Former British Consulate at Takao

The British Consulate at Takao is a former British consulate built in 1865 in the city of Kaohsiung in south-west Taiwan and was the first western-style building built on the island. It has been designated as a 2nd Class Historic Site by the Taiwanese Ministry of the Interior.

Located in Gushan District it lies at the peak of Shaochuantou and overlooks Sizihwan Bay and Kaohsiung Port . It currently serves as a cafe and tourist attraction. In 1860 the Treaty of Peking forced the Qing government of Taiwan (then Formosa) to open up the ports of Takao (now known as Kaohsiung), An-Ping (Anping, Tainan), Tamsui (Tamsui, New Taipei) and Keelung to foreign trade.

As the largest empire of the time Britain was one of the first western countries to establish a consulate, appointing Robert Swinhoe as the first British vice-consul in 1860, although he was unable to physically obtain the post until 1862. Initially the consulate was centred in Tamsui, but in 1864 the office was moved to Takau.

The building itself was built in 1865 by the Tien-li Company (also known as McPhail & Co.) overlooking Takao Harbour and the materials were brought over from the city of Amoy (now Xiamen) on Mainland China. It was rented by the British Government in 1867. In the same year Swinhoe was appointed as the first Consul General in Formosa a post he would hold until his retirement from government service in 1873.