Tainan
Geography
Tainan city is located in the fertile Jianan Plain of the Southwestern Taiwan. Tainan has a humid subtropical climate. History By the 16th century, Tainan had been inhabited and dominated by the indigenous Siraya tribe. Meantime, fishermen and merchants from both China and Japan had also actively traded with the Siraya along the coastline. However, in 1624, the Dutch East India Company decided to make Tainan as its trading post and military base. The Dutch East India Company thus built Fort Zeelandia( which was renamed as Anping Fort nowadays) and Fort Provintia( which was changed into Chihkan Tower by Zheng Chenggong, the leader and loyalist of the subjugated Ming dynasty). Later on, by defeating the Dutch force in 1662, Zheng Chenggong and his descendants established the Kingdom of Dungning based in Tainan. Nevertheless, in 1684, the Qing dynasty ended the regime of the Kingdom of Dungning and set Taiwan as its prefecture. Tainan had been the capital of Taiwan for both Kingdom of Dungning and the Qing dynasty until 1887. |
Food
Tainan is known as the City of Snacks. Following are the food recommended according to the 2013 online voting for the traditional specialty. Coffin toast— fried bread stuffed with vegetables, chicken, milk-based sauce and other ingredients. Oyster omelet, shrimp roll, and Dan Zai noodle are other popular specialties. |
Tourist Attractions
Being the oldest city in Taiwan, Tainan boasts its diversity of historical remains and religious relics. As mentioned in the previous paragraph, Anping Fort and Chihkan Tower represent the Dutch ruling period. Tainan Confucian Temple, built in 1665 under Chengs’ ruling power, was called the First Academy of Taiwan. Also, Snow Mountain in Cigu Salt Fields is a must-see in Tainan. Along the coastline, the sand bars form numerous lagoons. In Cigu Lagoon, one may have the chance to witness the endangered “Black-faced Spoonbill”. |