[RD] Discovering Taiwan

[warpus]

Day 14

Last Day in Tainan
Tuesday, November 19, 2024

I checked out of my hotel in the morning and left my large backpack behind so I could explore a bit more of the city before heading to the train station in the evening. My first find was an interesting shrine that doesn't seem to be documented anywhere on the English internet, at least not that I could find.

After over an hour of digging, here is what I can tell you about it. As far as I can decipher the name of the site is:

Morning Prosperity Palace of Shezailin, Bajijing District

This is an urban shrine maintained by the local community with a focus on local militia history with an ancestral reverence and folk religion slant. The shrine seems to honour members of the Gong Hebao Militia, which I again have not been able to find any information on online, but it seems to be a local defensive militia formed during the Qing period. Such local militias were used by the Qing to suppress rebellions and help maintain stability & control. At the time there were occasional flareups between different Han & indigenous groups, and it was these local militias that often helped keep order, instead of any official Qing military units. This shrine honours Gong Hebao Militia martyrs, likely dating to some specific rebellion or uprising, which were somewhat common at the time.

I used my phone to translate some of the plaques I found at the site and that helped me connect some of these dots. There is a strong Taoist emphasis at the site, but a local variant of Mazu (the sea goddess) is also found here, and there are Buddhist elements at the site as well.

The main thing that drew me to this shrine was the golden railing on the stairs leading up as well as around the whole site. I didn't even end up taking any pictures of anything else other than the railing and the mural by the entrance.

Interestingly enough this mural seems to have been drawn in a Tang Dynasty style, which ruled mainland China from 618 to 907 CE. This sort of mixing of various styles, religions, and time periods made it tougher to identify the site. This place also seems to have multiple names, so I'm not quite sure the one I gave is accurate. Sacred Palace of Wondrous Spirit is another name that comes up, and it's one of several.

Bajijing District doesn't even exist as an official district, that is a reference to a sort of local naming of this part of Tainan, as well as a throwback to what this part of the city used to be named during Qing times.

Overall this site seems like a mishmash of various elements that has been maintained by the local community over the years, instead of any official religious or civic body. The diversity of ideas presented here makes sense in that context, but it sure confused me at first.

 

[warpus]

Tainan Confucius Temple (臺南孔廟)

This is the oldest Confucius temple in Taiwan, founded in 1665 during the rule of the Kingdom of Tungning. It was the first ever official educational institution in Taiwan, which has earned it the title of "First Academy of Taiwan". During the Qing Dynasty it became the Taiwan Prefectural Academy, a center for Confucian learning and civil service preparation.

The temple follows a southern Chinese style and is known for its tranquil atmosphere, ancient trees, and collection historical artifacts. I did check out the museum-like display rooms here and saw a zither-like instrument on display, a collection of old ceremonial bells, and a tablet representing the spiritual presence of Confucius. Apparently I should have also seen an impressive collection of royally inscribed boards from various dynasties here, but I honestly can't remember if I did.

This temple has undergone over 30 renovations, including several major reconstructions during Japanese rule. There are two elementary schools adjacent to the temple grounds, which explains the large group of young kids in uniform I saw exercising by the ritual pond. The schools' proximity reflects the temple's status as the first formal academy on the island, but the elementary schools were founded much later, in the 1940s and 60s.

What I remember the most about this temple is how serene everything felt. A part of that might have been the well maintained bushes and other greenery, a part might have been the 300+ year old trees, but it wasn't really the architecture that made this place stick in my mind.

 

[warpus]

Unexpected Pork Cutlet (想不到豬排)

The restaurant I ordered this at (Farmland Noodle Artisan) has been described as a noodle shop interrupted by a pork cutlet. The cutlet is worth writing about and is definitely the thing to order if you are only going to come here once. It is technically a fusion dish, but it has strong roots in the traditional Japanese tonkatsu style.

The other things popular here are spicy tofu, cold noodles, and hot and sour soup.. Taiwanese staples with strong roots in traditional Chinese cuisine. You would usually not expect to find a Japanese style pork cutlet at a restaurant like this, especially such a well prepared one. But here it is! And it is delicious

The spicy tofu was also good, as was the hot and sour soup, but the pork cutlet just blew everything else out of the water. As for the cold noodles I was not a big fan, but it's such a popular Taiwanese dish I wish I gave them another try somewhere else.