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Boarded a taxi at about 5 am to airport. After flight checked in and clearing the immigration, it was already about 6 am.
Food Gallery in Terminal One
Decided to have breakfast in the Food Gallery located inside the transit area of Terminal 1 (left photo below). Ordered a bowl of dry wanton noodles and a cup of latte that cost SGD 8.60 in total (right photo below). Taste was simple for this local breakfast.
Jetstar flightThe flight 3K 721 took off on time at 0710 hours (left photo below). Pre-ordered food on board where I was served with some braised chicken and vegetables (right photo below).
The flight landed in Taoyuan Airport at about 12 noon. After which took HSR from Taoyuan HSR station at 1321 hours and reached Tainan HSR station at 1443 hours. Boarded TRA train from Shalun train station to Tainan railway station. Checked in to the Fundi Guest House and after which began my exploration in Tainan city.Chihkan Tower (赤嵌樓)
Also known as Fort Provintia or Providentia, Chihkan Tower was a Dutch outpost or fortress in West Central district of Tainan (photos below).
Built in 1653 during the Dutch colonization in Taiwan, it was intended to strengthen their standing. During the siege of Fort Zeelandia in 1662, the fort was surrendered to Koxinga, better known as Zheng Chenggong (鄭成功), but was later destroyed by a rebellion and earthquakes in the 18th century. It was rebuilt afterwards in the 19th century under the Qing dynasty rule. Since then, it had gone through numerous repairs and refurbishments over the past 300 years.Currently inside the fort are Haisheng Temple (海神廟), Penghu College (蓬壺書院) and Wengchang Pavilion (文昌閣) (left photo below). On the lawn outside stands a group of sculptures portraying Koxinga accepting the surrender from the Dutch (right photo below).
The most interesting structures are the nine imperial plinths at the south gate (left photo below) carried by the stone sculpture 'Bixi' (贔屭). Bixi is a Chinese mythical figure depicted as a dragon with the shell of a turtle, and used as decorative plinth for commemorative steles and tablets (right photo below).
Admission cost was TWD 50 (photo below) and opening hours from 0830 to 2130 hours daily.
Went to the famous food street Hai'an road for my dinner. Had visited back in 2013 and its street food still got me captivated.
Ji Pin Shrimp Rice (集品蝦仁飯)
- Located at No. 107, section 1 of Hai'an road, Ji Pin Shrimp Rice is one of the restaurants along Hai'an road that sells the popular shrimp rice (left photo below). This eatery has modest setting where customers can choose to dine inside or outside its stall (right photo below).
The famous shrimp rice was sold out thus could only order the shredded pork rice at TWD 50 (left photo below). In addition, I also got a bowl of fish ball soup at TWD 25 (right photo below). Perhaps I was hungry, the rice tasted better compared to my previous visit.
- Located at No. 82 of Baoan road (保安路), this A Qing Xingren Tea shop is popular for its almond milk tea (left photo below). This shop can be easily located from a temple at the crossroad between Bao'an road and Hai'an road. As was rather full after the shredded pork rice, I then bought the milk tea to take-away at TWD 40 (right photo below). The almond milk tea was the best I had tasted so far.
Ah Feng Milkfish Soup (阿鳳浮水虱目魚焿)
- Located opposite the A Qing Xingren Tea shop, this Ah Feng Milkfish Soup eatery is famous for its milkfish soup (left photo below). Was curious to try and thus decided to order a small bowl at TWD 60 (right photo below).
The soup was clear and tasted slightly sweet probably due to the shredded ginger and black vinegar. The fish meat was chewy and could taste its natural texture unlike those fish balls sold in supermarkets. This was the same shop that the owner of Wu House B&B bought from as second day breakfast during our stay in 2013.
Day Two
Since there was no meal served in the Guest House, I then walked to a café for my breakfast.
ICI café
Located at Lane 93 of Zhongxiao street, this ICI café was an old brand that served brunch and muffins. The café name 'ici' means 'here' in French. The café was built in an old house with an industrial style (photos below).
Ordered a 'French brunch' set that first came with a bowl of corn soup (left photo below). A glass of iced water was then provided together with a big bottle for refill (right photo below).
The main brunch set at TWD 190 had three French toasts, a sausage, a sunny-side egg, some roasties and salad (left photo below). In addition, I also ordered a cup of macadamia nut coffee at TWD 90 (right photo below). Taste was good but its portion could not compare to those I had in Bangkok.
| ✍ Update: |
|---|
| This ICI café was permanently closed in Sep 2019. |
After this sumptuous breakfast, I then took bus number 88 to Koxinga Shrine.
Koxinga Shrine (延平郡王祠)
Located on a triangular-shaped compound, the shrine was built in a Chinese style with a rectangular walled structure consists of a large courtyard and a main hall in the middle.
Click below to see the detailed descriptions of Koxinga:
• History of Koxinga
- In 1642, Koxinga was born near Nagasaki in Japan to a pirate and merchant of Chinese origin and a Japanese woman. At the age of fourteen, he took an imperial examination in China and was awarded as a scholar (秀才). With the defeat of Ming government in Beijing by the Manchus, the Ming-loyalists established the Southern Ming (南明) in Nanjing.
• Various names and titles of Koxinga
- Original name was 'Zheng Sen' (鄭森) but was bestowed by Southern Ming Emperor Longwu to have the surname of 'Zhu' and new name 'Chenggong' (成功). Thus, local folks called him 'Lord of the Imperial Surname' (國姓爷) which was known better by the West as 'Koxinga' based on Hokkien pronunciation "kok sèng iâ". But the name 'Zheng Chenggong' (鄭成功) is better known in Chinese history.
- The Koxinga Shrine is also referred as the "Yanping Prince Shrine" (延平郡王祠). Originally known as "Kaishan Temple" (開山王廟), it was built in 17th century as an ancestral shrine in honor of Koxinga. This shrine withstood the test of time over 350 years through several periods of political upheaval and destruction on several different occasions.
| Period | Regime | Events |
|---|---|---|
(東寧王國) |
When Koxinga died in 1662, his son Zheng Jing built a small shrine. This showed how the reverence people in Tainan held for the man who drove the Dutch out and helped to develop the city. | |
(清朝) |
When Qing empire took over control in Taiwan, it was left intact. To appease the people in Taiwan, the shrine was renovated in 1745 and 1845. | |
(日治时期) |
As Koxinga was of mixed Japanese ancestry, the shrine became a strategic location for the colonial government to promote Japanese nationalism. It was then converted to Kaishan Shinto Shrine (開山神社) which was the first Shinto shrine on the island where the Japanese put to appease the locals with the inclusion of Koxinga as a Shinto god. |
|
(民國) |
After the war, the Nationalist Government took a major renovation and changed the architecture style to what would be common in Northern China and removed all elements of Japanese influence. |
Shrine Architecture
- Visitors would not miss out the ceremonial gate located along the Kaishan road (left photo below). At the tip of the compound stands the equestrian statue of Koxinga (right photo below). The locals even gave this sculpture an interesting name: "馬上成功" which literally means "success immediately".
A Japanese style gate known as Torii could be seen once entered to the shrine complex. This torii is a remnant of the Japanese Colonial era that is an indication of an entrance to a Shinto shrine. Now the top of this gate had been decorated with a star of the Republic of China (left photo below). Beyond the Torii gate is the main entrance to the shrine (right photo below).
In front of the courtyard stands the main building of the shrine (left photo below). In the middle of this main hall is a simple life-like statue of Koxinga which seems to depict a king sitting on his throne. The main shrine is a beautiful example of Taiwanese wood-working skills and the intricate carvings on the Taiwanese cypress wood (right photo below).
On the either side of the main hall are rooms with spirit tablets (left photo below) and some interactive displays of the shrine history. There is also a Koxinga museum (鄭成功文物馆) next to the shrine that exhibits various historical culture of Tainan (right photo below). Disappointedly the museum was closed for renovation during my trip.
Eternal Golden Castle (億載金城)
Sounded like a movie name in Chinese, the Eternal Golden Castle is less known as Erkunshen Battery (二鯤鯓砲台). It is a defensive castle completed in 1876 by the Qing official Shen Baozhen (沈葆祯) to defend Taiwan against the Japanese invasions.
Designed by a French engineer, there are 4-bastioned (left photo below), a moated fort and entrance was gained over a drawbridge and through a tunnel (right photo below).
The castle was armed with British Armstrong Guns at four protruding corners of the fortress, which were at the cutting edge of modern artillery during that time (left photo below). The ruins of barracks and a cannon ammunition depot were found during a renovation in Mar 1996. Now they are protected by scaffolding and safety glass shields to prevent further deteriorations from the harsh weather conditions (right photo below).
During my visit, actors fire the last remaining artillery gun in the castle to give visitors a fully immersive experience (photos below).
Admission cost was TWD 50 (photo below) and opening hours from 0830 to 1730 hours daily.
Located diagonally opposite the Eternal Golden Castle, this Milkfish Theme Museum opened in Mar 2013 and is dedicated to one of the most popular fishes in Taiwanese cuisine (left photo below). This expansive building spans two-storeys. The ground floor was a large and open space that focused on the retail and foodstuff, as well as a mini-aquarium housing live milkfish (right photo below).
The second floor served as a museum highlighting all sorts of facts and figures about this beloved fish of Tainan (left photo below). Milkfish displays with shiny scales were hung from the ceiling, which seemed like they were swimming through the air (right photo below).
There were many cats scattered throughout the various exhibits. They were dressed in whimsical costumes, and given kawaii expressions and poses (left photo below). Soft-toys of this theme cat were on sale near the museum entrance (right photo below).
Spent about half an hour in this museum. Admission is free and opening hours from 0900 to 1730 hours daily.Navy Destroyer Museum (德陽號驅逐艦)
First named as "Sarsfield", this US ship was commissioned in Jul 1945. After several operations, this ship was transferred to the Republic of China (Taiwan) in Oct 1977. Initially renamed as "DD-925 TeYang", it was renamed again to "DDG-925 TeYang" in 1989. After its retirement in Apr 2005, this ship was converted as an exhibition space to showcase the fascinating side of the combatant ship in Jan 2009 (photo below).
Local Lunch
Had my late lunch in this local eatery "郭家蚵仔煎" (left photo below). The eatery was not that packed due to the late lunch timing where most customers were having their afternoon snacks (right photo below).
Ordered a shrimp roll (虾卷) at TWD 60 (left photo below) and Taiwanese oyster omelette (蚵仔煎) at TWD 60 (right photo below). Taste was savory due to its various sauces.
Former Tait & Company Merchant House (原英商德記洋行)Located at No. 104 Gubao Street of Anping District in Tainan City, the former Tait & Co. Merchant House used to be a merchant house but now converted to a tourist spot that contains three different exhibitions.
Tait & Co. Merchant House (德记洋行)
- The white painted two-storey building was designed in western colonial style (left photo below). The ground floor holds the "Da Yuan Ancestor Life and Culture Museum" (大员先民生活文化馆) that exhibits the peaceful life during the Dutch rule. The upper floor of the building was transformed into a "Taiwan Development Wax Museum" (台湾开拓史料蜡像馆) that showcased the Taiwan's development history (right photo below).
- This is a former warehouse located behind the Tait & Co. Merchant House. It was named due to the living banyan roots and branches that cover the warehouse structure (left photo below). The tree house features a skyway above it to allow visitors to move and view the densely covered rooftops and walls (right photo below).
- This former residence of the famous calligrapher Zhu Jiuying (朱玖瑩) is located next to the Tait & Co. Merchant House (left photo below). The building used to be a dormitory and was assigned to Mr. Zhu who was then the director of the General Bureau of Salt Affairs under the Ministry of Finance.
Now it exhibits the contemporary calligraphy works by Mr. Zhu Jiuying. What caught my attention was an area where visitors could practice their calligraphic skills using Chinese brushes with water to write on the granite stone (right photo below). Probably it is one of the most interacting exhibits I have seen.
Also known as Fort Zeelandia (熱蘭遮城), it was a fortress built over ten years from 1624 to 1634 by the Dutch East India Company (left photo below). The site was renamed several times as Fort Orange, Fort Anping and finally to current Anping Old Fort (right photo below).
The Dutch built Fort Zeelandia as a more permanent structure four years after its occupants in the Formosa. At the same time a smaller one, named Fort Provintia (known as Chihkan Tower) was built not far from Zeelandia. Both forts were at logically high elevations which enabled the exchange of signals between them. However, they were not built for the purpose of defence against major enemy but more against islanders and overseeing trade.
The fort now exhibits the weaponry used during the Dutch colonial period (left photo below) and the descriptions and images of a Dutch man and woman from an historical Chinese text during Qing Dynasty (right photo below).
Model of former fort layout was also exhibited to provide a more realistic display of the actual defence (left photo below). Outside the fort, the original defence wall made of red bricks imported from Batavia (present day Jakarta in Indonesia) remains to this day (right photo below).
Besides the actual Anping Old Fort, there is a Fort Zeelandia Museum (熱蘭遮城博物館) that used to be Anping Customs House in 1882 (left photo below). It now houses four exhibition halls, namely "Reconstruction", "Fortification", "Official Narrative" and "Remnants" (right photo below).
Admission to the Anping Old Fort was TWD 50 (photo below) and opening hours from 0830 to 1730 daily.
Also known as Yanping Old Street (延平老街), it is an historic street and was the first street in Taiwan to be given a formal name. Now it is a noisy and bustling street constituted one of its hallmarks among the many old streets in Taiwan (photos below).
Took a taxi from Anping Old Street to this Garden Night Market which cost TWD 165.Garden Night Market (花園夜市)
Garden Night Market is located at Section 3 Hai'an Road of North District in Tainan City. This night market is considered to be the largest in Tainan city with close to 400 stalls. There is a even saying that for night markets in Taiwan: "North is Shilin, middle is Fengjia and South is Garden".
Aside from the massive food stalls, there are various stalls selling handmade accessories, groceries, stationaries, trendy clothing and toys. Numerous game stalls are also available such as pinball, dart shooting, hoopla, basketball shooting and many others (photos below).
My favorite was the stalls selling the Taiwanese sizzling steak at a reasonable price (left photo below). Sizzling steak is served on a blistering hot, black cast iron skillet. The tender steak covers a bed of spaghetti noodles and is topped off with a fried egg. The meal is usually paired with a sweet corn soup, salad and a hot bun or piece of garlic bread.Ordered a black pepper sizzling steak at TWD 150 (right photo below). Taste was good as compared to my previous visit.
In addition, I also bought some snacks for my supper. Got some fried sweet potatoes at TWD 50 (left photo below) and a cup of almond milk tea at TWD 40 (right photo below).
Do note that the Opening hours of this night market is from 1700 to 0100 hours on every Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.
Took a taxi back to the Guest House which cost TWD 100.
Day Three
After deposited my luggage in the Tainan Railway station, I then took Tainan City Bus number 18 to National Museum of Taiwan History. The bus journey took about an hour to reach the museum.
National Museum of Taiwan History (國立臺灣歷史博物館)
Located in Annan district in Tainan, the National Museum of Taiwan History is a museum dedicated to the history of Taiwan exhibiting more than 70,000 items spanning from the influences by the Aboriginals, Spanish, Dutch, Chinese, British and Japanese on Taiwan.
Opened in 2011, the museum consists of a large main building that draws the concept of traditional red-brick 'siheyuan' (Chinese courtyard houses) with a base that combines the indigenous stilt housing (left photo below). The cloud wall is made up of 1,350 solar panels and 405 pieces of stamped glass, spelling out "National Museum of Taiwan History" (right photo below).
The permanent exhibition themed "Our Land Our People: the Story of Taiwan"「斯土斯民：臺灣的故事」has seven main sections according to different historical periods. Following are the descriptions on some of its sections.Taiwan, An Island on the Crossroads《臺灣，交會之島》
- The story began at the crossroad where different groups who collided, explored and learned to share the island (left photo below).
An Island and People Relying on the Oceans for Livelihood《倚海而生的島與人》
- Taiwan gradually became a meeting point and transfer hub for East Asian trade (right photo below). At first it was Chinese and Japanese merchants and pirates who used the island as trading post. But in 17th century, the Dutch and Spanish came from Europe making Taiwan's role on East Asian historical stage to be significant.
- Large numbers of Han Chinese migrants came to Taiwan during Qing Dynasty, and established distinctive villages and lifestyles (photos below). The 1:1 landscaping together with sounds that mimic the actual atmosphere really enabled visitors to feel they are transported back to time.
- After the cession of Taiwan to Japan, Tokyo sent powerful military forces to conquer and rule over Taiwan. Unlike the island's previous rulers, the new regime was committed to implementing thorough sovereignty, controlling the land and the population, and demanding loyalty from its people (photos below).
- My after thoughts were that this museum had many state of art exhibitions but was skewed to certain political propaganda rather than a museum truly on history. A large section was dedicated to Japanese colonial era depicting the daily life of commoners were better and religion practices were less restricted compared to the previous colonial masters. There was even a display that praised the multi-roles of a Japanese policeman (left photo below). The final section was on the civilian activism such as "February 28 Incident" and "White Terror" (right photo below). The museum even allowed visitors to vote on which objects such as the "sunflower movement", "LGBTQ rights" and "transitional justice" that best represent "Taiwan values".
After gotten back my luggage, I decided to have a take-away meal and take it onboard the train. Saw this 'Sushi Take-Out' (争鲜) stall at the train station (left photo below) and without hesitation got myself a "Kagayaki Saury Don" (蒲烧秋刀鱼丼) at TWD 100 (right photo below). Taste was good for this packed lunch.
Took TRA train at 1342 hours from Tainan railway station and reached Shalun railway station at 1405 hours. Subsequently bought my HSR ticket and boarded train departing from Tainan HSR station at 1415 hours. Finally I reached Taipei Main station at 1600 hours.