Yanchao

Yàncháo (燕巢), formerly known as Yuánjiǎo (援剿) after Qing dynasty era military garrisons in the area, is a rural district in the hills of Kaohsiung. It encompasses part of southern Taiwan’s badlands terrain, including the Wushanding Mud Volcano (烏山頂泥火山), the largest mud volcano field in Taiwan. The Agongdian Reservoir (阿公店水庫), begun during the Japanese colonial era but not completed until 1953, occupies the western half of the district.