Zhongzheng-Guohua Shopping District
Zhongzheng – Guohua Shopping District (中正路跟國華街) When I ask most young Tainan residents where they buy clothes, they almost always say Zhongzheng Road. Perhaps this street doesn’t look any more shop-infested than other streets in the city, but the stores here do seem a lot busier – especially at night. Perhaps history drives people to this street. Zhongzheng … Continue reading
Dehua Hall (Dehua Temple)
Dehua Hall (dé huā táng 德化堂) This building originally dates from 1837, but has been renovated many times. I’ve always liked this temple from the outside. I like the long wall and the simple, low-lying architecture. There’s something very simple, unassuming and peaceful about the place. The lack of colorful dragons and deities adorning the roof should tell … Continue reading
Pakistani and Indian Food – Jasmine – CLOSED
Jasmine Pakistani & Indian Cuisine EDIT – Closed Down, March 2010 Jasmine is quickly becoming the most popular place for South Asian cuisine in Tainan. It opened its doors last fall to fill the void of affordable, no-nonsense Pakistani and Indian food in this city. While the dining room is pleasantly decorated, the paper place mats show that the real … Continue reading
Lakeside Water Bird Park
Lakeside Water Bird Park On the north side of Anping and along the south shore of the Yenping Estuary lies Tainan’s Lakeside Water Bird Park. Here you’ll find a long boardwalk and bike path that follow the estuary from Anping Treehouse to Sihcao Bridge. This is a place to get your feet wet in Sihcao Wetlands without really leaving the city. … Continue reading
Bakery – Imma Bakery and Café
Imma Bakery & Café Tainan is full of bakeries, but any visit to sample what the locals think bread should be will inevitably leave foreigners dismayed, if not horrified. Most bakers in Taiwan think bread is made with white flour, sugar and a whole lot of leaven. The result is a sweet, airy concoction similar to Wonderbread. But people can no … Continue reading
West Tainan Development
West Tainan Development For a long time I was trying to get my head around the fact that much of the Tainan that I know was once water. I knew from drawings and various information that high tide used to roll up to the doors of Fort Provintia and that Fort Zeelandia was on an island. … Continue reading
Fuzhong Street
Fuzhong Street (Fǔzhōng Jiē 府中街) Just across Nanmen Road from the Confucian Temple, you will see a large stone arch. It is the Pan Gao Stone Arch ( 泮宮石坊), which was built in 1749 and once served as an entrance to the temple. It is now the entrance to Fuzhong Street, a European-style pedestrian street that makes for a nice … Continue reading
Anping Old Fort (Old Fort Zeelandia)
Anping Old Fort (Ānpíng Gǔ Bǎo 安平古堡) The center of any visit to Anping is the old fort. Anping Fort is built on the foundations of the Dutch stronghold named Fort Zeelandia. That fort was the anchor point of early settlements in Tainan for both the Dutch and the Chinese, and much of the settlement’s history lies in Anping’s … Continue reading
Tainan City Guide 