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Introducing Tainan City
We’ve always been very fond of Tainan (Táinán), and always impressed with its array of temples and historical relics. But we often wondered if we simply needed to get out more. So one day we travelled to Beijing and saw some of the greatest architectural wonders of the Chinese world. And then we returned to Tainan and found we were no less impressed with it than before. No, it couldn’t compare directly to Beijing, but then travel is not a zero sum game in our opinion, and the wonderful deserves to be praised as much as the amazing.
Tainan is the oldest city in Taiwan, and the fourth largest. It was here that Taiwan’s modern history began and it is here that much of its traditional culture continues to thrive. Outside Dutch-built forts, lively night markets sell dishes exclusive to the region. Inside hundreds-of-years-old temples, people bobui (toss divination sticks) to determine the best course of action, just as their ancestors did when the temple first opened. The only difference is that today, people then jump into their cars and head to air-conditioned homes.
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