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Tainan is Taiwan's oldest city, boasting charming old streets and distinctive architecture. It's perfect for those interested in exploring long-standing cultural traditions, religious rituals, or simply taking artistic photographs.
In the 17th century, Tainan was the capital and considered the cradle of Taiwanese history. The people of Tainan are also proud to have preserved many ancient temples. I leisurely strolled around, visiting the Chikan Pagoda. The pagoda, formerly known as "Provintia Fortress," was once an administrative center built by the Dutch in 1624. To the south of the pagoda is a flower garden, to the north is a pavilion, and to the west is a reading room. This site is classified as a first-class national historical monument.
Near the Chihkan Tower are several notable temples such as the Temple of the Goddess Thien Hau and the Temple of Quan Cong. Many young people often visit here to pray for love before the Matchmaker God worshipped in the Quan Cong Temple. While strolling around this area, I had the opportunity to discover a famous Yi Feng winter melon tea shop where locals line up to buy a few cups to take home.
A must-do activity when visiting Tainan is taking bus number 88 or 99 and stopping by Anping Old Street. I walked around and discovered many interesting things. People parked their motorbikes in front of their houses and on the sidewalks, hanging their helmets on them without fear of theft. Along the street were small, clean alleyways that I ventured into to see what the houses looked like. Some were old, built with reddish-brown fired bricks, others had moss-covered walls, and some featured modern architecture with whimsical drawings.
Feeling the tranquil pace of life in each small alley, I felt a sense of peace. The slow pace of life here always brings people a feeling of serenity, a feeling they want to linger in. Even more interesting, I took many photos in a classic style on An Binh old street. Turning into an alley, returning to the main road, then turning back into an alley – I wandered around like that until two o'clock.
To experience Tainan authentically, I stayed at the 3-star Famous Hotel, dating back to 1940, on Yongfu Road in the heart of the old town in the West Central district. At the hotel, I took some photos in the vintage style.
The next morning, as I stepped out of the Famous Hotel, I saw several professional cameramen set up across the street, along with reporters and a large crowd gathered in front of the Chin Men movie theater. Curious, I crossed the street and headed towards the theater to see what was happening.
A local young person said that a press conference was taking place in the theater, and that the mayor of Tainan City would soon appear with the artist Yan Zhen Fa, who has been painting movie posters for nearly 50 years. Today, the number of theaters worldwide that still use hand-painted posters to promote new films can be counted on the fingers of one hand. In Tainan City, only the Chin Men Theater, established in 1950, maintains this tradition. It could be said that Mr. Yan is the last remaining artist in Taiwan, and one of the last artists in the world, still dedicated to the art of "breathing life" into these soon-to-be-forgotten movie posters.
The next day, I went to Tainan Airport, bidding farewell to Taiwan. What lingered in the heart of this traveler from afar was Taiwan, with its polite, enthusiastic, and civilized people. I collected a whole collection of high-quality photos of this beautiful island, and those are unforgettable memories.
