Tainan is Taiwan's earliest developed area and it is also the city that contains the largest number of Level 1 Monuments in Taiwan. This old city full of historic and cultural atmosphere takes prominent position in the historical and cultural development of Taiwan, and in turn, it has also attracted many tourists domestically and from abroad. We have carefully selected historic sites in Tainan steeped in legends and historical significance so that visitors can embark on the most enriching cultural journey. We have also included the most well-known local Tainan snacks and cuisine, so while you take in the finest cultural sights, you will also be able to enjoy delicious traditional flavors from the bygone days.
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Exclusive to International Tourists | Anping Old Castle Entry Ticket x1
In the beginning of the 17th century, an army made up of Dutch traders and militia overtook the area known as Anping today in 1624. They established Fort Zeelandia as their defense fortress and the construction was completed in 1634. In 1662, Zheng Chenggong successfully captured Fort Zeelandia and renamed it Anping Town while the inner fort was turned into his personal palace compound. Therefore, the Taiwanese people also called it King's Fort. Under Qing dominion, the city lost its prominence due to the loss of Taijiang, in addition, Fort Zeelandia was damaged when the Qing army took it apart to build the Eternal Golden Castle, and it eventually became a ruin. It was re-constructed during the Japanese colonial era, after WWII, it was named "Anping Old Castle". Currently, the only remnants left over from the Dutch era is the brick wall of the outer southern wall in front of the fort. The old banyan tree with its twisted roots bears witness to the ravages of time and serves as a witness to the history of over the past 400 years. In 1975, in conjunction with the Tourism Year plan, the Tainan City Government renovated the surrounding environment of Anping Old Castle, as well as adding a pointed roof on top of the observation platform and painting the walls white, to become the Anping Old Castle we know today.
Exclusive to International Tourists | Chihkan Tower Entry Ticket x1
It was constructed by the Dutch in 1652 and initially named "Fort Provintia", it served as the administrative and commercial center. The building is made up of three interconnected squarish pedestals. In 1886, it was renovated to include corniced red roof tiles. It comprises Wenchang Tower, Sea God Temple, and Penghu Confucian Academy. Since its founding over three hundred years ago to today, the architecture has undergone numerous renovations, but its prominent role in Tainan City remains unchanged.
The current existing Chihkan Tower is composed of the garden on the southern side, the turret on the northern side, and the Penghu Confucian Academy on the western side. The garden is neatly landscaped and contains a sculpture of Koxinga in surrender. Along the wall foundation of the turret, stand nine steles on stone turtles, which were moved here from the Great South Gate. These steles were erected to commemorate the success in putting down the rebellion of Lin Shuang-wen in the 53rd year of Emperor Qianlong's reign (1788). The steles were carved from granite with two dragons sculpted on the top of the steles, words had been carved on all four sides, with the two adjacent sides forming a paragraph each. All of the steles are mounted on the mythical beast Bi Xi, which resemble stone turtles; Bi Xi is actually one of the nine offspring of the Dragon and is capable of bearing heavy burdens. But since the beast is identical in appearance to turtles, generally people call it the "Turtle Steles".
Exclusive to International Tourists | Anping Tree House Entry Ticket x1
The Tree House is situated behind the Tait and Co. Merchant House and it was formerly the warehouse of the Tait and Co. Merchant House. It was likely constructed at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the Japanese colonial period. The location once served as the warehouse of the "Dainippon Salt Industries", the current version of the building was constructed by the Japanese.
After over a century, the walls of the warehouse have been covered over by the twisting roots of the banyan tree, with the thick crown of the tall tree seemingly serving as the roof of the warehouse. This has lent Anping Tree House a unique appearance and an air of mystery, to form the uncommon sight of building and tree together as one, similar to that of "Ta Prohm" in Angkor Wat. Today, comprehensively planned wooden pathways have been installed so that visitors can wander around the Tree House and also go up to the crown of the tree. Squirrels and birds can often be seen clambering and playing among the branches, which serve as an excellent natural habitat. If you would like to take a break, you can go to the Tree House coffee shop in the Tree House park area, have an ice cream and carry on exploring the beauty of Anping.
Exclusive to International Tourists | Eternal Golden Castle Entry Ticket x1
It has a total area of three hectares and was designed by French engineers. It has been said that apart from the building materials purchased from Xiamen and Quanzhou in China, brick walls from the ruins of Fort Zeelandia were also used. In form, it is a square bastion fort with the four sides becoming concave to allow for rifles to defend and engage in short-range attack; the four corners are convex so that cannons can be placed on top for long-range attack. The center is the training ground and the fort is surrounded by a moat. The main entrance is a rectangular gate made from red bricks, a tunnel gate in a rounded-arch form runs through the center and is connected to the inside of the battery. Outside of the gate, a wooden bridge spanned across the moat; on the side towards the gate, the wooden bridge was constructed as a suspension bridge which allowed the supplies to pass, but if there was a need, the draw bridge could be suspended to delay the entry of the enemies. Unfortunately, due to many years of neglect, the wooden bridge was damaged during the Japanese colonial era and a reinforced steel bridge was installed and still used today.
Exclusive to International Tourists | Eternal Golden Castle Entry Ticket x1
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