Tainan Police Headquarters
Tainan Police Headquarters While the spic n’ span condition of this building might make you think it is relatively new, the headquarters of the Tainan Police Bureau on Nanmen Road is actually an old heritage building dating from 1931. Located just across the road from the Confucian Temple and the Prefecture Hall, this functioning police … Continue reading
Baoan Railway Station
Baoan Railway Station (Bǎoān Huǒchēzhàn 保安火車站) The small town of Baoan just to the south of Tainan doesn’t have a lot of tourist draws, but it does get a name for itself due to its cute little Japanese-era train station. Taiwan’s railway line was started just before the Japanese occupation in 1895, however most of … Continue reading
Zhuxi (Chu Hsi) Temple
Zhuxi Temple (Zhúxī Sì 竹溪寺) The origin of this temple is surrounded more by legend than facts. Legends talk about a beautiful Buddhist temple on the south bank of the south river in Tainan. It was on a hill surrounded by gorgeous natural landscape. Bamboo grew all along the small river that ran next to … Continue reading
The Zheng Ancestral Shrine (Ancestral Shrine of Koxinga)
The Zheng Ancestral Shrine (Zhèng Shì Jiā Miào 鄭氏家廟) Much is made of the achievements of the national hero Zheng Chenggong (鄭成功), also known as Koxinga. He defeated the dutch and established the first Chinese kingdom on the island of Taiwan, and thus he has his own shrine dedicated to his worship in Tainan. However, … Continue reading
Anping Oyster Shell Cement Kiln
Anping Oyster Shell Cement Kiln (Ānpíng Kēhuīyáo Wénhuà Guǎn 安平蚵灰窯文化館) There’s a well-known theory among Taiwanese that their traditional brick houses all have ants due to the cement used to mortar the bricks together. From as early as the 17th century and as recent as the 1970s, locals used a cement mixed from oyster ash, … Continue reading
Wang Steak
Wang Steak (Wáng Pǐn 王品) If you’re looking for some higher-end dining and a good chunk of meat, the Taiwan chain called Wang Steak has a location in Tainan. This is a full-service, fine-dining restaurant with dim mood lighting, quality furnishings, and stylish tableware. Eating there was a serious divergence from the bian dang hole-in-the-walls … Continue reading
Taijiang Ecological Culture Zone
Taijiang Ecological Culture Zone You may not know it from the flat, suburban sprawl, but Tainan is on the doorstep of one of Taiwan’s eight national parks. The Taijiang National Park encompasses much of the coastline and estuaries north of Tainan City. Even within the city limits, sporadic areas are designated national parkland. The Taijiang … Continue reading
Tait and Company and the Anping Treehouse
Old Tait & Co. Merchant House The expulsion of the Dutch from Taiwan in 1662 was not the end of European traders in Taiwan nor in Anping, but it took an Opium War to officially open the doors to trade. Anping was one of the four harbors opened to foreign trading on Taiwan as per … Continue reading
Thai Food – Double Blessings
Double Blessings Thai New Course (Shuāngxǐ Tàishì Liàolǐ 雙囍泰式料理) If you miss days of eating at roadside restaurants in the sweltering heat of Bangkok, you may want to try the Thai food at Double Blessings. Not that it’s particularly authentic Thai food, but they do have pretty good sidewalk seating, and the temperature does reach … Continue reading
Tainan City Guide 