The oldest parts of Kaohsiung are situated along its banks and it has long been a place where local people go to relax. It's known all over Taiwan because of the many romantic love stories set here, and in days gone by, almost every photographic studio in Taiwan offered a scene of an arched bridge over the Ai River and luxuriant coconut palms as a backdrop for photos.
雖然全長只有十餘公里，但因沿岸即高雄最早的發跡地，長期是當地人休憩的中心，許多浪漫愛情故事也發源於此，聞名全台。早年全省的照相館幾乎每家都有愛河拱型橋樑、扶疏椰林的棚景。