In 1945, Taiwan was returned to China. The war had devastated Kaohsiung Harbor, with sunken ships and damaged facilities everywhere. In December 1945, the Kaohsiung Harbor Bureau (KHB) was established to take charge of harbor restoration, which was largely completed in 1955. In 1958, the KHB began a twelve-year project to reclaim 544 hectares of shoreline to support increasing trade volumes.