Historic Site sights in Tainan City
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A
Koxinga's 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 Taiwan.
Koxinga did much to improve conditions on the island. But, like the KMT of modern times, he did not live to see the mainland retaken. He died after only a year in Taiwan, and his grandson surrendered to the Manchus in 1683.
There's a certain atmosphere of dignity surrounding Koxinga's Shrine, even though most of it is of rather recent origin: the original southern-style temple was rebuilt in a northern…
reviewed
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B
Chihkan Towers
This old fort is one of the best preserved, or perhaps we should say reconstructed, historical sights in Tainan. It's a splendid place in which to roam around, or even to enjoy an outdoor concert on the weekends.
Chihkan has gone through many masters – Ming, Qing and Japanese, and the Kuomintang (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. These stelae 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…
reviewed
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C
Eternal Golden Castle
Like many famous sights around Tainan, this fort 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.
Not much remains of the original fortress; oddly, though, the intact arched front gate was built with bricks pilfered from Anping Fort. The reconstructed fort and the cannons make for good photo ops. It's possible now, and recommended, to walk to the castle from the other sights in Anping.
City buses 2 and 14 stop at the castle, as does tour bus 88. You can walk from Anping St along the harbour in about 30 minutes.
reviewed
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D
Great South Gate
The garrison commander in you will love the martial feel of this old city gate, the only one in Tainan that still has much of its defensive wall intact. The inner grounds feature several cannons and a section of the old wall that is marvellously overgrown with thick roots. As with the Confucius Temple, the trees here are an attraction in themselves.
At the far end of the park look for a collection of handsome stelae that commemorate centuries of battles, bridge buildings, official promotions and anything else thought worthy of a large slab of engraved rock.
reviewed
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E
Anping Fort
The fort was a stronghold of Dutch power until captured by Koxinga in 1661 after a nine-month battle. Though most of the structure has been reconstructed, it's still an impressive site. A small museum on the grounds highlights the history of the Dutch occupation of Taiwan.
The fort sits behind the Matsu temple.
reviewed