Taiwan Discovery

Ancient Chihkan Tower was originally built in 1652 as Fort Provintia by the Dutch, and has undergone numerous refurbishments over the past 300 years. Inside are Haisheng Temple, Wengchang Pavilion and Penghu College , and the controversial statue of Koxinga accepting the surrender of the Dutch. At the south gate, note the turtle-shaped stone Bixi. The Bixi, which local legend says is one of the nine sons of the Dragon King.

Tainan's Confucius Temple is considered the “Premier Academy of Taiwan” with over three hundred years of history as the ancient capital of culture.

The Dutch military captured Anping in 1624, and built Fort Zeelandia as its defensive stronghold, which was completed in 1634. In 1662, Koxinga successfully took the Dutch fort back, and changed the name to Anping. Initially the inner fort became the seat of government for Taiwan but fell into disuse. The fort was rebuilt after the Japanese Colonial Period, and then renamed Anping Fort after World War II.

During the Japanese occupation period there were two temples on the banks of the lake but when the Japanese built their hydroelectric power plants, the water levels rose, and the temples had to be removed. The Japanese electric company paid compensation, and the temple managers decided to combine resources and build a new temple which is Wenwu. Built in a northern China palace style, it is an imposing structure. The second floor holds a shrine devoted to the First Ancestor Kaiji and the God of Literature; the central hall is devoted to Guan Gong, the God of War, and the warrior-god Yue Fei; and the rear hall is dedicated to Confucius. With a bronze statue of a seated Confucius, this the only Confucius temple in Taiwan containing an image of the sage.

Xuan Zhang was a revered Tang Dynasty monk who was sent by the Tang emperor to visit India and bring back the Buddhist scriptures. He returned after 10 years with 10 years with over 650 sutras which were then translated into 1335 volumes of scripture, making this an important contribution to the development of Buddhism in China. During World War II, the Japanese stole Xuan Zhang's remains until 1955, when they were taken to Taiwan and enshrined at Xuan Zhang Temple, located next to Sun Moon Lake. After Xuan Zhang Temple where they are worshiped today.

Built atop the 954 meter high Shabalan Mountain, Tse-En Pagoda is a Chinese style pagoda with 9 floors with the top of the pagoda reaching 1000 meters above sea level, a commanding point over Sun Moon Lake. Finished in 1971 by Chiang Kai-shek. it was built as a tribute to his mother, Lady Wang.

The Railway Cultural Park is famed for its well-preserved relics of narrow-gauge railways in Taiwan. An interesting historical site, its a great place to explore and do some shopping.

Visit the National Centre for Traditional Arts whose focus is in preserving Taiwan's traditional arts including music, handicrafts and food.Enjoy time to explore and have an included lunch.