【Tainan Light Travel】
98 Fucheng Tiajiang Line One-Day Ticket + Choice of 2 Tainan Attraction Tickets
≣ Service Information ≣
[98 Fucheng-Taijiang Line]
Visitors can take this route to visit iconic landmarks such as the Confucius Temple, Tainan Art Museum Buildings 1 and 2, Judicial Museum, Hayashi Department Store, and Chihkan Tower. Along the way, you can also explore Youai Street, Guohua Street, Shennong Street, or Hai’an Road to savor local Tainan snacks and delicacies.
Additionally, the route extends to connect attractions in Anping and Qigu districts. From October to April (dates subject to Fucheng Bus announcements), an additional birdwatching route is available. Visitors can transfer to the Black-faced Spoonbill Shuttle Bus and head to the birdwatching pavilion to admire the elegant flight of these unique birds, making it an ideal choice for travelers exploring Tainan.
≣ Route Info ≣
Tainan Transfer Station, Chenggong Road, Tainan Railway Station, Yanping Junwang Temple (Fu Qian Road), Jianxing Junior High School (Fu Qian Road), Hayashi Department Store/Zheng Chenggong Ancestral Temple, Chihkan Tower, Zhongzheng Shopping District (Taiwan Tourist Shuttle), Eternal Golden Castle, Indigenous Cultural Center, Yanping Street, Anping Oyster Kiln Cultural Center, Anping Fort (Anbei Road), Deji Foreign Mansion/Anping Tree House, Crowne Plaza Tainan (Anbei Road), Sunset Platform, Taijiang National Park Administration, Sicao Ecological and Cultural Park (Sicao Green Tunnel, Dazhong Temple), Sicao Wildlife Reserve, Luerhmen Bridge, Holy Mother Temple (Cheng An Road), Longshan Village, Taiwan Salt Museum, Qigu Salt Mountain, Black-faced Spoonbill Eco-Exhibition Hall, Black-faced Spoonbill Bird Watching Pavilion
*For routes and schedules, please refer to the Tainan Bus official website
≣ Shuttle Schedule ≣
*Times are subject to change, please refer to on site announcements and official website for accuracy.
http://2384.tainan.gov.tw/NewTNBusWeb/Default.aspx
≣ Choose any 2 Featured Attractions ≣
｜National Museum of Taiwan History
※ This ticket allows entry to the permanent exhibitions, special exhibitions, and children's hall at the Exhibition Education Building. Within the Exhibition Education Building, you can experience the VR reproduction of the Manufacturing Center, visit the Children's Hall, and attend sessions at the Time Station - Train Theater. For related schedules and reservation information, please visit the official website for confirmation.
｜Exhibition Information
Permanent Exhibition - Our Land, Our People, the Story of Taiwan
2024-02-01～2024-06-30 Transcending • 1624: Taiwan and the World
2023-08-24～2024-05-26 Co-creating a Community of Water: Looking Back on a Century of Water Resource Management and the Transformation of the Environment in the Southwest River Basin
▲ The exhibition space, covering approximately 2,000 square meters, features permanent exhibitions, special exhibitions, a VR reproduction manufacturing center, a children's hall, and the Time Station - Train Theater. It is designed based on the concept of universal design to create an inclusive and equitable visiting environment.
▲ Narrating the stories of people and land from diverse perspectives and across different ethnic groups, the museum provides friendly services and learning programs for audiences with various needs.
｜Tainan Confucius Temple
| The First Confucius Temple in Taiwan is in Tainan
In the nineteenth year of the Yongli era (1665 AD), under the rule of Zheng Chenggong's son, Zheng Jing, with the help of military advisor Chen Yonghua, who was keen on vigorous governance, it was proposed: "Select a location to establish a sacred temple and school to attract talents; for a country with virtuous individuals firmly establishes its foundation, and thus its destiny shall prosper daily."
Zheng Jing approved the proposal, and thus the Confucius Temple was established in Chengtian Prefecture (now Tainan City) to honor Confucius and promote national education and moral transformation.
For over three hundred years, the majestic temple and grand academy have symbolized the transmission of Chinese culture, the aromatic offerings of Zu and Dou, and have earned the reputation of "Zou Lu by the Sea."
▲ The Premier Academy of Taiwan
| The Premier Academy - Dacheng Archway
The name "Dacheng Archway" derives from Confucius' honorary title "Dacheng Zhi Sheng Xian Shi", praising his saintly virtues.
The archway is a gateway structure, with a cross-shaped load-bearing wall enhancing stability, and six flying eaves at the top supported by brackets, holding up a Xieshan-style roof. The archway prominently displays the plaque "The Premier Academy of Taiwan", echoing the prestige of Taiwan's first Confucius Temple.
To the left of the Dacheng Archway, a "Dismounting Stele" welcomes visitors. The wall enclosing the temple is painted red, embodying the Zhou dynasty's reverence for the color red, used in the ceremonial garments and architecture of the time, which is reflected in the temple's walls.
▲ Dismounting Stele
The high wall, also known as the "Palace Wall", originates from a Confucian anecdote in the "Analects": Zi Gong used the metaphor of a "palace wall" for self-cultivation, where his own wall was shoulder height but Confucius' wall was several ren high, with one ren being seven feet, signifying towering moral and scholarly stature. Subsequent generations further revered Confucius' teachings and morals as "walls of a thousand ren", solidifying the custom of the high walls in Confucian temples.
Through the stone archway and the towering palace walls, one enters the East Dacheng Archway to glimpse the beauty within.
The aria is airy and bright, with towering ancient trees, and the renown of "Apricot Altar Summer Shade" naturally spreads. The site once housed government offices and a land temple, which were later abandoned and now house a "Cultural Relics Exhibition Room" with an adjacent custodian's office.
▲ Dacheng Hall
| Left School, Right Temple - Layout of Confucius Temple
The Confucius Temple, also known as the "Temple of Literature" or "Temple of the First Teacher",
is a traditional courtyard building with three sections and two wings, developed according to the "Left School, Right Temple," "Front Hall, Back Hall" layout.
Over time, many structures were destroyed due to natural disasters or wars, such as the Zhu Zi Shrine, Lingxing Gate, Teaching Mansion, and Academic Office, leaving only empty plots.
What is seen today largely maintains the Qing dynasty style and regulations after renovations during the Japanese Taisho era (1917 AD), representing the first and most iconic traditional Minnan-style architecture in Taiwan.
| Ming Lun Hall
"Left School" refers to Ming Lun Hall, located to the left of the Grand Hall of the Confucius Temple, which was the site of the Taiwan Prefecture School. In the past, students here received supervision and education from the prefectural school's instructors, focusing on cultivating virtues and discussing policies.
The horizontal inscriptions on the three gates of Ming Lun Hall read "Gate of Entering Virtue," "Saintly Realm," and "Gate of the Virtuous," inspiring students to aspire to Confucian ideals of moral cultivation and sainthood through spatial symbolism.
▲ Ming Lun Hall
| Dacheng Gate and Dacheng Hall
Among the architectural complex of the Confucius Temple, the Dacheng Gate is the most ornate. The pillars bear no couplets, to avoid the criticism of "flaunting one's literary skills in front of Confucius."
Each door panel is adorned with one hundred and eight door nails, as 'nine' represents the ultimate yang number, hence its multiple signifies the temple's dignified respect and imperial honors.
At each end of the main ridge of Dacheng Hall stand "Sutra Columns"; also known as "Pillars that Reach to the Heavens", symbolizing Confucius' virtues as aligned with heaven and earth, and his teachings spanning across time.
The hall features a double-eaved roof with eight bells at the corners, implying that the heavens regard Confucius as a wooden bell to awaken the world.
In front of the hall is a terrace where the Six Yi Dance is performed during the Confucius ceremony. Stone-carved "water-dispersing chi heads" are embedded at the corners of the terrace's base, serving as water outlets for the terrace and the surrounding corridors; resembling dragon heads, they are also called "Ao heads", expressing aspirations for exclusive success and the metaphor of "blessings extending in all directions."
"East and West Wings" are located to the left and right of Dacheng Hall, housing the Repository of Ritual Instruments and Repository of Musical Instruments, respectively. The back hall was originally called "Qi Sheng Shrine", mainly honoring Confucius' father, Shuliang He. The left room is "Yi Cheng Academy", responsible for spring and autumn Confucius sacrifices, and the right room was originally the "Scripture Room". The back hall ends at the "Right Temple", and via the gallery, one can circle back to the "Left School".
▲ Dacheng Gate
| Wen Chang Pavilion
Wen Chang Pavilion, also known as "Kui Xing Tower", is located to the left rear of Ming Lun Hall and is the only tower-like structure in the architectural complex of the Confucius Temple.
▲ Wen Chang Pavilion
| Pan Palace Stone Arch
The words "Pan Palace" symbolize the location of an academic institution. After passing the county examination, students enter the academy, known as "Pan Palace", and expressions like "entering Pan", "roaming in Pan", "picking celery", or "wandering in Pan waters" all indicate the commencement of academic studies.
The "Pan Palace Stone Arch" was originally the outermost entrance of the Tainan Confucius Temple. During the Japanese occupation, due to the construction of Nanmen Road, it was moved eastward. It now faces the "Premier Academy" Dacheng Archway across Nanmen Road.
▲ Pan Palace Stone Arch
| Tainan Zuozhen Fossil Park
The Zuozhen Fossil Park has an extensive collection of fossils of marine and terrestrial organisms such as mastodons, saber-toothed elephants, ancient deer, crocodiles, and shellfish. A significant feature is the numerous fossils of terrestrial vertebrates unearthed here, along with fragments of human skulls from Zuozhen, restored skeletons of the Early Sakawa Chinese Rhinoceros, and other artifacts. The park is an irreplaceable treasure trove of fossils in Taiwan. Today, the Zuozhen Fossil Park has transformed and expanded from a single museum to five major exhibition halls.
The Natural History Education Hall simulates the stratification of rocks in Zuozhen, offering a diverse range of interactive installations, such as fossil excavation and riverbed fossil observation. The Story Hall introduces the Xinhua Hills, displaying artifacts of the Siraya tribe, including the Xingang Document, and acclaims the contribution of "Grandpa Fossil" Chen Chunmu to fossil collection throughout his lifetime. The Evolution of Life Hall presents the battle for supremacy of marine life and the dinosaurs that once ruled the earth sit in the atrium. Here, the rise of mammals on the stage of history can be witnessed, symbolizing the rise and fall of life's evolution. The Fossil Hall features augmented reality interactive sandboxes that give insights into the origins of fossils in the Cailiao Creek Basin, but the most eye-catching display is undoubtedly the full skeleton fossil of the Early Sakawa Chinese Rhinoceros. The Exploration Hall reveals the mystery of the Zuozhen people, and a close look at the Fossil Cleaning Room provides a view of the restoration of fossils in progress. In the Magic Interactive Coloring Classroom, you can interact and feed the creatures of the Cailiao Creek Basin that you have colored.
The public art in the park, Anticlock, encourages people to be brave in questioning and reverse thinking. The ancient fossils lead people to trace back to the past, like treasures gifted by the God of Time, providing us an opportunity to immerse ourselves in imagination and keep our curiosity in nature and science alive.
| Mountain Top Garden Waterworks Museum Tickets
Do you know where our tap water comes from? How did people in the past access clean water without a tap system? The answers to these water-related questions can all be found at the Mountain Top Garden Waterworks Museum! This museum has perfectly preserved the water filter buildings from the Japanese colonial period, as well as complete sets of vintage machinery that are rarely seen.
| Let’s thank them for our tap water!
We have these three individuals to thank for the clean household water and sanitary conditions we have in Taiwan!
- William Kinnimond Burton, who came to Taiwan as a health engineering consultant for the Governor-General's Office in 1896, made significant contributions to Taiwan’s waterworks engineering.
- Yoichi Hatta is the well-known "Father of the Chianan Irrigation Canal," who set up a great irrigation system in Tainan.
- Yoshisaburo Hamano continued Burton’s mission, completing waterworks projects and construction in major cities such as Keelung, Taipei, Taichung, Chiayi, Tainan, and Kaohsiung. His work laid the foundation for Taiwan's modernization!
There are statues of these three great men in the garden. If you come to the Mountain Top Garden Waterworks Museum, be sure to check out the stories of these contributors!
| Baroque-style factory is photo-worthy!
Find the perfect spot, strike a pose, and snap a picture to share on social media - it's the must-do SOP for modern traveling!
The Building B in the garden, a rapid filter room, has always been a must-visit spot for visitors since the museum opened. It is also a beloved photoshoot location for wedding photographers and online influencers. The 14 rapid filters are symmetrically placed on both sides and are quite a spectacle!
Building B is divided into three main parts: the water treatment area, administrative and experimental zone, and employees' rest area, all of which are critical to clean water supply.
| The most completely preserved Japanese colonial water facilities in Taiwan!
Besides the rapid filter room, the garden also has a well-preserved rapid sand filter building and a force pump room. They are important filtration facilities for tap water. Only through these precision instruments can we have access to clean water!
| A perfect spot for kids to run around!
After viewing the exhibits inside the museum, you can enjoy some playtime in the large lawn outside. The park also offers specially designed playground equipment for kids - all for them to have a great time!
There's a specially made large puppet next to the beach for children to enjoy during their holiday time!
Inside the garden, there is a large pool, allowing you to cool off in the water during hot summer days!
With all the different play facilities, you can surely enjoy playing here the whole day!
｜Hutoupi Scenic Area
Hu Tou Pei Scenic Area is located in Xin Hua District, Tainan City. It is a charming lakeside amusement park, famous for its beautiful natural scenery and rich recreational facilities.
There are many attractive activities and attractions here, including the lake loop trail, shower tree (tree of gold) blooming season, BBQ area, camping area, and canoeing on the lake, etc.
Whether you like nature or are looking for exciting adventures, Hu Tou Pei can meet your needs.
Lake Loop Trail
The lake loop trail is a highlight of the Hu Tou Pei Scenic Area, providing an excellent opportunity for visitors to appreciate the beauty of Hu Tou Pei.
Walking along the trail, you can enjoy the reflection of the lake, the magnificent view of the mountains, and the surrounding natural ecology.
Every spring, Hu Tou Pei holds the Shower Tree (tree of gold) blooming season event, attracting many visitors to appreciate this beautiful sea of flowers. During the flower season, the entire Hu Tou Pei is surrounded by vibrant shower trees (trees of gold), forming a colorful picture.
Camping place
Hu Tou Pei is also an ideal camping place, providing various types of camping sites selection, including wooden planks, grassland, concrete ground, cabins, and RVs, etc., catering to different needs of visitors.
You can set up tents, have a campfire here, and enjoy the beauty of nature. There is also a BBQ area nearby, where you and your family and friends can enjoy food and beautiful scenery together.
With international standard BBQ facilities and excellent lake view, it provides a pleasant BBQ experience.
You can enjoy the fun of BBQ in the bamboo forest BBQ area or lakeside BBQ area, while enjoying the beautiful view of Hu Tou Pei.
Here, visitors can moon gaze, admire the scenery in the quiet pond, and enjoy the glamour of Hu Tou Pei after dark.
In addition, you can also cruise on the lake to experience the fun of canoeing. This kind of watercraft can make you easily wander on the lake while appreciating the beautiful scenery of the lake.
In addition to the lake loop trail, BBQ area and camping area, Hu Tou Pei also offers other rich leisure facilities and tourist activities. You can visit the Cricket Hall to learn about the ecology and cultural value of crickets.
Moreover, you can ride in a swan boat, wander on the lake, and enjoy the beauty of the lake and its surrounding scenes. Buy tickets for Hu Tou Pei now and have a good vacation!
｜Tainan Southern Point Observatory
The entire building revolves around an astronomy theme with the exhibition space set up on the first, second, third floors, and basement. The first floor 'Discovering Earth Life' introduces the Earth's seasonal changes and constellations. The second floor 'Solar System' introduces the eight planets and provides a Coriolis Force experience. The third floor 'Exploring Space' allows for an understanding of astronomical history, searching for traces of aliens, and offers a star trek experience. The basement 'Small Blocks, Big Planet' is a parent-child block play area, where everyone is welcome to create a world of creative blocks.
