum with its strong Japanese influence, and the Chiayi Confucius Temple. If you visit Chiayi but miss out on Chiayi Park, it would be a real pity!
Sun-Shooting Tower Opening Hours
Address｜No. 46, Gongyuan St., East District, Chiayi City
Opening Hours｜
- Saturday 09:00 – 19:00
- Sunday 09:00 – 18:00
- Wednesday to Friday 09:00 – 17:00
- Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays
- Phone (05) 275-1357
Admission Fees (Ticket Prices)
Taking the elevator to the Sun-Shooting Tower observation deck, art gallery, or scenic café requires a fee of NT$60. A portion of this fee can be used as credit at the café.
Attractions around Sun-Shooting Tower
The Sun-Shooting Tower is located within Chiayi Park, and from there you can walk to several attractions, including the Chiayi Arboretum of the Forestry Research Institute, the Japanese-style Chiayi City Historical Relic Museum, and KANO park. If you drive or rent a Youbike, you can also visit nearby attractions such as the Lan Pond Dam Scenic Area, Chiayi Prison Museum, Hinoki Village, Chiayi City Museum, the Sleeping Forest Theme Park, Song of the Forest, and Museum of Old Taiwan Tiles.
Chiayi Tower/Sun-Shooting Tower
You can easily spot the Sun-Shooting Tower from a distance.
Around the tower, you'll find various installations and sculptures from different periods and in different styles. Notably, at the entrance, there are bronze sculptures of a pair of Formosan clouded leopards on either side.
I found out that the design of the Sun-Shooting Tower was inspired by the sacred trees of Alishan. The dark brown aluminum strips around it symbolize the outer bark of these sacred trees. The hollow design in the middle, resembling paper-cut art, tells the legend of the Pingpu tribe(Plains Indigenous peoples) shooting down the sun. Note that this is not the traditional "Houyi Shoots the Sun" story, but rather the Pingpu tribe's legend of three warriors shooting down the sun.
Entering the ground floor is free of charge, but there is a fee if you want to take the elevator to the café or observation deck.
The art gallery on the 10th floor also features numerous paintings, but my personal favorite is the skywalk, where you can enjoy a breathtaking view from above!
Here, you can understand why the entire Sun-Shooting Tower was built with a hollow design!
If you've finished exploring the art gallery on the 10th floor, you can choose to either enjoy the cool air conditioning and coffee snacks at the café on the 11th floor or head directly to the open-air observation deck on the 12th floor.
It's important to note that the Sun-Shooting Tower closes at 5:00 PM on weekdays, which is before sunset. If you plan to capture the sunset view, I strongly recommend
checking the sunset time in Chiayi beforehand and planning accordingly. If your schedule allows, you can also take your time here to capture the daytime, sunset, and nighttime views of Chiayi all in one go!
Honestly, the 12th floor can indeed feel a bit warm without air conditioning, but capturing the fiery red sunset view seems quite worthwhile!
Waiting until the sun gradually disappears, painting the sky in shades of orange and red.
Finally, you can enjoy the city's night view with all the lights aglow! When you think about it, paying just NT$60 to experience three different perspectives of Chiayi City from above is actually quite a good deal!
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