By Staff – Images via Liberty Times
What is now Shuanghu Park (雙湖公園) was once Fudingjin Cemetery (覆鼎金公墓), long regarded as Taiwan’s largest burial ground. Before its relocation, the site contained more than 14,000 graves and was widely known among local youth as a place to test their nerve, surrounded by ghost stories and urban legends.
The cemetery relocation project began in 2015 and was completed in May 2018. During the process, rumors circulated after excavation machinery temporarily stalled, prompting speculation of supernatural interference. City officials attributed the incident to mechanical overheating but, respecting local custom, still carried out traditional rites to ensure the project proceeded smoothly.
Even after the relocation, stories persisted among those involved in the project, with some quietly recounting personal misfortunes. Over time, however, such accounts faded, replaced by a lingering sense of unease that has kept many residents away; ironically allowing the park to develop into a low-traffic ecological refuge.
The site has also inspired creative work. In 2013, Taiwanese novelist Hsieh Hsin-yu (謝鑫佑) set a story there, later adapted by Weiwuying (衛武營) into the stage production Soul Dizziness.
Today, three Japanese-era graves remain preserved in situ, honoring figures tied to Kaohsiung’s urban and labor history, quiet reminders of the land’s layered past.
