Tainan

Sidianwu & Da Tianhou Temples, Tainan

From Sun Moon Lake we went to Tainan. We liked Tainan. Except for the pavements and moped combination. What is it about so many places in Asia, that mopeds drive and park on the pavements? Most of the time you can't walk along a pavement because it is regularly blocked by parked mopeds, and if it is clear of parked bikes, you are in danger of getting run over by a moving one. At least here fewer drive on the path, because there are regular steps up and down.



Sidianwu & Da Tianhou Temples, Tainan

Mopeds aside, Tainan is a nice liveable city. It is popular with expats, with lots coming out here to take advantage of decent money to teach English, as we discovered when we went down to the bars along Hai'an Road. We spent an enjoyable evening in a place called Dive Bar, chatting to a group of them. It seems a number of people come out here for a short stint, but end up staying.


Sidianwu & Da Tianhou Temples, Tainan

But we only had a few days here, so we had to get on with some sightseeing. First stop was a pair of temples, the Sidianwu Temple, which is a martial temple, and the Da Tianhou Temple.



Sidianwu & Da Tianhou Temples, Tainan

The latter was originally the palace of Emperor Ningjing, of the Ming Dynasty. It was converted to a temple dedicated to goddess Mazu, Tainan's most worshipped God, in around 1684 at the suggestion of admiral Hsis Long, in an attempt to get the Taiwanese to accept Chinese rule.

A stone tablet by Hsis Long, setting out the invasion and efforts to sooth the people, is the oldest Qing Dynasty tablet in the country.



Chihkan Tower, Tainan

Near to these temples is the Chihkan Tower. It is the site of a 1650s former Dutch colonial outpost, Fort Provintia, but that was destroyed and replaced by the tower. There are a lot of historical artefacts here, but unfortunately there isn't a great deal of information about them , or at least not in English. We found that quite a lot in Taiwan.


Chihkan Tower, Tainan



Chihkan Tower, Tainan

I did rather like the nine stone turtles, each carrying a stone tablet. Apparently the turtle is said to be one of the nine sons of the dragon, but he became a turtle because he like bearing heavy loads.









Chihkan Tower, Tainan



Chihkan Tower, Tainan



Tiangong Temple, Tainan

The next temple was the Tiangong Temple, known as the Alter of Heaven. It is dedicated to the Taoist Jade Emperor.









Tiangong Temple, Tainan

Chinese Taoists believe in fatalism, and this is where they come when things go wrong. They believe that they can pray to the Jade Emperor, and he will transfer their misfortune onto a straw doll, so they can be freed of them.



Tiangong Temple, Tainan

Tiangong Temple, Tainan

Beiji Temple, Tainan

The Beiji Temple was a former Dutch medical centre, but is now dedicated to the worship of Emperor of Mysterious Heaven.



Beiji Temple, Tainan



Beiji Temple, Tainan

Nearby is the only remaining Japanese weather station, dating back to 1897. It is known as the pepperpot, due to its shape.



Weather station, Tainan







Confucius Temple, Tainan

From here, we wandered past the grand building of the Taiwanese Literature Museum, and in to the Confucius Temple.


Royal Boards, Confucius Temple, Tainan

Built in 1666,  it has long been regarded as an important centre of learning, and  are very proud of their large collection of royal boards, given by each of the past rulers -  a bit like our royal warrants I think.



Confucius Temple, Tainan

Across the road from the temple is a nice little street called Fujhong (or Fuzhong) Street, with some nice little shops and places to eat. The Pan Gao stone archway as you go into the street dates from 1749, and was originally one of the gates to the Confucius temple.



Yonghua Temple, Tainan

There is also the nice little Yonghua Temple down one of the side streets.