想要了解高雄文明的起源，得從水的發展史談起。
高雄依山傍海，城市與港灣透過水系匯聚交流，聚落發展與產業運載相輔相成，河流帶來水源，澆灌出豐饒的農產，奠下高雄發展的基礎。隨著時間演進，水資源在政策的推動下，從自來水系統、產業運輸，到水力發電、軍事/工業用水等的水資源利用下，更將高雄推向現代化及工業化的城市。
本展將從高雄如何用水的角度出發，透過「高雄穀倉的孕育」、「哈瑪星現代化下的水利工程」、「戰爭下的水路布局」、「工業港都的承載」四大主軸，帶領大家認識水承載與開創出的大高雄歷史脈絡。
Kaohsiung grows from the point where harbor and river basins converge. Communities develop with industries. Rivers offer water resources to support agriculture and further development. Under official policies, Kaohsiung utilizes water in pipe systems, transportation, hydropower, and military/industry for modernization and industrialization. The exhibition will review historical development in Kaohsiung enabled by water in four themes: Agricultural Development in Kaohsiung, Hydraulic Engineering for Hamasen Modernization, Strategic Waterway under War, and Legacies in Industrial Harbor City. It will introduce historical contexts in Kaohsiung carried and powered by water.