National Cheng Kung University

National Cheng Kung University (Guólì Chénggōng Dàxué 國立成功大學) Many foreigners arrive in Tainan as either a student, guest lecturer, or visiting faculty at  National Cheng Kung University; however, the school also holds interest for those outside of the academic world. Like many universities, the campuses of NCKU are full of culture, history, and nice places … Continue reading

Confucius Temple Cultural Park Tourism Center (Old Tainan Forestry Office)

Old Forestry Office

Confucius Temple Cultural Park Tourism Center On You Ai Street behind the Confucius Temple, Wude Hall, and the National Literature Museum, there is a small Japanese colonial-era building that was once the offices of the forestry department. It is a well-preserved building and has been recently made into the Confucius Temple Cultural Zone Tourism Center. … Continue reading

Old Tainan District Courthouse

Old Tainan District Courthouse (Táinán Dìfāng Fǎyuàn 台南地方法院) Compared with the new courthouse on Jiankang Road in Anping, which is a modern building that looks large enough to employ half the city, the old courthouse seems antiquated and small. That wasn’t the case when the old courthouse was built. It was an immense and modern … Continue reading

Japanese-Era Shop Houses

A Japanese-era Shop-house

Japanese-Era Shop-Houses Tainan has beautiful historic temples and attractive modern sky-rises, but through most of the city, the clutter of signs, shop-houses, and apartments are pretty unappealing to the eye. Lets face it. Much of what was built in Tainan from the fifties through the eighties is nothing short of ugly. Most apartments and shop-houses … Continue reading

Old Tainan Prefecture Hall (National Museum of Taiwan Literature)

Whether a tourist or resident of Tainan, it is unlikely the large European-style building on the Minsheng traffic circle has escaped your eyes. It seems a bit out of place and is so well-restored that it almost looks like it was recently built to serve as the newly conceived National Museum of Taiwan Literature that … 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

Tainan Wude Hall (Old Tainan Martial Arts Academy)

Tainan Wude Hall While the Japanese built many modern buildings in Taiwan, finding traditional Japanese buildings is a little more difficult. Wude Hall is one of the few examples of traditional Japanese architecture in Tainan. The Japanese built it as a martial training center for police, military, and other citizens. Several martial arts halls were … Continue reading