Taiwan
’
s former capital of Tainan is packed with
history, making it ideal for guided walking tours.
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G
etting around Taiwan is exceptionally easy. In addition to the bullet trains that zip between Taipei and Kaohsiung,
domestic flights to the east coast and outlying islands, and commuter and rapid-transit trains, there are hundreds of bus
routes. Visitors who want greater freedom can rent a car, a motorcycle, or a bike.
There’s also walking. Nowadays, humanity’s original means of transportation isn’t much favored by people making
their way to work, school, or a place where they can have fun. This is especially understandable in Taiwan’s warm, wet
summers. Yet more and more tourists — both domestic and international — are eschewing tour buses and opting to
explore parts of the island on foot.
Ambulation makes total sense in the old heart of Tainan, Taipei’s Wanhua District, and much of Lugang. These places were settled long
before the invention of the motor car. Until well into the Japanese colonial period (1895–1945), ordinary people walked everywhere while
the wealthy traveled in sedan chairs carried by servants. Despite the best efforts of modernizing mayors, each place retains fascinating
alleyways impenetrable to those who don’t get out of their cars.
As part of a broad shift toward “slow travel,” walking tours are catching on in Taiwan, thanks in part to three organizations that take it
upon themselves to organize regular, short-distance pedestrian excursions that are free of charge.
One of these operates in Tainan, which even now is sometimes called
Fucheng
, or “government city.” This honorific acknowledges that, for
more than two centuries until 1887, Tainan served as Taiwan’s administrative capital. In terms of current economic and political importance,
it ranks behind Taipei, Kaohsiung, and Taichung. But many people find it the most interesting of Taiwan’s major cities thanks to a
stupendous density of historical and cultural attractions. A local idiom, “there’s a major temple every five steps, a minor shrine every three,”
is hardly an exaggeration.
As a service to those who want to give the city’s captivating neighborhoods the attention they deserve, Tainan City Government has
thrown its weight behind a project called My Tainan Tour (
mytainantour.weebly.com
). This pairs knowledgeable, bilingual Tainan residents
with small groups of tourists eager to dig a little deeper into local history and culture.
1
TAINAN
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enVoyage
