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Tainan 臺南
Special municipality
Tainan City · 臺南市
Clockwise from top: The skyline of Tainan metropolitan area, Fort Provintia, Southern Taiwan Science Park, Anping dock, the shopping district nearby Tainan Station, National Cheng Kung University, Barclay Memorial Park.
Nickname(s): The Phoenix City (鳳凰城),The Prefecture City (府城)
Country	Republic of China (Taiwan)
Region	Southwestern Taiwan
Capital	Anping District (安平區)and Xinying District(新營區)
Government
• Mayor	William Lai
Area
• Total	2,191.6531 km (846.2020 sq mi)
Population
• Total	1,876,312
• Density	854.917/km (2,214.22/sq mi)
	Population ranked 5 of 22
Districts	37
Bird	Black-billed magpie
Flower	Royal Poinciana (Delonix regia)
Tree	Royal Poinciana (Delonix regia)
Website	English Chinese

Tainan is a city in southern Taiwan. It is the most antique city of Taiwan, governed as one of special municipalities. Tainan faces the Taiwan Strait in the west and south. Tainan's complex history of comebacks, redefinitions and renewals inspired its popular nickname "the Phoenix City."

Tainan was initially established by the Dutch East India Company as a ruling and trading base called Fort Zeelandia during the period of Dutch rule on Taiwan. After Dutch colonists were defeated by Koxinga in 1661, Tainan remained as the capital of the Tungning Kingdom until 1683 and afterwards the capital of Taiwan prefecture under the rule of Qing Dynasty until 1887, when the new provincial capital was moved to Taipei. Tainan has been historically regarded as one of the oldest cities in Taiwan, and its former name, Tayouan (大員), has been claimed to be the origin of the name "Taiwan". It is also one of Taiwan's cultural capitals, for its rich folk cultures including the famous local snack food, extensively preserved Taoist rites and other living local traditions covering everything from child birth to funerals. The city houses the first Confucian school–temple, built in 1665, the remains of the Eastern and Southern gates of the old city, and countless other historical monuments. Tainan claims more Buddhist and Taoist temples than any other city in Taiwan.

History

Early History

Archaeological excavations in the township of Zuozhen suggest that the Tainan region has been inhabited for at least 20,000 to 31,000 years. The indigenous Siraya tribe dominated the region by the 16th century. The Sakam people of the Sinkan sub-tribe inhabited in the area of the present-day city. Other Sirayan sub-tribes, including the Soelangh, Mattauw and Baccloangh inhabited in the surrounding suburbs.

By late 16th century, Chinese merchants and fishermen had set up several bases along the west coast of Taiwan, including a sandbar across the Taijian Inner Sea off the bay of Sakam. "Tayouan" (大員, Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tāi-ôan), meaning "foreigners" in Sirayan, was adopted by the Chinese as the name of the sandbar and later became the name of entire island – Taiwan. Slightly north of Tayouan, along the shoreline near Beixianwei, Japanese traders established bases for trade with China. These early Chinese and Japanese traded with the Sirayan people. Salt and food was exchanged for deer hides and dried deer meat. The Siraya people were influenced by both Chinese and Japanese cultures and lifestyles. They started to use Chinese words in their language, use Japanese tantō in ritual events, and also migrated inland due to the influx of newcomers. By the time the Europeans arrived, the influence of Chinese and Japanese traders and fishermen had already changed this once wild coastline.

Dutch Colony

Early Dutch colonists had attempted but failed to control Macau and the Penghu islands. In July 1622, the Dutch East India Company textile merchant Cornelis Reyersz sailed to Taiwan in search of a suitable location to build a trading post. In 1624 he established a small fort named 'Orange' on the sandy peninsula of Tayouan (now part of mainland Taiwan, in the modern-day district of Anping). The fort was then expanded and renamed Fort Zeelandia. The settlement was initially designed as a base to attack their Spanish rivals and as a trading post between China and Batavia in Indonesia. Later the post became the center of Dutch trade between China, Japan and Europe. During the governorship of Pieter Nuyts (1627-29), there was hostility between the Dutch and Japanese merchants, leading at one point to Nuyts being held hostage by a Japanese trader, Hamada Yahee.

The Dutch pacification campaign on Formosa was a series of military actions and diplomatic moves undertaken in 1635 and 1636. They aimed at subduing hostile aboriginal villages in the south-western region of the island. In 1642 the Dutch seized the Spanish garrison in Keelung. The Dutch East India Company became the first authority to claim control of the whole of Taiwan Island, with Fort Zeelandia as the seat of government.

Tensions arose between the Dutch and the Chinese inhabitants of Taiwan due to heavy Dutch taxation and Dutch participation in plunder during the collapse of the Ming Dynasty. Eventually this led to the brief, but bloody, Guo Huaiyi Rebellion in 1652. The Dutch crushed the revolt only with the help of the local Sinkanese.

The settlements near to Fort Zeelandia expanded as a result of the Dutch trading post in the area. In 1653, the Dutch built a new fort, Fort Provintia, in the Sakam area as a center for an agricultural colony. The Dutch encouraged Chinese farmers to migrate to Taiwan to grow rice and sugar cane. The Dutch settlement in southern Taiwan was so successful that, by the 1650s, it had overtaken Batavia.

Kingdom of Tungning

Koxinga (also known as Zheng Chenggong) was a Ming loyalist and chief commander of the Ming troops on the maritime front for the later emperors of the withering dynasty. In 1661, Koxinga attacked the Dutch colonists in Taiwan. After a nine-month siege, the Dutch Governor of Taiwan, Frederik Coyett, surrendered Fort Zeelandia to Koxinga on 1 February 1662. This effectively ended 38 years of Dutch rule on Taiwan. Koxinga then devoted himself to transforming Taiwan into a military base for loyalists who wanted to restore the Ming Dynasty.

Koxinga set about making Taiwan a base for the Ming loyalist movement. Fort Provintia was renamed Dongdu, (東都) or East Capital, and Fort Zeelandia became Anping. Koxinga set up military colonies on the surrounding plains to help feed his forces. Many suburbs surrounding Tainan City today include in their names "Ying", "Jia", and "Tian", all derived from this event. After the death of Koxinga in 1662, his son, Zheng Jing, changed the name of Dongdu to Dong Ning. His chief minister, Chen Yonghua, introduced Chinese bureaucracy, built the first Confucius temple on the island, and introduced the method of salt production to coastal areas. The British were invited to set up a trading post in Anping to continue trade between Taiwan, Japan and South East Asia. This helped to maintain the region as a center of trade.

The death of Zheng in 1681 was followed by a struggle for succession. Seizing the advantage presented by the infighting, Qing naval commander Shi Lang defeated the Tungning navy in the Penghu Islands on July 17, 1683. Two days later, Qing troops landed at Dong Ning against little resistance. In September,Zheng Jing's son Zheng Keshuang surrendered.

Qing Dynasty

In 1684, the kingdom of Tongning was incorporated into the Qing Empire as part of Fujian province, ending two decades of rule by the Zheng family.The Taiwan Prefecture was established, and Tainan served as the prefecture city "Taiwan-fu" (臺灣府). In 1721, Chinese peasants and indigenous tribes rose in rebellion against Qing misrule. The rebels, led by Zhu Yigui, captured Tainan without a fight. Turmoil ensued as the rebels soon fought amongst themselves. It was only after a Qing army was dispatched from mainland China that order was restored. Zhu Yigui was captured and executed. As Qing law prohibited the building of city walls in Taiwan, Qing authorities decided to create a defensive boundary around the city by growing bamboo around the perimeter. After several further uprisings across the island, work on a city wall began in the late 1780s.

A flood in 1823 brought rich silt from nearby rivers, which formed a widespread new fertile plain across the Taijiang bay area between Tainan and Anping. A canal system called "Wutiaogang" was built to keep the port in Tainan functioning but prevented large ships from entering the bay.

After 174 years of restrictions on trade with the Europeans, the Qing finally reopened Anping port as part of the Tianjin treaty in 1858. The Anping Customs house was established in 1864. Western merchants built trading posts near the remains of Fort Zeelandia.

Following the murder of 54 Japanese sailors by Paiwan aborigines near the southwestern tip of Taiwan in 1871, the punitive Japanese Expedition of 1874 to Taiwan revealed the fragility of the Qing dynasty's hold on Taiwan. As a result, the Qing sent the imperial commissioner Shen Baozhen to Taiwan to strengthen its defense. In Tainan, Shen made several efforts to modernize the defenses including inviting French engineers to design the Eternal Golden Castle in Erkunshen. He also recommended setting up a telegraph cable link between Tainan and Amoy. It is notable that some parts of the castle were built using bricks demolished from Fort Zeelandia. After over 200 years of development Tainan had become the largest city in Taiwan and a Chinese city with foreign influence. The following is a description of the city by the Scottish missionary William Campbell in 1870s:

As to Taiwan-fu itself, I may say that the brick wall which surrounds it is about fifteen feet in thickness, twenty-five in height, and some five miles in circumference. Lofty watch-towers are built over the four main gateways, and large spaces within the city are given to the principal temples and yamens—or quarters occupied by the civil and military mandarins. There is much need in Taiwan-fu for the carrying out of a City Improvement Scheme. Pleasant walks, no doubt, there are, and some of the shops have an appearance which is decidedly attractive; but, as a rule, the streets are narrow, winding, ill-paved, and odorous.

In 1885 the island of Taiwan was made into a separate Chinese province to speed up development in this region, and the city was renamed to the name it bears today – Tainan Prefecture(台南府). Tainan retained its status as a prefecture city when the capital of Taiwan Province moved to Taichung, then to Taipei in 1887.

Japanese Rule

As a consequence of the Chinese losing the first Sino-Japanese War in 1895, Taiwan and the Penghu Islands were ceded to Japan by the Treaty of Shimonoseki. The Republic of Formosa was proclaimed in Tainan in May 1895, in an effort to pre-empt the Japanese occupation. A Japanese army arrived at Tainan in October 1895. Liu Yongfu and the other Republican leaders fled, leaving the city in disarray. An English missionary, Thomas Barclay, was chosen by local elites and foreign merchants to negotiate the Japanese entry into the city. As a result, Tainan was taken without resistance.

The anti-Japanese uprising known as the Tapani Incident began in Ta-pa-ni, today's Yujing district, on April 9, 1915. The revolt, led by Yu Qingfang, spread quickly across the whole island and was supported by both Chinese and indigenous Taiwanese. The Japanese crushed the uprising. Many villages were destroyed and thousands of people were killed during the repression which followed. Yu Qingfang was captured on August 22, 1915. More than 800 people were sentenced to death in Tainan. Over 100 of them were executed while the rest were pardoned by the new Taishō Emperor. The place where the rebellion began, Xilai Temple in Tainan, was demolished. The event marked a turning point in Japanese policy, from forced pacification to modernisation and integration of Taiwan into Japanese Empire.

The Japanese renamed the city several times: Tainanken in 1895, Tainanchō in 1901, then Tainanshū in 1920. Tainanshū included modern Yunlin, Chiayi, and the wider region of Tainan. Tainan served as the capital city. The Japanese transformed Tainan with a modern infrastructure, including schools, a courthouse, city hall, new telecommunication facilities, an extensive freight and passenger rail network, a new Anping canal replacing the Wutiaogang, an airport, and an irrigation system across the Tainan and Chiayi regions. Modern urban designs were introduced; old narrow streets and city walls were demolished and replaced with wide streets that form the cityscape of the modern-day Tainan city center.

Post War Era

The Republic of China (ROC) took over the island in 1945 after World War II. Tainan City and Tainan County became separate local entities under Taiwan Province in 1946. There was civil unrest in Tainan as part of the 228 Incident in 1947. Thng Tek-chiong (pinyin: Tang Dezhang), a lawyer and a member of government which set up "The 228 Incident Commission", was accused of being a separatist and arrested by the ROC army on March 11. He was tortured and executed the next day in the park in front of Tainan City Hall (now named Tang Dezhang Memorial Park). Tang was posthumously pronounced not guilty by court later in March. Like other regions in Taiwan, many people in Tainan suffered for their real or perceived opposition to the Kuomintang Party (KMT, Chinese Nationalist Party) during the autocratic era.

The city held its first councillor and mayoral elections in 1950. In the 1960s, Tainan was overtaken by Kaohsiung as the economic center of southern Taiwan due to the redevelopment of Kaohsiung port. While Tainan City struggled through the second half of twentieth century, the county, especially the river south region, benefited from national priority development programmes. The completion of the National Highway No. 1 was followed by the building of many industrial parks and other road improvements. As a result, the city sprawled inland into North, East and then the Yongkang and Rende districts.

In 1992, a redevelopment plan in the West district, to widen Haian Rd and build an underground plaza proved a failure as lack of geological surveying and overall planning meant that the works ran into a layer of groundwater. The development destroyed part of the historic Wutiaogang area. As a consequence, the Zhongzheng Road district, previously the most popular shopping precinct in Tainan since Japanese rule, went into decline due to the poor quality of the environment. By the mid-1990s, there was a growing awareness of the need to protect Tainan's historical and cultural treasures. Since then, the government and civil societies have worked to protect Tainan's heritage. It is an on-going issue for Tainan to protect its past while reviving its old business center.

Following the establishment of the Southern Taiwan Science Park in 1995, the outskirt of the city saw a rapid growth in population through the 2000s. The city became more prosperous after the completion of several major transport infrastructure plans. The city center shifted eastward in the mid-1990s, closer to the densely populated Yongkang, East and North districts. There are several redevelopment plans to transform these districts into the new business centers of the city.

On March 19, 2004, President Chen Shui-bian was reportedly shot whilst campaigning for re-election in Tainan. The city has been a major center for the pro-independent movement since the end of Japanese rule. On October 21, 2008, Chinese ARATS Vice President Zhang Mingqing was injured when he encountered protestors in Tainan Confucius Temple.

Culture

Tainan claims its name as one of the Taiwanese cultural capitals for its abundant historic monument and citizen lifestyle. The city is dotted by Taoist temples, Buddhist temples as well as churches. Many of them are among the oldest on Taiwan Island. The city also has its own unique traditions and cuisines developed by Chinese frontiers over its long history.

Folk cultures

The lives of Tainan citizens are closely related to many Chinese gods and temples. Parents bring their children to Qiniangma, the children’s goddess, to wish for good will. Traditionally Chinese people step into adulthood when they are 16. In Tainan there is a big ritual celebration for all 16-year-olds on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, Qiniangma’s birthday. This extended celebration is unique to Tainan: In the past, families with children working in the harbor took the advantage of this ceremony to show the employers that their children should be paid in adult rate after this day.

Before any form of exam people would visit the Wenchangdijun, the literacy god, to pray for good luck. One of the Wenchang temples is on the top floor of the Chikanlou. Many final year high school students preparing for university exams visit the temple in June, before the exam. Those asking for marriage would visit Yuelao, the god for marriages. People also visit temples for many reasons, from simply praying for good luck to celebrating god’s birthday to even consulting with the other world.

A wedding ceremony in Tainan is a series of complex process where perfection will be asked in every detail. Both groom and bride need to prepare 12 specific gifts representing different meanings during their engagement ceremony with more to come in the wedding. People believe this complexity is a sign of being civilized.

Anping residents use a special symbol called Sword Lion to keep bad spirits away. During Zheng’s regime, Anping was a main naval station of Koxinga. When returning home from military drills, soldiers would put lion-face shields on the main gates of their houses and insert their swords crosswise in the lion’s mouth. Locals learned this and incorporate this symbol into the design of their houses as a symbol of security.

Tainan cuisine

Many well known Taiwanese cuisines originated from Tainan. Tainan was a center for sugar production industry. As a result Tainan cuisines tend to be sweeter compared to other Taiwanese cuisines. Milkfish cuisines are very popular in Tainan where locals also call it Guóxìngyú or Koxinga’s fish. People believe the Chinese name of the fish (Chinese: 虱目魚; pinyin: Shīmùyú; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: sat-ba̍k-hî) was given by Koxinga. The fish are bred in the farms located in the outskirt coastal areas of the city. Many Tainan restaurants and snack stands have a history that traces back to Qing Dynasty or Japanese colonial era.

Temples

Tainan is famous for its diversity and density of temples and shrines. Some of them are the only of its kind on Taiwan Island. Among all, there are officially listed seven Buddhist temples and eight Taoist shrines (七寺八廟).

The seven Buddhist temples are:

• Kaiyuen Temple, originally the royal gardens of the Tungning Kingdom, became a Buddhist temple in 1690.
• Zhuxi Temple, founded in the Tungning Kingdom period.
• Fahua Temple, founded in the Tungning Kingdom period.
• Mituo Temple, founded in the Tungning Kingdom period.
• Longshan Temple, founded in the Qing Dynasty.
• Chongqing Temple, founded in the Qing Dynasty.
• Huangbo Temple, founded in the Qing Dynasty but demolished by the Japanese. The worshiped statues were migrated to the Altar of Heaven temple.

The eight Taoist shrines are:

• Datianhou Gong (大天后宮), the Grand Sea Goddess temple. Originally the residence of the King Ningjing of the Tungning Kingdom.
• Sidian Wumiao (祀典武廟), the Official God of War temple, built in 1665.
• Dongyue Dian (東嶽殿), the God of Hell temple, built in 1673.
• Fuchenghuang Miao (府城隍廟), the temple of the Prefecture City God, built in 1669.
• Longwang Miao (龍王廟), the shrine of the East Sea Dragon God, built in 1716 but demolished by the Japanese.
• Fengshen Miao (風神廟), the Wind God temple, built in 1739. It is the only Wind God temple on Taiwan Island.
• Yaowang Miao (藥王廟), the Medicine God temple, built in 1685.
• Shuixian Gong (水仙宮), the Water Gods temple, built in Qing Dynasty after Wutiaogang was constructed.

There are many other well-known temples and shrines not on this list, such as the Altar of Heaven temple (天壇) and the re-built Xilai temple (西來庵) etc. They are all the centers of religion in Tainan.

Due to its abundant numbers of temples and shrines, the traditional temple decoration crafters and their business flourishes in Tainan. There are masters still passing their knowledge to maintain the temples in the traditional way.

Music

Nanyin and Shisanyin were the first Chinese music families to introduce to Tainan; Nanyin is performed mostly for entertainment while Shisanyin is performed in the Confucius worship ceremony. There are two Nanyin clubs in Tainan: Zhenshengshe, a 200-year-old club once dissolved in the 1980s for ten years and Nanshengshe, a 95-year-old club performing globally.

Music performance is being promoted in Tainan. Tainan City has its own Chinese orchestra and symphony orchestra. There are also private performance groups such as Chimei Mandolin Performance Group, Chimei Philharmonic Orchestra and Chang Jung Christianity University Symphony Orchestra.

Ten Drum Art Percussion Group (十鼓擊樂團) is a percussion performance group established in the year 2000. The group is dedicated in producing percussion performances that highlights the history, the culture and the image of Taiwan. The group first performed internationally in the festivals during the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. Following this event, the group has performed in many occasions both internationally and domestically. The group has its own campus located in an old sugar factory in Rende District. The campus provides education on percussion performances at all levels and regular performances to general public.

Museums and parks

On top of its plentiful living culture, Tainan host several museums and parks. The National Museum of Taiwan Literature is in the former city hall; National Museum of Taiwan History is in the Annan district; Chimei Museum is in the Rende district; Taijiang National Park follows the coast; Anping Historic Scenic Park includes the entire old Anping town and the north ward of Anping harbor; and Siraya National Scenic Area includes the Wushantou reservoir built by Yoichi Hatta. In the city center, many historic monuments from Zheng’s regime, Qing dynasty, and the Japanese colonial era are preserved including the Confucius temple, two major city gates and former city hall.

Tourism

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (December 2011)

Tainan is a tangible sense of history and pleasing city, which is the site of several spectacular religious festivals. As well as its string of forts, the first capital of Taiwan has some 300 ancient sanctuaries, from the island's first Confucian temple to its first Taoist temple.

Taiwan Confucian Temple

The Taiwan Confucius Temple, also called the Scholarly Temple was built in 1665 when Cheng Ching, son of Koxinga so as to offer lectures and cultivate intellectuals. It was the first learning institute of children when Taiwan was ruled by Qing Dynasty .As the result, it is also called the First Academy of Taiwan. The Confucian temple serves as a popular tourist attraction and also preserves ancient Confucian ceremonies, which are conducted on a regular basis. The temple also includes storerooms for the ritual implements and musical instruments that are used in these ceremonies.

National Museum of Taiwan History

The National Museum of Taiwan History is located in Annan District, The construction of the Exhibition and Education Building began in 2005, and opened in 29 October 2011.The main objectives of this museum are included collection, categorization, preservation, research, exhibition, education and promotion of artifacts related to Taiwan's history and culture. Visitors will also be able to learn and understand more about the history and culture of Taiwan through the exhibitions and educational activities of the Museum.

National Museum of Taiwan Literature

The National Museum of Taiwan Literature researches, catalogs, preserves, and exhibits local literary artifacts. As part of its multilingual, multi-ethnic focus. The museum is housed in the former Tainan City Hall constructd in 1916,as Tainan was also famous for its historical significance.

Fort Provintia

Fort Provintia was built in 1653 by the Dutch during their colonization of Taiwan and was eventually surrendered to Koxinga. Since 1945, the site has been known as "Chihkan Tower", a phonetic derivation from "Sakam" (also spelled "Chakam" or "Sakkam"). In addition to the site's architectural and artistic significance, its library of dictionaries and business transactions documents the Siraya language spoken by the native inhabitants of the region during Dutch rule.

Shopping and Recreation

As Tainan is the one of the larger metropolitan areas in Taiwan, it has lots of department stores, shopping malls and prestigious boutiques. Several of the best known luxury brands have branches or counters in Tainan. To enjoy the Taiwanese lifestyle, Flower Night Market is good place to visit. It is one of the most famous night markets and it is often considered to be the largest night market of Taiwan; however, unlike the others, this night market is also open for business three days a week.(Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday).

Bee hives

In Yanshui District, the most important and prominent fireworks in Lantern Festival are the so-called "bee hives", essentially multiple launchers of bottle rockets. These rocket forts are actually thousands of bottle rockets arranged row atop row in an iron-and-wooden framework. The setup looks like a beehive full of unleashed gunpowder. When the contraption is ignited, rockets shoot out rapidly in all directions. Dazzling explosives whiz and whirl across the sky and often into the crowd itself, both thrilling and intimidating the spectators.

Climate

Tainan has a humid subtropical climate that borders on a tropical wet and dry climate. The city is characterized by year-round high relative humidity and temperatures (although temperatures do dip somewhat in the winter months), with a rainy season (April to September) and a dry season (October to March).

Cityscape

The Great Cross Street

Earliest form of the city was designed by Dutch colonist. Cornelis Jansz. Plockhoy, the designer of this new settlement laid a 25-30m wide main street (on today’s Minquan Rd Sec. 2) across the settlement and radial roads run deep into agricultural developments . Han Chinese settlement “Heliaogang Jie” (today’s Zhongyi Rd) later crosses the main street of Provintia and formed the so-called Shizi Dajie (十字大街) or The Great Cross Street.

Japanese Redevelopment Program

The cityscape of modern Tainan was founded under the urban redevelopment programs carried out by Japanese colonial government. The city center adopted a Haussmann's approach, the plan connected major facilities via a system of wide streets and five square-roundabouts. Among the five squares, Taishō Park (Today's Tang Dezhang memorial park) at the center was the most important crossing point, it connected the city hall with the train station, the airport, military bases and the dock at the end of the Anping cannel. A road corridor from Anping also terminated here. Many historic monuments and major temples are located within the area bounded by the other four squares, including Chikanlou (former Castle Provintia) and the Confucius Temple.

Three Ring Belts

A three-belt system was adopted by the provincial city official : the green boulevard ring, the blue belt Anping cannel and the Zhonghua road system. The green boulevard ring system connects the Shuipingwen Park to the west, Tainan Park to the north, NCKU to the east and the Athletic park complex to the south. The Anping cannel blue belt divides the Fifth Redevelopment Area or New Anping from the rest of the city to form an artificial island. Zhonghua Rd system is an arterial road system, the system now connects major new development areas surrounding old city center. In contrast to the low rise old city center, many high rise buildings are built along these three rings.

The River South Region

Beyond the city center, Tainan city can be divided into two regions: the River South Region and the River North Region bounded by the Zengwen River.

River South Region belongs to the Tainan metropolitan area. Satellite towns spread across the region in a radial pattern from the city center. Southern Taiwan Science Park Tainan campus is located at the north of the region. According to the Council for Economic Planning and Development, this region is designated to grow further into suburban sprawl.

The River North Region

This region is one of the major agricultural centers in Taiwan. There are several regional centers; some of them are just as old as Tainan city. These centers are: Xinying, Yujing, Jiali and Madou.

Xinying was the seat of the former Tainan County Government and currently serve as the administration center for the region. Yujing is a regional center for the low hills districts east to the city; it is famous for its mango and was the scene of the Xilaian (Ta-pa-ni) Incident. Jiali is the regional center of the coastal Tainan. It was the base of the Soelangh sub-tribe. Near the bank of the Zengwen River, Madou is the regional center of the lower plain area bears the name of the river. The town was home to the Mattauw sub-tribe.

Government and Politics

Tainan City is a special municipality, which is the highest level local government under Local Government Law of Republic of China. Technically it is at the same level as Province, although Province is being streamlined. The city is led by the elected city mayor and supervised by the city council. Its subdivisions qu or districts do not have the autonomy power, instead they are administration units only. Further to the citywide election, there are urban villages (里 li) and neighborhood (鄰 lin) functioning as primary local autonomy entity.

Currently there are two administration centers, one in Anping District and another in Xinying District. They are former Provincial Tainan city government and Tainan county government respectively. Administration centers manages city wide affairs and developments such as education and city planning. Apart from administration centers, there are district offices functioning as local access point to the governmental services.

The city has generally been seen as a powerbase for the Democratic Progressive Party, especially in nationwide elections. Although before the merger, the Kuomintang (KMT) have always had more seats in the provincial Tainan city council and KMT won the presidential elections (2008) by a narrow margin in the city. On the other hand, Democratic Progressive Party always dominated former Tainan county. In the first municipal election, after the merger, DPP dominated the political demographics of the city. William Lai, a former member of the Legislative Yuan from the DPP won the first mayoral election in 2010.

City mayor

In 2001, Hsu Tain-Tsair of the Democratic Progressive Party was elected with 43.23% of the vote. His closest rival was the Kuomintang legislator Chen Rong-sheng, who garnered 37.40%. In 2005. Mayor Hsu was re-elected, polling 45.65% to Chen Rong-sheng's 41.40%. In 2010, William Lai of the DPP was elected mayor.

Presidential elections

A majority of city residents have voted for the winning candidates in every presidential election since the position was first chosen by popular vote in 1996.

1996 Presidential election

In common with every other city and county in the Republic of China, with the exception of Nantou, a majority of Tainan residents voted for eventual winner Lee Teng-hui and vice-president Lien Chan.

2000 Presidential election

2004 Presidential election

2008 Presidential election

Administrative districts

Tainan has 37 districts (區 qu):

Map of Tainan
Anding Annan Anping Baihe Beimen Danei Dongshan East Guanmiao Guantian Guiren Houbi Jiali Jiangjun Liujia Liuying Longqi Madou Nanhua Nanxi North Qigu Rende Shanhua Shanshang South West Cen. Xiaying Xigang Xinhua Xinshi Xinying Xuejia Yanshui Yongkang Yujing Zuozhen Chiayi County Chiayi City Kaohsiung City Pingdong County
Name	Hanzi	Population (2010)	Area (km)
Anping District	安平區	62,520	11.0663
Annan District	安南區	177,960	107.2016
East District	東區	194,608	14.4281
West Central District	中西區	79,286	6.2600
South District	南區	126,293	27.2681
North District	北區	131,939	10.4340
Xinying District	新營區	78,155	38.5386
Yongkang District	永康區	217,194	40.275
Baihe District	白河區	31,514	126.4046
Jiali District	佳里區	59,290	38.9422
Madou District	麻豆區	45,953	53.9744
Shanhua District	善化區	43,443	55.309
Xinhua District	新化區	44,116	62.0579
Xuejia District	學甲區	27,943	53.9919
Yanshui District	鹽水區	27,220	52.2455
Anding District	安定區	30,200	31.2700
Beimen District	北門區	12,504	44.1003
Danei District	大內區	10,903	70.3125
Dongshan District	東山區	23,182	124.91
Guanmiao District	關廟區	36,109	53.6413
Guantian District	官田區	22,284	70.7953
Guiren District	歸仁區	65,816	55.7913
Houbi District	後壁區	26,002	71.2189
Jiangjun District	將軍區	21,633	41.9796
Liujia District	六甲區	23,787	64.5471
Liuying District	柳營區	22,746	61.2929
Longqi District	龍崎區	4,395	64.0814
Nanhua District	南化區	8,919	171.5198
Nanxi District	楠西區	10,687	109.6316
Qigu District	七股區	24,857	110.1492
Rende District	仁德區	69,228	50.7664
Shanshang District	山上區	7,912	27.8780
Xiaying District	下營區	26,165	33.5291
Xigang District	西港區	25,242	33.7666
Xinshi District	新市區	34,794	47.8096
Yujing District	玉井區	15,442	76.366
Zuozhen District	左鎮區	5,531	74.9025

Annan District was originally the An-Shun township of Tainan County, but was merged into Tainan City in 1946. In 2004, Central District and West District were merged into the new West Central district.

Economy

Once relied on traditional manufacturing industry, the approval of Southern Taiwan Science Park in 1995 transformed the region into a major high-tech industrial hub. Optoelectronics, integrated circuits, green energy and biotechnology are the dominant industry in the park; prominent companies are Chimei-Innolux Corp., United Microelectronics Corp. and TSMC. With the establishment of Tainan Technology Park, Shugu (Tree Valley) LCD Park and Yonkang Technology Park, the city now becomes a major center for optoelectronics industry in Taiwan with a completed supply chain. Tainan also plays an important role on Auto parts, food processing, textile, plastics and other traditional manufacturing. Most notable companies including the Uni-president Corp., Chimei Corp. and Tainan Spinning Ltd., of which they also headquarters in the city. Overall, industrial production accounted for 62.6% of the gross city product in 2010.

Agriculture is important to the city especially the River North Region. While fishery and fish farming signifies the coastal districts, rice and fruit farms shaped the landscape of the inland agriculture region. The city is famous for its milkfish, oyster, rice, mango, sugar cane, pomelo (文旦), pineapple and lotus seed. Once a dominant industry, salt and sugar production are now declined to almost non-existence. Taiyen (Taiwan salt) co. and Taiwan Sugar Corp., both headquartered in Tainan, now transformed to businesses in biotechnology, quality agriculture, retail and tourism. Among those businesses, orchid farming is the most symbolic for its well-known brand name in the floristry world. A nationally founded special plantation district with R&D resources is established in Houbi District.

Tourism is an industry with increasing importance. As the first capital of Taiwan, the wealth resource of cultural heritages and its potential is currently under exploration. In 2010, there were 3.5 million tourist visitors to the city, mostly domestic. There are several high class hotels in the city, including the Shangri-la Hotel near Tainan train station.

Retail and services is the largest employment sector in Tainan, margined at 52% in 2010. Currently the city center hosts five department stores including two Shin Kong-Mitsukoshi, two FE21' and Focus square. Apart from the city center, there are several shopping precinct around the city, with the strongest presence in East, North and Yongkang districts.

Transportation

Rail

Tainan Station is a major stop on the Taiwan Railway Administration Western Line, with direct connections to Taipei, Kaohsiung, Taichung, Hsinchu, and Keelung. There are also local trains to reach closer destinations.

Taiwan High Speed Rail Tainan Station is located just outside the city center, in Gueiren district. The service is accessible to the city center via two connection bus lines, the TRA Shalun Line and the express way line 86. Using the High Speed Rail system passengers can reach Taipei in under ninety minutes.

Mass Rapid Transit

There have been muted plans for a Tainan MRT system. However, there has not been any progress on the issue for several years. To improve connections with the HSR station and reduce the outlay for an MRT system, a new rail branch line was opened in 2011 (the Shalun Line), and some new train stations are also planned to be added in the future.

Road

National Highway Nos. 1 and 3 run close by and connect via local highways to the city itself. Tainan City has a total of 142.9 km of highways, including national, local, and rural highways.

Air

Tainan Airport is located in the South District of the city. It is a domestic airport, currently operating flights to Kinmen and Makung. Previously there were also services to Taipei's Songshan Airport, but these were dropped in light of falling revenues (generally agreed to be a result of the High Speed Rail commencing operation and rising fuel costs).

Education

• National University of Tainan (國立臺南大學) NUTN used to be the Institute of Teachers' In-service Education in 1988, promoted and renamed National Tainan Teachers College in 1991. In 2004, it was established as National University of Tainan until now. The motto of NUTN includes benevolence, intelligence, sincerity and uprightness.
• National Cheng Kung University (國立成功大學), one of the leading universities in Taiwan, is located in the East District. It is famous for its engineering programs. In 1931, NCKU was established as Tainan Technical College, located on the present Cheng-Kung Campus, with a total area of 183,000 square metres. As the number of colleges expanded, it was upgraded to a provincial university in 1956, then national university in 1971. Today, National Cheng Kung University serves nearly 21,000 students through 9 colleges, 39 departments, and 49 graduate institutes.
• Tainan National University of the Arts (國立臺南藝術大學) TNNUA exists to prepare talented individuals for careers in visual and performing arts, sound and image design, building arts, conservation arts, and art history and critique. The university emphasizes learning through individual attention and independent work creation. It is a public institution first established in 1996.
• Tainan Theological College and Seminary (臺南神學院) was established in 1876 by Thomas Barclay.
• Chang Jung Christian University is a private university affiliated with the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan. CJU offers masters and doctoral degree programs and aims to promote fraternity, justice, and service for Taiwan. It is located south of the city, in Gueiren.
• Southern Taiwan University (南台科技大學), founded in 1969, is located near the northeastern border of Tainan City, within a 30-minute driving distance from the Tainan Airport.
• The Tainan University of Technology (臺南應用科技大學) is a private university founded in 1964. The university offers graduate degrees in music, visual art, and applied sciences.

Senior high schools

Public

• National Tainan First Senior High School
• National Tainan Second Senior High School
• National Tainan Girls' Senior High School
• National Hsin Hua Senior High School
• National Chia-Chi Girls' Senior High School
• National Tainan Commercial Vocational School
• National Tainan Industrial Vocational School
• The Affiliated Senior Industrial Vocational Continuing Education High School of National Cheng Kung University
• National Tainan Marine & Fishery Vocational School
• Municipal Tainan Nan-Ning Senior High School
• Municipal Tainan Tu-Cheng High School

Private

• Feng-Ho Senior High School
• Chang Jung High School
• Sheng Kung Girls' High School
• Nan Ying Vocational High School of Business & Technology
• Salesian Technical School
• Chang Jung Girls' Senior High School
• Deguang Catholic High School
• Kuang Hua Girls' Senior High School
• Tainan Liuhsin Senior High School
• Kuen-Shan Senior High School
• Ying-Hai High School

Notable natives

The following is a non-exhaustive list of famous people born in Tainan, educated there, prominent in the life of the city, or otherwise associated with the city.

• Momofuku Ando (安藤百福) (1910–2007), founder of Nissin Foods and inventor of instant noodles
• Thomas Barclay (1849–1935), Christian missionary, lived in the city from 1875 to 1935
• William Campbell (1841–1921), Christian missionary, lived in the city from 1871 to 1917
• George Chang (張燦鍙) (born 1936), politician, former mayor of Tainan (1997–2001)
• Chin-Feng Chen (陳金鋒) (born 1977), first Taiwanese-born player to play Major League Baseball
• Chen Wei-Ling (陳葦綾), 2008 Olympic bronze medal-winning weightlifter
• Mao Gao-wen (毛高文) (born 1936), chemist, former president of National Tsinghua University (1981–1987) and Minister of Education (1987–1993)
• Hsu Shih-Hsien (許世賢) (1908–1983), first female Taiwanese PhD
• Chin-Lung Hu (胡金龍), MLB infielder for the New York Mets
• Jutoupi (born 1966), recording artist
• Kao Ching-yuen (高清願) (born 1929), businessman, founder and chairman of Uni-president
• Hong-Chih Kuo (郭泓志), MLB pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers
• Tai-Yuan Kuo (郭泰源), retired pitcher for the Seibu Lions, foreign player with the most wins in Nippon Professional Baseball history
• Ang Lee (李安) (born 1954), Academy Award–winning film director
• Chen-Yuan Lee (李鎮源) (1915–2001), pharmacologist and political activist, famous for research on snake venom
• Lien Heng (連橫) (1878–1936), historian, writer of The General History of Taiwan
• En-Yu Lin (林恩宇), baseball pitcher currently playing for Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles
• Lin Hsin-i (林信義) (born 1946), businessman and politician, Minister of Economic Affairs (2000–2002), Vice Premier (2002–2004)
• Lin Mosei (林茂生) (1887–1947?), first Taiwanese philosophy PhD, academic, educator and calligrapher thought to have been killed following the 228 Incident.
• Ong Iok-tek (王育德) (1924–1985), scholar and authority of the Taiwanese Hokkien dialects
• Judy Ongg (翁倩玉) (born 1950), actress, singer, author and artist
• Shi Wen-long (許文龍) (born 1928), businessman, founder of Chi Mei Corporation
• Su Nan-cheng (蘇南成) (born 1936), politician, former mayor of Tainan (1977–1985) and advisor to Chen Shui-bian
• Robert Swinhoe (1836–1877), first British consul sent to Tainan 1861; ornithologist, highly regarded researcher writer on the natural history and zoology of Taiwan and China.
• Chien-Ming Wang (王建民), MLB pitcher for the Washington Nationals
• Wu Hui Ju (吳蕙如), archer and also a member of the team that won the bronze medal for Chinese Taipei in 2004 Summer Olympics in the women's team archery competition
• Jacky Wu (吳宗憲) (born 1962), entertainer and talk-show host

Sports

Tainan is home to the Uni-President Lions, who play their home games at the Tainan Municipal Baseball Stadium. It is also the birthplace of Chien-Ming Wang, Hong-Chih Kuo, Tai-Yuan Kuo, En-Yu Lin, and many other prominent Taiwanese baseball players.

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

The following municipals are sister cities to Tainan City:

• Monterey, California, United States (1965)
• Gwangju, South Korea (1968)
• San Jose, California United States (1977)
• Kansas City, Missouri United States (1978)
• Pasay City, Philippines (1980)
• Cavite City, Philippines (1980)
• Tagaytay City, Philippines (1980)
• Trece Martires City, Philippines (1980)
• Columbus, Ohio United States (1980)
• Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia (1981)
• Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape, South Africa (1982)
• Orlando, Florida United States (1982)
• Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia (1982)
• Fairbanks, Alaska United States (1983)
• Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States (1986)
• Huntsville, Alabama United States(1986)
• Carbondale, Illinois United States(1991)
• Leuven, Belgium (1993)
• Ra'anana, Israel (1999)
• Zacapa, Guatemala (2003)
• Elbląg, Poland (2004)
• Ribe, Denmark (2005)
• Keçiören, Turkey (2005)
• Cagayan de Oro, Philippines (2005)
• Kanpur, India (2005)

Friendship cities

Tainan City also celebrates friendly relationships with four other municipalities, although they are not considered official sister cities.

• Sendai, Japan (2006)
• Nikkō, Tochigi, Japan (2009)
• Almere, Netherlands (2009)

Domestic

• Kinmen, Fujian (1981)
• Penghu County, Taiwan (2004) (Friendship city)

See also

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• Administrative divisions of the Republic of China
• List of cities in Taiwan
• List of mayors of Tainan
• Dead whale exploded

References

1. Tainan University of Technology official site
3. Chang, Winnie (April 1994). "Rise of the Phoenix?". Taiwan Today. Retrieved 2012-01-10.
4. "Tainan Confucian Temple". Council for Cultural Affairs. Archived from the original on 2008-05-01. Retrieved 2008-08-19.
5. ^ 蔡玉仙等編. 府城文史. 臺南市政府. ISBN 978-986-00-9434-3.
6. ^ 石守謙主編. Ilha Formosa: the Emergence of Taiwan on the World Scene in the 17th Century. National Palace Museum. ISBN 957-562-441-6.
7. 加藤光貴著 黃秉珩譯. 昨日府城 明星台南: 發現日治下的老臺南. 臺南市文化資產保護協會. ISBN 978-957-28079-9-6.
8. ^ Murray A. Robinstein. Taiwan: a new history, expanded edition. M.E. Sharpe, Inc. ISBN 0-7656-1495-2.
9. ^ 加藤光貴著 黃秉珩譯. 昨日府城 明星臺南: 發現日治下的老台南. 臺南市文化資產保護協會. ISBN 978-957-28079-9-6.
10. "Anping Harbor National Historical Park". Tainan City Government. Retrieved 2010-03-31.
11. 蔡玉仙等編. 府城文史. 台南市政府. ISBN 978-986-00-9434-3.
12. "Anping Harbor National Historical Park". Tainan City Government. Retrieved 2010-03-25.
13. William Campbell (1913). Sketches of Formosa. London: Marshall Brothers. pp. 16–17
14. "湯德章". Retrieved 2010-04-17.
15. "張銘清訪台遇襲事件". Retrieved 2010-04-18.
16. ^ "台南市文資導讀". Tainan City Government. Retrieved 2011-05-12.
17. "Sword Lion". Anping Harbor National Historical Park. Retrieved 2011-05-12.
18. "Tainan Traditional Orchestra". Tainan Traditional Orchestra. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
19. "Chimei Orchestra (Chinese)". Chimei Museum. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
20. "Chang Jung University Orchestra". Chang Jung University. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
21. "Ten Drum Official Website (Chinese)". Ten Drum Art Percussion Group. Ten Drum Art Percussion Group. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
22. "Green and blue belts reference" (PDF). Retrieved 2011-11-02.
23. "CEPD". Retrieved 2011-11-02.
24. "LCD manufacturing in Tainan". Tainan City Government. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
25. ^ "Report on the economic structure to CPED". Tainan City Government. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
26. "Taiwan Orchid Plantation". Taiwan Orchid Plantation. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
27. "MRT Plans" (in Chinese). Bureau of High Speed Rail. Retrieved 2008-08-20.
28. "2005 statistics" (PDF). Tainan City Government. Retrieved 2008-08-19.
29. "Airlines". Tainan National Airport. Retrieved 2008-08-20.
30. "FAT to sell investments to cover costs". Taipei Times. 2008-03-01. Retrieved 2008-08-20.
31. "Brief History". National Cheng Kung University. Retrieved 2008-08-20.
32. "Organization". National Cheng Kung University. Retrieved 2008-08-20.
33. "Introduction". Tainan Theological College and Seminary. Retrieved 2008-08-20.
34. "Inventor of the Week: Momofuku Ando". MIT. Retrieved 2008-08-19.
35. "Parking near the Municipal Stadium" (in Chinese). Uni-President Lions. Retrieved 2008-08-20.
36. "Sister Cities". Tainan City Government. Retrieved 2008-08-19.
37. "Ra'anana: Twin towns & Sister cities - Friends around the World". raanana.muni.il. Retrieved 24 March 2010.

External links

• Tainan travel guide from Wikivoyage
• Tainan City Government Official Website Transclusion error: {{En}} is only for use in File namespace. Use {{langx|en}} or {{in lang|en}} instead.
• Tainan City Travel Information
• Tainan City Dynamic Bus Information System
• The Confucian temple in Tainan

22°59′N 120°11′E / 22.983°N 120.183°E / 22.983; 120.183

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• Tainan
• Capitals of former nations