Kaiji Lingyou Temple
Kaiji Lingyou Temple (Kāijī Língyòu Gōng 開基靈祐宮) Although this temple is right down an alley from Chikan Lou, it is seldom visited by tourists. The caretaker jumped out of his seat to give me a tour of the place when he saw that I was photographing it. For a small and lesser known temple, though, … 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
Tainan Grand Matsu Temple
Tainan Grand Matsu Temple (Dà Tiānhòu Gōng 大天后宮) The goddess Matsu is one of the most important deities in Taiwan. It’s a simple equation, really: Goddess of the Sea + Taiwan being an island = high status among worshippers. Matsu was already important among the coastal Fujianese before crossing the straight, but the perilous journey from … Continue reading
Temple of the Five Concubines
Temple of the Five Concubines (Wǔfēi Miào 五妃廟) Unlike urban cemeteries in Europe where you can find people sitting next to grave stones and reading books, Taiwanese people are far too superstitious to treat a grave site as a park. The very idea of entering a cemetery for any purpose other than to clean the tomb and … Continue reading
Mutton – Lao Shen (Lao Tzeng)
Lao Shen Mutton Shop (Lǎo Shēn Yángròudiàn 老珅羊肉店) If you like the meat of sheep or you just want to fill your belly without spending a fortune, here’s a good spot to try. Lao Shen specializes in mutton and serves up generous portions for very reasonable (some would call it cheap) prices. You can get yáng ròu biàn … Continue reading
Chikan Lou (Ft. Provintia)
Chikan Lou (Chìkǎn Lóu 赤崁樓) Chikan Lou, also known as Chikan Tower or Fort Provintia, is among the most important historic sites in Tainan City as well as all of Taiwan. It is also one of the prettiest. Two ornate stone and wood towers sit amongst the grounds of lovely gardens that include a koi … Continue reading
Tainan City Guide 