Age-old Stories from the South of the City
Route Introduction
The Grand South Gate
|Opening Hours: 8:30 – 17:30 |
|Lane 84 Jong-Yi Road, Sec. 1, Central-West District, Tainan City|
The Grand South Gate was the thoroughfare in Qing Dynasty from Tainan to the Feng-Shan area. It was originally built with wooden fences. After the 53rd year of Qian-Long (1788), it was rebuilt with cement and bricks. In the 15th year of Dao-Guang (1835), to strengthen the defense, an outer structure was built in the shape of a crescent. The enemy could be easily trapped and captured once they entered the structure the way turtles are caught in an urn that is why it was also called the urn city or barbican. Inside the city was a bustling wet market and a firewood market, and outside the city is Kui-Dou Hill covered with graves. In the 1930s, Japan created a park centering in this area and gradually changed the appearance inside and outside the city gate. The burial areas outside the city are now mostly used as school districts. However, in the deep historical atmosphere around the city gate, peoples can still find traces of the olden days.