On the surface, Tainan in southern Taiwan might seem to be a conservative city. After all, it is the oldest in the nation and a stronghold of traditional culture. It also retains a certain pride in being the former capital, first under Ming loyalist general Zheng Cheng-gong (鄭成功, 1624-1662), better known as Koxinga, and later throughout most of the period of Qing dynasty rule (1683-1895).
Residents delight in Tainan’s narrow centuries-old alleys and lanes as well as the Japanese colonial era (1895-1945) shop-houses, with their elegant mix of Baroque, art nouveau and art deco architecture, still found scattered throughout the sprawling metropolis.
For more than 200 years, Taiwanese looked to the Phoenix City, so named after the orange-flowering tropical phoenix trees found there, for direction and identity. And in many ways, the city’s status as an artistic and cultural capital endures to this day.
It would be inaccurate to describe Tainan as conservative, according to Yeh Tse-shan (葉澤山), director-general of the city government’s Cultural Affairs Bureau. Rather, residents appreciate the difference between holding on to the old ways simply because they are established, and honoring practices because their value has been proven by the test of time.
Locals, he said, possess a feeling of pride in the city as well as its past and present cultural accomplishments. “The people here have a strong sense of identity.”
Anping Fort, formerly Fort Zeelandia
History and Heritage
Residents’ sense of civic consciousness and pride derives from the city’s unique and varied cultural landscape. In addition to serving as the island’s first administrative and cultural center, Tainan has long been a major hub of religious worship, famed for the number and diversity of its temples.
One deity alone, Yue Lao, or the god of love, can be sought out at more than 100 places of worship around the city, Yeh noted, adding each Yue Lao has its own particular purpose.
“Some are responsible for marriages, and some are for people who think their partner might be cheating on them,” he explained. “Some will also help you pursue love.”
Yue Lao plays a central role in local celebrations for the Qixi Festival, or Chinese Valentine’s Day, which falls on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month. The bureau organizes various events at Yue Lao temples for this occasion, which takes place Aug. 28 in 2017, ranging from banquets to parades.
Temples are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Tainan’s architectural and historical landmarks. A 17th century shrine dedicated to Koxinga, who drove out Dutch colonists in 1662, occupies a place of prominence on Kaishang Road in the city’s West Central District. Visitors can stroll around the classical courtyard and learn about the militarist’s life and achievements.
A former Japanese colonial government building has been refurbished into the National Museum of Taiwan Literature.
Not far away is Tainan’s Confucius Temple. Dating back to 1665, the compound is referred to as the First Academy of Taiwan owing to its status as the island’s earliest formal educational institution.
Also in the West Central District is another building from the same period, Chihkan Tower. Known as Fort Provintia during the days of Dutch occupation, it was one of two main locations in the city—the other being Anping Fort, formerly Fort Zeelandia—from which the one-time foreign rulers flexed their economic and military muscle before being expelled by Koxinga.
Bastion of Creativity
Likely due to its history of upheaval and renewal, Tainan has a legacy of fostering creativity and independent thinking. In the Japanese colonial era, when the imperialist forces ultimately decided on a strategy of suppressing all things Taiwanese, the city’s native writers resisted efforts to stamp out local language and culture.
From the 1920s to mid-1940s, the New Literature movement, led by such authors as Tainan’s Chen Feng-yuan (陳逢源, 1893-1982), spurred a campaign in the city and throughout Taiwan against the repressive policies.
Tainan’s Confucius Temple was Taiwan’s first formal educational institution.
“At that time, we saw many authors come up and write about Taiwan in opposition to Japan,” Yeh said. “They focused on the local people and culture to mark that they were Taiwanese and not Japanese.”
This proud literary tradition has been continued by acclaimed contemporary authors such as Su Wei-chen (蘇偉貞), who takes readers to her hometown in the 2006 novel “The March of Time,” an exploration of the complexity of grief.
The city honors its literary achievements through the National Museum of Taiwan Literature, housed in an impressive former Japanese colonial government building. Last year, it also launched the Tainan Literature Festival, which is staged annually from October to December. The festival is one of many regularly scheduled events in the city designed to both cultivate the local arts scene and foster international collaboration.
October this year, for instance, saw the 20th anniversary of the biennial Nanying International Folklore Festival. Over nine days, dance troupes from across the world held performances at venues throughout Tainan from Soulangh Cultural Park—also the site of Soulangh Artist Village, a collection of refurbished warehouses formerly belonging to a sugar producer—to Ren An Temple in Beimen District.
Another major event is the all-encompassing Tainan Arts Festival. Typically commencing in March or April, it boasts everything from buskers and dance troupes to dramatic performances and street art. Though staged across the city, the annual festival is centered on a revitalized stretch of Haian Road, a historic thoroughfare that was once an important commercial hub and has since been reborn as a destination for lively nightlife and the arts. The event is Tainan’s answer to Edinburgh’s Festival Fringe, and a nod to the city’s openness to outside influences and respect for its own indelible cultural nuances.
Artists take part in the annual Tainan Literature Festival, which was first held in 2015.
“It might seem that people in Tainan are quite traditional, but in fact we’re very tolerant and accepting and welcoming of cultures from other parts of the world,” Yeh said. “When you walk down the small streets or alleys, some of the paintings are mixed with Eastern or Western styles. Even with the fried rice in Tainan, we can see elements of Spanish rice dishes.”
Energetic Arts Scene
Sarah Chai (柴蘋), 27, an artist and musician, recently returned to Tainan after spending 15 months with a collective in one of the world’s great cultural capitals, Berlin. Tainan born and raised, Chai said that while her hometown may not possess the facilities of the German capital, it nonetheless features plenty of intimate locations where visitors can explore its cultural and creative essence.
Tainan has a thriving music scene, she noted, and is home to many small venues that showcase local talent. These include Flying Fish as well as The Checkered Record Club, a small yet vital underground haven for Tainan’s alternative music scene since 2007. Chai also pointed to workshops located throughout the city where aspiring artists, or those just looking to try something new, can go and pick up skills in everything from glass blowing to blacksmithing.
An illustration featuring some of Tainan’s well-known landmarks
A big part of Tainan’s identity, Chai said, comes from the fact that locals are not afraid of going outside their comfort zones. “People here are open-minded. They want to try new things. So if you just come out and show people what you can do, people will be impressed,” she said. “Artists have more room to do whatever they want.”
Another local talent who has embraced a life philosophy based on artistic creativity and independence is Dumei Tu (杜美華). Tu is the former proprietor of local art and music institution The Armory, running the venue for emerging bands and up-and-coming artists for over a decade. “I like to listen to music, so I thought about inviting people to come and play. I like to encourage artists or musicians, even if they don’t have experience.”
The Armory is still going, though Tu now leaves the daily operations to a manager so she can focus on other endeavors such as her newfound passion for Tibetan Buddhism. She is still active in the arts scene, though, as both a participant and a booster. Plans are currently in the works for a book of her black-and-white photos of Tainan’s historic buildings and landmarks.
Tu frequents the many galleries that have popped up around the city, a couple of her favorites being the 182 Art Space on Xinmei Street and 321 Art Alley Settlement off Gongyuan Road. These venues, she said, are in keeping with the current trend, both in Tainan and around Taiwan, of repurposing decades-old buildings in unique and creative ways, the spaces themselves becoming public art installations.
She also highlighted the local theater scene, noting her particular enjoyment of performances by the Tainaner Ensemble, a celebrated performing arts group known for representing innovative new works as well as local interpretations of Western classics. Members of the pioneering troupe, such as director and playwright Tsai Pao-chang (蔡柏璋), have gone on to stage multilingual shows at Edinburgh’s Festival Fringe and elsewhere.
When asked to sum up the artistic and cultural spirit of the city, Tu puts it plainly: “Tainan people have character.”
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Joe Henley is a freelance writer, author and musician based in Taipei.
Copyright © 2016 by Joe Henley
Performers take part in the 2016 Nanying International Folklore Festival.
Tainan Arts Festival 2016
PHOTOS BY CHANG SU-CHING, CHEN MEI-LING AND CHUANG KUNG-JU AND COURTESY OF TAINAN CITY GOVERNMENT CULTURAL AFFAIRS BUREAU
ILLUSTRATION BY KAO SHUN-HUI