Showing 1-18 of 18 results
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Altar of Heaven Temple
Have you had a run of bad luck lately? Then visit the Altar of Heaven Temple and pray to the supreme Taoist entity, the Jade Emperor (or Lord of Heaven), to help you out. Tainan families have been doing this for generations on the 1st and 15th of every month.
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Anping Matsu Temple
The Anping Matsu Temple is yet another of the 'first' Matsu temples in Taiwan. But it does genuinely feature what many believe to be the oldest Matsu statue. It's not the one you think (the biggest one in the back shrine), however, but the middle one on the second row of smaller Matsu statues.
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Anping Oyster Ash Kiln
It's generally believed that the Dutch taught the Taiwanese to make a durable brick mortar using crushed oyster shells mixed with sugar water and sticky rice. At one time, oyster-shell kilns (which produced the ground-oyster ash) were a common sight in Tainan. The ruins of this kiln represent the last of its kind. The kiln is nothing special to look at but it's still worth a visit to learn more about this little-known industry.
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Anping Tree House
Anping Tree House, on the same grounds as the merchant house, stands out for the large banyan growing in the gutted centre.
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Chihkan Towers
One of the best preserved, or perhaps we should say reconstructed, historical sights in Tainan is this old fort (Fort Proventia). It's a splendid place to roam around, or even enjoy an outdoor concert on the weekends.
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City God Temple
The city god tallies our good and bad deeds in this life after we die. Hence it is not unusual that his image appears in the Dongyue Temple, dedicated to underworld, nor that these two temples are very close to each other.
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Confucius Temple
You expect a Confucius Temple to exude the calm, grace and dignified beauty of traditional Chinese culture, and this, the first Confucian temple in Taiwan, doesn't disappoint. Nor do the grounds, which contain one of the largest and most beautiful banyan trees in all of Taiwan.
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Dongyue Temple
People often come to the Dongyue Temple to communicate with the dead through spiritual mediums. It's a fascinating place to catch a glimpse of Taiwanese folk culture. In addition, the grim murals on the walls of the second chamber are as graphic as the depictions of hell by Hieronymus Bosch: there are disembowelments, eye gougings, stabbings, boilings and so much more.
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Eternal Golden Castle
Like many famous sights around Tainan, the Eternal Golden Castle goes by different names: Erkunshen Cannon Fort, Anping Big Cannon Fort and Eternal Golden Castle. The fortress was built in 1876 to shore up Taiwan's defences against the Japanese threat.
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Fort Zeelandia
In 1624 the Dutch seized the area known as Anping to establish a military and commercial base in Taiwan. Fort Zeelandia was a stronghold of Dutch power until captured by Koxinga in 1661. Though most of the fort has been reconstructed, it's still an impressive site.
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God of War Temple
This is the oldest and most impressive temple in Taiwan dedicated to Kuan Kung, a Han dynasty general deified as the war god.
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Great South Gate
The garrison commander in you will love the martial feel of the old Great South Gate, the only town gate in Tainan that still has much of its defensive wall intact. The inner grounds feature several cannons and a section of the old wall marvellously overgrown with thick roots. As with the Confucius Temple, the trees here are an attraction in themselves.
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Koxinga Shrine
When the Ming dynasty was overthrown by the Manchus in 1661, Koxinga (Cheng Cheng-kung) led his army to Taiwan with plans to restock supplies and then retake the mainland. He found the Dutch already here, but after nine months battle they surrendered and departed from Taiwan.
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Lady Linshui's Temple
The elaborate design and excessive ornamentation of Lady Linshui's Temple would clue most traditionally minded Chinese into the fact that it is dedicated to a woman - in this case, Lady Linshui.
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Matsu Temple
The lively Matsu Temple once served as the palace of Ning Jin, the last king of the Ming dynasty. If you wish to confirm visually that a king's status is lower than an emperor's, count the steps to the shrine. There are only seven; an emperor would get nine.
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National Museum of Taiwanese Literature
The building that houses the new National Museum of Taiwanese Literature was once the Tainan District Hall. Built in 1916 by the Japanese, it's a gorgeous example of colonial architecture. Even if literature is not your greatest interest, it's worth coming just to wander the halls and relax in the foyer.
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Tait & Co Merchant House
This merchant house was built by the British in 1867 and now holds a permanent exhibit of household artefacts from the 17th century (donated by the Dutch government). Through a series of decorated rooms, the exhibit highlights the lifestyle of Dutch, Chinese and aboriginal families.
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Wufei Temple
When Koxinga's grandson surrendered to the Manchus in 1683, all hope of restoring the Ming dynasty ended. King Ning Jin, the last contender for the Ming throne, knew his time was up. Before he committed suicide, however, he urged his concubines to 'get thee to a nunnery'. The concubines refused, claiming their honour was as important as the king's, and hanged themselves on a roof beam in the bedroom of his palace. The palace is now the shrine to Matsu's parents at the Matsu Temple and the beam is still in place.
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Showing 1-18 of 18 results
