[RD] Discovering Taiwan

[warpus]

When you cross the street you get the sense that you've walked right into Yan Jhen-fa's open air workshop. A bunch of his art is just lying around.

Another look at some of the painted movie posters hanging above the theater:

 

[warpus]

Tainan Sacrificial Rites Martial Temple (祀典武廟)

This temple has a very interesting history.

In 1661, when the Ming Empire was in decline, a Japanese born southern Ming general landed in Taiwan with a force of 25,000 men. He had two objectives: to kick out the Dutch East India Company from Taiwan, and to set up a base on the island from which the Ming could regroup and attempt to counter-attack Manchu/Qing dynasty forces on the mainland. The general's name was Koxinga, a title given to him by the Ming Emperor. He had interesting roots, his father was a powerful pirate-merchant.

After almost a year of battles Koxinga emerged victorious, ending 38 years of Dutch rule on the island. He proceeded to construct a new palace, located about 1.5km from the old Dutch stronghold of Fort Zeelandia, from which he could rule the region and the island.

Only 5 months later Koxinga passed away, which is when one of his ten sons converted the palace into a shrine for Guan Gong, a god of war. This is the same deity that is honoured at the temple to this day.

 

[Birdjaguar]

What is the second picture?

 

[warpus]

What is the second picture?

That is a picture of the same temple complex taken from another vantage point.

 

[warpus]

Chihkan Tower (赤崁樓)

Today Chihkan Tower refers to a complex of 6 or more structures, but originally the Dutch East India Company constructed Fort Provintia here, which eventually became Chihkan Tower. It's perhaps a bit confusing, but today the whole complex of structures is known as Chihkan Tower, including the Chihkan tower itself.

Fort Provintia was constructed by the Dutch in 1653 to further cement their control of the region as well as the whole island. Fort Zeelandia, the main Dutch fort on the island, lies about 5km to the west from here. In 1662 the Dutch were kicked out of Taiwan by the previously mentioned Ming General Koxinga, who's son Zheng Jing turned the tower into an arms depot. Eventually locals began to know the structure as Chihkan Tower, derived from the aboriginal village name Sakam, which is the settlement that existed here when the Dutch set up camp.

During the Qing era several temples and pavilions were added to the complex, while under Japanese rule these structures were repurposed as student dormitories and an army hospital.

Today's Chihkan Tower blends Dutch and Chinese design elements, although unfortunately for me a lot of the site was being renovated when I visited, closed off from the public with a solid metal barrier. The murals painted on the barrier were interesting and I did enjoy walking around the site taking in all the colourful images. From what I understand these murals tell the story of Koxinga's conquest, incorporating some mythological elements.

 

[warpus]

Tainan Grand Mazu Temple (臺南祀典大天后宮)

This temple was originally built in 1664 as a mansion for Prince Ningjing, a Ming dynasty royal who fled to Taiwan with General Koxinga during the Qing/Manchu conquest of mainland China. There they ruled the Taiwanese Kingdom of Tungning and resisted Qing rule until 1684. That is when the Qing general Shi Lang conquered the Kingdom of Tungning, after which he converted this mansion into a temple dedicated to Mazu, the sea goddess. This temple became the first government established Mazu temple on the island, a symbol of Qing authority and religious unity.

You might vaguely remember that I had already visited Mazu temples in Lukang and Taichung. Mazu, the sea goddess, is the most commonly worshipped deity in Taiwan. There are hundreds of temples dedicated to her scattered around the island. For full context, it was the Qing who elevated Mazu from a local sea guardian to a full fledged Heavenly Queen & Deity, promoting Mazu worship as a broader strategy to unify diverse populations. In Taiwan Mazu temples were centres of Qing loyalty and identity, helping to integrate Taiwanese communities into the Qing empire. Across the Taiwan strait it was Fujian province that saw a significant amount of Mazu worship, an attempt by the Qing to have a sort of cultural bridge between Taiwan and the mainland.

Even to this day Mazu festivals and other religious events at times feature performers from both Taiwan and mainland China, as a symbol of a continuation of this spiritual unity.

Two legendary generals guard the golden Mazu statue, which you can see in the distance. Qianliyan (Thousand mile eye) sees distant threats, while Shunfeng'er (Favourable Wind Ear) hears distant cries for help.

 

[warpus]

More pictures from the Tainan Sacrificial Rites Martial Temple (祀典武廟)

I've already covered this temple a couple posts ago, but it looks like I swung back and visited it again, this time stepping inside. Good thing I did, these statues of Guan Gong, the God of War & his entourage are just beautiful.

 

[Birdjaguar]

Temples on the mainland have similar statues of gods which are often extraordinary.

 

[warpus]

Temples on the mainland have similar statues of gods which are often extraordinary.

I would love to one day visit mainland China to compare the two divergent sets of Chinese culture that have been evolving independently for over 130 years now. Some people call Taiwan an alternate history version of China, and some of that is obvious in terms of the political systems, but a lot of the more interesting differences are likely more nuanced and best appreciated in person. Then there's all the similarities

 

[Birdjaguar]

I have not been to Taiwan, but from your pictures one significant difference is that of scale. On the mainland there has been ample space to do things on a larger scale. The gods in Buddhist temples are equally grand. With your permission I can post one or two.

Visiting China is like visiting the US. It is such a large country and so many interesting things are not in Beijing, Shanghai and Xi'an. My two trips lasted 6 weeks and it would take another 6 weeks to feel like I had seen enough. The the very excellent fast train networks makes getting around easy.

 

[warpus]

I have not been to Taiwan, but from your pictures one significant difference is that of scale. On the mainland there has been ample space to do things on a larger scale.

That makes sense! I always associated the smaller scale at which things tend to be done in Taiwan with the influence of the Japanese, but never really thought about it. It now seems obvious that there's also a lot less space on the island, so everything will naturally be a lot more compact.

One consequence of that is that the things that are a bit grander tend to feel quite a bit more grand than they would have otherwise. I experienced this first at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial in Taipei I believe.. The space feels so grand, up until then I only really saw smaller open spaces in the city.

The gods in Buddhist temples are equally grand. With your permission I can post one or two.

Definitely! Do you mind waiting until there is a post about a Buddhist temple? Then we can compare. I know that I visited at least one more a bit later on in my trip, near Kaohsiung. That temple in particular has a rather large Buddha statue looming over everything actually.

 

[Birdjaguar]

I experienced this first at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial in Taipei I believe.. The space feels so grand, up until then I only really saw smaller open spaces in the city.

Yes that is mainland China sized.

Love to. Just tell me when is appropriate.

 

[warpus]

For the life of me I could not figure out which temple I took this photo at or which deities it represents. The GPS coordinates put it right beside the Tainan Sacrificial Rites Martial Temple, but those aren't always 100% accurate and no online resource I browsed through hinted that anything like this is present there. The Tainan Grand Mazu Temple is very close as well and both temples include a variety of side buildings and smaller chapels, so it must have been one of them, or perhaps a smaller temple that isn't marked on the map..

While doing research I found potential references here from Taoist, Buddhist, Hindu, and Taiwanese folk religious sources. The main deity in question might be a variant of the Ashtabhuja Vishnu, although I'm not really convinced about that either. What I'm a bit more certain about is that the deity has something to do with celestial order & the Chinese zodiac.

I vaguely remember Alexander Synaptic telling me about this Chinese zodiac stone. It's standing right in front of the altar, indicating that the main deity has some sort of a cosmic connection or astrological influence. Unfortunately I do not remember much beyond that about it..

 

[warpus]

Egg tarts are fairly popular in Tainan, and after trying one I could not help but notice that it reminded me of the Pastel de Nata pastries I tried in Portugal.

It turns out that the Taiwanese version is derived from a variant popularized in Macau, the old Portugese colony near Hong Kong. No wonder it gave me Lisbon flashbacks! The one you see pictured here was freshly baked, delicious, and definitely worth writing about.

 

[bene_legionary]

I used to go mad for egg tarts! I need to buy some sometime.

 

[warpus]

Shennong Street (神農街)

Shennong Street is a narrow street in West Central Tainan, one of the best preserved historic streets in the city. Here you can find well preserved Qing era shophouses with wooden beams and red brick walls. It is a part of a dense network of narrow pedestrian walkways in central Tainan.

There's all sorts of interesting shops and eateries lining these walkways; I couldn't have imagined a better way to wrap up my second day in Tainan.

 

[warpus]

Day Twelve Reflections
Sunday, November 17, 2024

Total Distance Walked This Day - 7.9 km

I just can't stop raving about how great it was to explore central Tainan on foot. There's so many pedestrian friendly alleyways in the central part of the city, lined with street food stalls and interesting shops. The street grid here was designed during Dutch & Qing periods when foot & cart traffic was the norm, leading to narrower streets. A lot of these heritage streets and districts were preserved, rather than replaced with wider boulevards, which is what happened in many other cities on the island.

Tainan is often called Taiwan's food capital, and that just adds to the experience. You can walk and eat your way through the city with a smile on your face. At the end of the night I ended up at the same Japanese restaurant I ate at two nights prior, when I first arrived in the city. I just couldn't stop daydreaming about their cheese-filled croquettes. This time I also tried their fried chicken & katsu. All very good, a delicious way to finish off the day.

The hotel I had booked for my stay in Tainan was also in a rather perfect spot, right in the middle of everything. Each time I used the elevator it attempted to inspire me with that positive message.

 

[warpus]

Day 13

Day Trip to Anping District (安平區)
Monday, November 18, 2024

The Dutch East India Company founded their first and most important Taiwanese settlement here in 1624 on a small islet that over time became connected to the rest of the island. It was from here that the Dutch ruled Taiwan until 1662, setting up trade routes to Chinese, Japanese, and south-east Asian cities.

At the time it was mainly aboriginal Austronesians who lived in Taiwan, but it was not uncommon to run into occasional Han Chinese merchants and traders. The Dutch helped facilitate further Han migration to the island, as they needed workers for their farms, workshops, and other ventures. In fact, up until the arrival of the Dutch, the Han Chinese population of Taiwan was very small, estimated at 1,500 - 2,000 people or so. Han immigration to the island increased dramatically during Dutch rule.

Today this part of Tainan is known as Anping, a historic district about a 20-30 minute bus ride west from central Tainan.

 

[warpus]

Eternal Golden Castle (億載金城)
aka Erkunshen Artillery Fort (二鯤鯓砲臺)

This western style fort was built by the Qing in 1874 to help defend Anping Harbour. This was done in the context of the rising tensions between the Qing and the Japanese Empires. At the time I had assumed that this was a Dutch fort initially constructed in the mid 1600s - That would have lined up with what I expected to find in Anping. Turns out that this fort was actually built about 200 years later by the Qing, during a military modernization period when they turned to western technology and design principles.

French engineers were recruited to design the fort, which was equipped with advanced at the time British Armstrong cannons. This marked a major shift in Qing military modernization initiatives, at the time attempting to match western and Japanese naval power, something they were ultimately unsuccessful in.

 

[warpus]

Navy Destroyer Museum (安平定情碼頭-德陽艦園區)
aka Navy Destroyer Deyang Ship Park

This destroyer was built in 1945 as USS Sarsfield (DD-837) at Bath Iron Works, Maine, USA, and in 1977 was comissioned into The Republic of China Navy as ROCS DeYang (DDG-925).

Today it is Taiwan's only warship museum.

Large robots from the Transformers franchise can be found on the deck, which made it even more fun to explore the ship.