The sound of children's laughter rises and falls along with the splashing of water, a canvas with a background of verdant green earth, splashed with golden sunlight and full of colorful flowers. Walk deep into the garden, and red brick houses start to appear. With their gray and black sloping roofs, the buildings open their doors to welcome visitors. After experiencing the joy of the outside world, come into the tranquil space inside and enjoy learning about the history of the waterworks.
The Land Art That Welcomes Visitors
The art garden, dense forest area, succulent plants, and all kinds of lovely ecological forms that are scattered in the garden square is a key feature highlight that welcomes visitors to the Tainan Shan-Shang Garden and Old Waterworks Museum. In the middle of the plaza is the Hatta pond, where children can be seen enjoying some water fun. Several art installations were relocated from Yuguang Island, and their colorful and diverse forms attract visitors to take photos.
Immerse in the Historical Vestiges of the Waterway
Following the signage in the shape of a water pipe, visitors follow the garden path to several red brick houses, where, instead of the bustle of the square, they enter a quiet hall of knowledge. The halls are decorated with pump motors and water filtration structures, along the window sills are dusty bottles and jars filled with equipment and diagrams. For more in-depth waterworks knowledge, the museum uses interactive walls of light and shadow installations to allow visitors a new refreshing way to engage with history.
The Blue Temple of Solitude
About a three-minute drive across from the museum is the Purification Water Pond. Visitors will have to climb up a number of stone steps to enjoy the view from the top. There is no imposing and majestic castle, nor are there any elaborate decorations. Standing humbly here is a low walled bunker made of gray and white bricks, with green moss and erosion water marks from its age, and a blue wooden door that contrasts with its unremarkable history, which is serenely beautiful and attractive in its contrast. The cherry blossoms that bloom every year close to the Purification Water Pond are also one of the main attractions for visitors.
The canal taking water from the Tsengwen River previously supplied drinking water to the Tainan City. It was gradually decommissioned after the completion of the Wusanto Reservoir, Tsengwen Dam, and Tanting Water Purification Plant respectively. Watercourse construction in Tainan has witnessed the history of sanitary engineering modernization during the Japanese rule. The waterworks has been designated as a country historical monument in 2002 and then a national historical monument in 2005. The Tainan City Government started the historical monument restoration plan in 2011. After integrating with the Agriculture Bureau’s nursery, the old waterworks was planned into the “Tainan Shan-Shang Garden and Old Waterworks Museum” starting service in 2019.
The Tainan Shan-Shang Garden and Old Waterworks Museum includes the Museum Site and a Purification Pond Site about 1km away. In the Museum Site, there are national historical monuments including Hall A- Quick Filter Pond Room, Hall B-Filter Room and Watercourse Office, and Hall C-Pump Exhaust Room; Hamano Yashiro stone tablet and bronze statue; and the rare flora. In the Purification Pond Site, there are the Purification Water Pond, Water Measurement Facilities Room, Water Purification Pond Path, and the bat ecology site to combine culture, ecology, recreation, and education.
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