Tainan Great South Gate(臺灣府城大南門)

Situated not far from the southern edge of the Confucian temple (孔廟) is one of Tainan’s most well preserved city gates. With a history stretching back close to 290 years and one side featuring a monument to stories of past times, the gate sits serenely in the public park’s banyan tree forest, its air of superiority to ward off outside enemies long since dissipated. Currently, it sits more like a decorated old general retired from his duties and returning to life on the fields; like a paternalistic grandfather accompanying everyone in the old town, and silently watching it as it matures and changes. In a previous life, there would have been none of the bright and beautiful countenance of today, and in times gone by it only would have been those keeping watch over the city walls with whom it might be able to keep some company. As far as the townsmen living within the city walls of those days were concerned, this was a barrier of safety and part of the fabric of daily life. At that time the outer barbican entrance to the city was shaped like a moon to aid in fighting the enemy, and this style is known as a crescent-shaped barbican. These days, the gate has become a place where people gather to listen to concerts under moonlight, a testament to the gate’s lunar name and origins.