Chihkan Towers

Lonely Planet review

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.

Chihkan has gone through many masters (Ming, Qing, Japanese and the KMT, China's Nationalist party) since the foundations were first laid by the Dutch in 1653. At that time the seashore reached the fort's outer walls. Our favourite features are the nine stone turtles with tablets on their backs. The steles hail from the Qing dynasty and if you check the backs you can see where the carver made a mistake on one and, rather than starting over with a fresh slab, simply turned the stone around and redid everything on the other side.

There are English explanations around the site as well as a brochure you can pick up when you enter. At night the whole area around the fort is filled with shops and vendors selling traditional foods.