Hi, everyone my name is Tong.
The old town of Tainan City
used to be surrounded by walls on all four sides.
And the only way in and out of the city was by the gates.
And right now I am at Kuang Fu Campus
of National Cheng Kung University. 光復校區
And next to me is the Lesser East Gate of Tainan Old Town!
When people visit this gate for the first time,
they might wonder
why is the Lesser East Gate next to the Lesser West Gate?
The Lesser East Gate has been here all of history
and the Lesser West Gate was moved here in 1968
due to urban planning.
And right now the two gates stand peacefully next to each other,
forming this interesting juxtaposition.
Today we’re going to walk through the East District of Tainan.
It is one of the most liberal, educational,
and cultural areas in Tainan City.
So, let’s go!
National Cheng Kung University is the top-notch university
boasting the longest history in Tainan.
The sceneries and buildings uplift a cultural
and historical ambience on campus.
The university also owns
the first school-operated museum in Taiwan.
The building of National Cheng Kung University Museum used to serve
as the college’s administrative office during Japanese colonization.
This place is full of history
and what’s special about this place
is that each room is a different exhibition.
So when walking into the different exhibitions,
it’s like entering different worlds.
This exhibition is about
the space race of the Soviet Union with the United States
and a lot of their developments through this time.
And here behind me,
you can actually see a lot of propaganda back then,
drawn so beautifully and in many different colors, bright colors,
to show their people how much they’ve achieved.
This exhibition here depicts
what life was like back in the days for old Taiwanese.
Here you have different traditional buildings, different furniture,
and even potteries and shrines.
I think it’s very interesting to learn about my roots
and also what our ancestors were up to back in the days.
That was an exciting little tour at the museum.
But now I’m feeling very hungry!
Let’s go find something to eat.
I am now at this local food stand.
This place is most famous for their dumplings.
Many people around the area come here just for their dumplings.
And I am so ready to try it!
It’s so good!
It’s the best kind of food for this cold, cold winter!
You can taste the green onion
and actually I think there’s ginger inside too.
Not far away from National Cheng Kung University
and behind Tainan Railway Station,
you will encounter this building right here.
This is a very Baroque styled building
with a nicely-organized garden.
It was built during the Japanese colonization,
and used to be
the residence of the Japanese Magistrate who ruled Tainan City.
The Old Tainan Magistrate Residence was built in 1900.
It was the residence for Chiji,
the local governor, of Tainan Prefecture during Japanese Rule.
When Japanese Imperial Family members came to visit,
it served as the main residence as well.
In 1923,
Prince Hirohito, who was later Emperor Showa,
has stayed a night here.
After World War II,
the building served as several government offices.
It was designated as a municipal historic site in 1998.
In 2011,
after the renovation was completed,
the residence was opened to the public,
and soon became a popular tourist attraction.
Standing here on the second floor balcony,
it’s hard to imagine how many royalties
and important people have stood here on the very same spot
and engaged in various different history and important events.
It’s just so amazing.
Right beside the residence
opens up a totally different small world.
There is an embroidery store which preserves traditional techniques.
Embroidery master Wang Lan-zhen in her seventies
still takes on the traditional craft
which requires full attention and high technical skills.
Hello, masters!
Hello Hello
How old were you when you first started?
I started before I was married.
Since I was only a teenager. I stopped after I got married.
How much time does it take to finish this?
My part takes approximately half a month.
Half a month.
So it’s about making the cloth more 3D
and more vibrant in colors?
After my talk with the craftsmen here,
I learned that her part of the work
takes around half a month to complete.
And before her part,
actually someone else does all the design and coloring.
And she makes them more 3-D
so like they’re popping out to you.
And they’re both very modest craftsmen,
and they were telling me that
they don’t take any credit in finishing this piece of work.
But actually, this skill takes a lot of patience and dedication.
So it’s amazing that
they’ve turned this great piece of art work
into something for the Gods would wear on special occasions.
That was quite a touching little visit I had in there
and I truly do hope that this art of embroidery
can continue to live and survive.
If you want to walk from Old Tainan Magistrate Residence
or the Embroidery House to Tainan Railway Station
then you can take a shortcut
from this pedestrian underpass right here.
But! Remember to slow down your pace
because there are some beautiful street arts in there for you to enjoy.
Walking in here pretty soon enough,
you will observe that
“deers” are the main theme of this underground passageway,
more specifically, Formosa Sika Deers.
The reason is that these deers used to be
of great importance to the Shilaya Aboriginal Tribe,
who resided in Old Tainan City
and they also existed in great abundance in this area.
After walking out from our shortcut,
you can really feel the hustle bustle of this city.
But if you listen very carefully,
you can actually hear music playing in the background.
And right in front of me is a street performer,
so let’s go meet him.
Country Road, Take Me Home!
Hi, hi, nice to meet you!
Hello, nice to meet you, what’s your name?
My name is Axel.
My name is Tong.
What’s the best part about Tainan?
The best part about Tainan for me is the people.
They’re friendly, just easy-going and slow.
And slow, really slow.
I don’t like it fast.
I’m from Berlin.
Everything is powa-powa-powa.
But here it’s like more relax
and they’re not so up and about.
And I’m a vegetarian
and Tainan is a vegetarian heaven.
You can’t find as many vegetarian restaurants
in all over Taiwan than in Tainan.
Even in small places,
if you go to Yong Kang somewhere
there’s tons of vegetarian restaurants.
And I love it!
That’s awesome and delicious!
My main objective is to make people happy
and when they’re happy, I’m happy,
so I’m in a happy place all the time.
And really, I meet a lot of interesting people,
like I’m meeting you right now.
You’re just a happy ball of sunshine!
“You are my sunshine, my only sunshine,
you make me happy when skies are gray”
like today
"You'll never know dear, how much I love you
Please don't take my sunshine away"
Just like Axel,
I’m really glad to meet such a positive person today.
And I really do hope you
enjoyed today’s walk around the East District.
You can tell it’s a very historical yet lively place to be.
But stay tuned because we have more of a journey ahead!