Trip to ROC III (Tainan)

2009/01/13

For pictures of this day visit:
http://flickr.com/photos/jayjayw18/sets/72157612648002075

Tainan is the oldest city in Taiwan and was the capital during imperial times. It is famous for its temples, historic buildings and snack food. The city is currently the fourth largest city on the island with a population over 760,000.

Little is known about Tainan prior to the Dutch rule except that it was a settlement of Han Chinese immigrants in the 14th and 15th centuries and was named Dayuan (大員). The Dutch established a trading post in 1624 at present-day Anping (former Ford Zeelandia), and used it as a base of operation for a variety of business they conducted in the region. However, in 1661 the outpost was under siege by a fleet of Ming Dynasty remnants led by Zheng Chenggong, who established his own kingdom on Taiwan and renamed the city Dongdu (東都; literally "East Capital") after the Dutch capitulated and withdrew from the island. In 1684, the Qing Dynasty conquered Taiwan and established Taiwan-fu (臺灣府Taiwan Government) as the first official local government in Taiwan.

Taiwan-fu was later renamed to Tainan-fu in 1885 when Taiwan was established as a province. Because it was formerly the capital of Taiwan, Tainan is also called Fu-cheng (府城; literally "Government City").

Tainan is also one of Taiwan's cultural capitals, as it houses the first Confucian School/Temple, built in 1665 on the island[5], the remains of the Northern and Southern gates of the old city, and countless other historical monuments.

The first historical monument we visited were the Chikan Towers 赤崁樓 originally called Fort Provintia, was built in 1653 by the Dutch. It was the first place where Zheng Chenggong beat the Dutch in 1661. There was a great statue that show us how the Dutch were beaten by us, the Chinese :D

After we had breathed some historical air, we looked for FOOD!!!!! Whahahahaha :P Our lunch:
* 蚵爹 (o-a-die, something with oyster and vegetable)
* 燒肉飯 (Roasted pork rice)
* 旗魚肚飯 (Minced fish rice)
* 珍珠奶茶 (Bubble milk tea)

After our we meal we went to Confucius Temple 孔廟 and East Port 大南門, a part of the former city wall. There was nothing special, but just two places where you must have been and have taken some pictures.

Next stop: Fort Anping 安平古堡, former Fort Zeelandia. It was a fortress built over ten years from 1624–1634 by the Dutch Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie in Tainan .

On 30 April 1661, General Zheng Chenggong of Ming China (1368-1644) laid siege to the fortress (defended by 2,000 Dutch soldiers) with 400 warships and 25,000 men. After a nine-month siege with the loss of 1,600 Dutch lives, the Dutch surrendered the Fortress on 1 February 1662, when it became clear that no reinforcements were forthcoming from Batavia (present day Jakarta, Java, Indonesia) and when the defenders ran short of fresh water.

Under the Koxinga-Dutch Treaty signed on 1 February 1662 between Koxinga and Frederick Coyett, the Dutch governor, the Dutch surrendered the Fortress and left all the goods and property of the VOC behind at Fort Zeelandia. In return, all officials, soldiers and civilians were free to leave with their personal belongings and supplies.

On 9 February 1662, Frederick Coyett handed over the keys to the fort and lead the remaining Dutch forces and civilians back to Batavia by sea, ending 38 years of Dutch colonial rule on Taiwan.

The Eternal Golden Castle億載金城was the last place in Tainan. The Eternal Golden Castle alternatively but less well known as Uhrkuenshen Battery 二鯤鯓砲台is a defensive castle in Anping, Tainan, Taiwan. The castle was built in 1874 by the famous Qing official Shen Baozhen in order to safeguard the coast and to defend the island against Japanese invasions.

In 1895, when Taiwan was invaded by Japan, the Taiwanese people fought against the Japanese battleship from this fortress. During the Russo-Japanese War, the Japanese government sold some of the fort's cannons in order to help pay for the war. With its cannons gone or obsolete, the fortress lost its military value.

After one day of history, we went back to Taizhong. Night + Asia = KARAOKE TIME!!!