The beginnings of Taiwan

Trip Start Nov 17, 2006
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Trip End May 09, 2007


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Friday, May 4, 2007

So, this is where modern Taiwan started. Fujianese settlers set up town here in 1590 (ancient history in Taiwan terms), after which  it was used by the Dutch as a trading base until they were overrun by the Ming Pretender Koxinga.It was the capital city until it was moved to Taipei just over a hundred years ago. I was expecting a city of traditional houses interspersed with modern buildings, much like what I saw in Beijing. Alas, Taiwan doesn't have anywhere near as much space as China, which evidently didn't bode well for the 'normal' buildings of the city, which have been razed to make way for the new traditional Taiwan highrises. All that remains of the most historic city of Taiwan is two forts and a large smattering of temples. Needless to say, it was a bit of a let down. Especially after a 5 hour train journey started at the crack of dawn!

But although most of it's charm has succumbed to the concrete tidal wave, Tainan did have a bit of history hiding away still. Mainly in the form of the aforementioned temples. The city is full of them - every corner you turn brings you to a new one. Buddhist, Doaist, Confucian, a random mix of all three, grand complexes or a garden shed, they really do come in all shapes and sizes! And they are everywhere.... Pretty for the first few, but alas, they get rather samey after a while. I think primarily from my complete lack of knowledge about what's going on. It would be cool to know more about them, because everything is very symbolic, but to be honest I don't have  clue.

The forts were more fun - one was in the centre of town, set in a nice garden, and the other one was on the outskirts. Apparently it used to be on the coast, but it's somehow receded by at least a couple of miles. Odd... Still nothing too exciting though - it was nice to see the old buildings - some of the oldest in Taiwan, built by the Dutch invaders, but again, there's only so much you can look at! The one on the outskirts had a nice garden with the original foundations excavated, and a tower you could go up for some views, but it was too hot for me to really enjoy it. Damn sun!!!
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