Tainan is the old cultural capital of Taiwan and is rich in History. We relocated there from the beginning of 2004 and certainly found it interesting, although progressively backward compared to the big city - Taipei. For more general info about Tainan, its history, culture and background, see Tainan History below.

The apartment we had in Tainan was not too different from the one we had in Taipei - for a few photos of how it looks and some other Tainan Scenes, go to the Photo Gallery - click here.

Farewell to all our Friends and Work Colleagues

We left Tainan near the end of May 2006, leaving behind many fond memories and many good friends - to whom we would like to thank for your friendship, warm hospitality and interest. Likewise for Ian's work colleagues, many of whom will also have left Tainan and Taiwan, but for the local staff hopefully we will still keep in touch.

We plan to return to Taiwan some time in future.

Thanks to the staff at the Tainan National Cheng Kung University Hospital

For making Felicia's early pregnancy medical issues go smoothly, with excellent and first class care. We would specifically thank Dr Pan and his assistant Ms Wu for everything they have done to help during our time in Tainan.

 

Tainan History    (See also the Timeline of history about Taiwan - click here)

A lot of people probably don't know that in 1624, the same year the Dutch West India Company sent its first settlers to Manhattan Island in America, fellow countrymen were busy founding a colony half-way around the world on another island then commonly referred to as Formosa.

There, on the island's southern shores near the present-day city of Tainan, the Dutch built three forts and settled in for what would be a rather short stay. Falling under the control of the Dutch East India Company, the colonists set themselves to the duties of taxing the Chinese and introducing them to Christianity.

Whatever hopes they had were soon put to an end with the arrival in 1661 of a man known to Westerners today as Koxinga, or Cheng Cheng-kung, a Ming dynasty loyalist and the son of a pirate, who was retreating from a losing fight against the Manchus. Facing Cheng's large fleet and 30,000 armed men, the 600 Dutch settlers and 2,200 soldiers held out for almost two years but were eventually forced to leave their young colony in 1661.

Although the Dutch reign lasted only 38 years, the thriving Chinese community around it continued to grow through the succession of rule by Koxinga, the Ching court, the Japanese, and the Republic of China. Today, 350 years later, it remains intact, waiting to be explored by local and foreign visitors alike, threatened only by the encroachments of the modern world.

Anping Fort Area

                                                        
Fort Zeelandia was one of three forts built by the Dutch in the Tainan area.             A Dutch colonial military relic.

Just minutes outside of the main part of Tainan city, toward the coast, is the district of Anping, which contains what is left of one of Taiwan's earliest Chinese settlements, in addition to the remains of one of the Dutch strongholds, Fort Zeelandia. Although this fort remains a focal point for tourists, it is the ancient alleyways and equally old homes and shops, some dating back hundreds of years, that make for the most fascinating explorations and wanderings.

This is a world of tiny shops, home factories, and houses clustered together and facing each other across passages barely three meters wide in places, where cars are not able to navigate. Walking through this maze of alleys, one sees even more closely the marks of an earlier time. Plain wooden doors are framed by carved wooden plaques, pasted sayings on red paper, faded paper lanterns and, here and there, the slightly ferocious face of a colorful wooden door guardian. Some of the old paving and foundation stones date back, residents say, to the Dutch era. Even more tangible are the leaning brick walls of some homes which, like the circles on a tree stump, show successive generations of construction, repair, and additions that go back two or three hundred years.

                
The park and its environs make a distinctly relaxing place to escape the summer heat and learn about Taiwan's history.

Fortunately for visitors, the Anping area is very easy to see by foot, as it clusters fairly tightly around Fort Zeelandia. The fort, known to locals as Anping Fort, is an obvious place to start any tour and is fairly interesting itself. Paying a small admission fee will give you admittance to the fort, with its brick walls, cannons, peaceful-looking white buildings, and a pointed, red-topped tower. Climbing the tower gives a good view of the area, which used to be surrounded by the sea but, due to siltation, now sits quite a way inland. There are some exhibits of the Dutch period and Koxinga's victory inside the main building; and, naturally, there is a statue of the victor himself outside.

Very little other than the foundation and a piece of wall remains of the original Dutch structure, which was destroyed by a typhoon in the 19th century. Many of its bricks were carted away and used to build a nearby Ching dynasty coastal fort in 1875, the Yitsai Chin Cheng, or Eternal Fortress, which can be visited at 16 Nanwen Road in the Anping district. What is seen today has been built or rebuilt over the years by the Japanese and Chinese.

The most significant chunk of the original wall of Fort Zeelandia stands to the left of an open area in front of the ticket booth. This solid-looking 30-foot brick wall used to extend out to a stronghold by the sea and, amazingly, was constructed by the Dutch using glutinous rice, syrup, and crushed oyster shells. Of interest are scissors-shaped imprints left by metal brackets about half-way up the wall. Local historians have debated whether these were used to support buildings against the wall or to hold torches.

On the corner just meters away from the fort sits what some locals claim is the oldest Matsu temple in Taiwan. This seems to be a point of disagreement among several Matsu temples, which are vying for that title. The three gods displayed inside the large structure were brought over by Koxinga and, according to temple workers, were completely unscathed in a fire which destroyed the temple four years ago.

In front of the temple runs the main Anping Road. On Kupao Street, which is perpendicular to the road and runs down the back side of the fort, you can gain access to Yenping, Shao Chung, and Chungsing streets, which are all parallel to Anping Road. These narrow passageways make up the network of ancient buildings described earlier as the original settlement of Anping. During Dutch times, the town was separated from the fort by 200 meters of open space used for a market, a gallows, and other purposes.

This area is worth an hour or two of exploring and is great for photography. With some exceptions, most of the residents are friendly and don't seem to mind the curiosity of outsiders. Here and there, elderly citizens tend tiny, packed shops that their parents owned a century ago, selling candy and chipped bottles of cold soda. On the inside walls of homes, the faded and curled black-and-white photographs of ancestors and past generations can be seen. The whole area exudes another era and it is possible to pretend that you've been transported back in time half a century or so.

On and around Yenping Street are several specific sites of interest. About halfway down the street is the diminutive Choulung temple which, according to its neighbors, is 337 years old, making it one of the oldest on the island. Not far away, on the parallel Tien Street, stands the restored site of Hai Shan Hall, which was built by Ching dynasty soldiers in 1684, the year Koxinga's forces were finally defeated in Taiwan. The small compound, surrounded by a white wall, is now a museum called the Anping Hsiang Tu Kuan and is open to the public.

The simple, relaxing pleasure of wandering through Anping's quiet streets is one that shouldn't be missed or, given the current uncertainty over the area's future, taken for granted. Provided that the area's historical character remains intact, Fort Zeelandia, Yenping Street, and the surrounding streets will continue to give visitors an unrivaled, real-life look at Taiwan's rich and varied past.

Yenping, the oldest commercial street in Taiwan, is a pleasant place to stroll and take in a glimpse of what the island used to be like.

Chikan Tower

Tainan Chikan Tower was built by the Dutch in 1653, originally called Provintia, meaning eternity in Dutch. It was later renamed "Tower of Savages" or "Tower of red-haired Barbarians" by the Han Chinese. The Chinese called the building "Chikan Tower", "Fantselou" or "Honmaulou".  Chikan Tower has been an administration centre of Tainan since the Dutch's occupation period. In 1661 when the Chinese general, Cheng Chengkung, repelled the Dutch, Provintia was changed to be the Chentien Governor's mansion. In the early stage of the Ching Dynasty when the Taichiang River was still running, the tides would reach Chikan Tower directly. "The sunset in Chikan Tower" was one of the eight famous scenes in Taiwan during this period. In front of Chikan Tower there are nine sets of stone turtles carrying plates. These were made in the Ching Dynasty. There is also a stone horse with broken legs. Later, Chikan Tower declined due to damage caused by civilian upheaval and lack of management. Chinese style building was added to the original Dutch architectural body. During the Japanese colonization period, Chikan Tower was changed to be an army hospital. After Taiwan was changed to R.O.C., there was some restoration and repair, with the wooden structure being changed into a steel and concrete structure. The main entrance was also changed to create the look of Chikan Tower today. Although Chikan Tower has gone through Ming Dynasty, Ching Dynasty and the Japanese Colonization Period, it basically still maintains its original look. Scattered in it's gardens are various kinds of stone tablets, stone horses, stone camels and a row of nine turtle-borne steles with texts inscribed in both the Chinese and Manchu languages. It is currently a National Grade 1 Historical Site. An old timber framed schoolhouse dating from 1886 is located on the site.

Go to Tainan Photos for photos taken during a recent visit.

Tainan - Surrounding Countryside / Coastal Areas

Tainan has around 20 kilometers of beautiful coastal scenery. The section of the coastline on the northwest side of the Yenshui River includes the Sutaso Wetlands. With its dense groves of mangrove trees, Sutaso is paradise for exotic birds. The sutaso Wetlands is a refuge to some 20 endangered bird species. Among the 400 species of wild birds in Taiwan, more than half can be found at Sutaso. The wetlands also serve as a stopower spot for migratory birds from Asia and Australia: statistics show that over I million birds come to Sutaso every year. Therefore, to help presrve the beautiful and precious ecological features in the area, the Sutaso Wilddife Protection Reserve has been established.

The Snping Harbor area, located south of the Yenshui River, has been developed into an international commercial port and a deep-sea fishing center. A plan to extend the sailing route from the harbor to the city center via the city canal has begun. However, the function of the canal has long been impaired by pollution problems. To resolve this, a new underground sewerage system has been built and a pollution control and management program has been underway. Soon, then, the original beauty and cleanliness of the canal will be restored.

Since its construction some 70 years ago, the Tainan Canal has served citizens, not only as an important river transportation route, but also as a reminder of fond memories. Therefore, developing the economy and protecting the environment are only two of the aspects that the pollution control and management program contains. The program also contrins various cultural aspects, as numerous cultural activities are being planned along the banks of the canl. The purpose of this is to build certain images in the minds of the people; thus, when they think of the canal, they will recall both the practical and the aesthetic functions.

Farther south along the coastline lies the amiable and always changing Golden Coast. The flat beach of the Golden Coast is nearly three kilometers in length. With the shining blue sky and sparkling ocean, the coast is an attaction to both swimmers and tourists. Because the area is large enough, resorts have been developed into multi-dimensional recreation centers with facilities for swimming, sightseeing, fishing, camping, and lodging. Amid the historical and cultural feasts provided in Tainan, the Golden Coast offers a unique option for travelers in the area. Along with all of the other treasures the city has to offer, Tainan is a recreational paradise with something for everyone.