The most eye catching feature of Anping Fishing Harbor (安平漁港) is the impressively tall Lin Mo Niang statue (林默娘雕像) next to the harbor, watching over the ships passing every day like the Statue of Liberty of Tainan. The large area is perfect for taking the kids for a walk, happily following the performers on Paopao street or flying kites on the grass around the edge, and lots of people bring their kids and let them run free on the grass.
Anping Old Street (安平老街) was the first street in Taiwan to be given a name. More than 300 years ago this was the first street built by the Dutch in Anping. In the early days, the street was built solely for pedestrians and push carts due to the fact that the street was narrow and there was not that much space to navigate. Many tourists coming to Anping must visit this street, and the noisy and bustling environment of Anping Old Street is one of its hallmarks.
Sunset Platform (觀夕平台), located in Anping Harbor National Historical Park (安平港國家歷史風景區), has become a popular scenic spot in recent years. The triangular platform, protected on two sides by trees, creates a lush green scene, and in front of the platform is the beautiful blue ocean view. In the afternoon, it is common to see families bring their children to play with sand and fly kites on the beach, or two to three friends roll up their trousers and paddle through the waves along the shore, but sunset is when the most people come to stand on the platform.
Anping Tree House(安平樹屋) is located behind the Tait& Co. Merchant House(德記洋行), and was originally a Tait& Co. Warehouse. Built around the end of the 19th Century at the beginning of the Japanese Colonial Period, this place was also once a warehouse of the Japan Salt Corporation, and the current scale the building is the product of extension by the Japanese. After over a hundred years of transformation, the warehouse wall is covered in banyan roots, and the dense, towering treetops seem to have become the roof of the warehouse.
An ancient city that has been witness to many a time and space, Anping has made forged its own distinctive style of the times with the ancient fortress walls left behind by war, the river and sea ports where trade has been conducted for centuries, and the traces of daily life in the streets. The impression of Anping is of red bricks and tiles, which are juxtaposed to create monuments and nostalgic streets. The vestiges of a once prosperous fishing village means the fate of this ancient harbor is inseparable from the water.
The Anping Local Cultural Center (安平鄉土文化館) is managed by Anping District Office(安平區公所). The exhibition space is divided into Cultural Relic Display Area and School History Display Area; the theme of the displays includes major events in education, Anping education cultural relics and Ximen Elementary School’s history. Exhibition themes are changed regularly. Bookings are accepted from schools and other groups interested in learning about local culture. Arts performances and culture promotion activities are frequently held.
Located next to Tait & Co. Merchant House, the former residence of Chu Jiu Ying(朱玖瑩故居) was originally a dormitory for staff of the Taiwan Salt Co., Ministry of Finance, and is also called the Salthouse. It was so named because the building was once assigned to Mr. Chu Jiu Ying, director of the Salt Bureau, Ministry of Finance, who settled here because of the salt industry. As a master of calligraphy, Mr. Chu kept much of his work, and the building houses his contemporary calligraphy collection.
Wei Residence in Anping Haitoushe (安平海頭社魏宅) is the ancestral home of the Qing Dynasty Vice-Admiral Wei Da-you. It has a single-wing layout, common amongst the houses of the lanes and alleys of Anping. It is built from bricks, with oyster cement spread on the walls and a “horseback” style roof ridge. The main room has a traditional layout, on the left side there is small archway connecting to the outside, with bedrooms on the East side. The layout of the house is typical of Anping houses of its time. The “single wing” design has made an appearance in the design of new homes today.
When walking on Yanping Old Street, everyone knows Ho Wang House if it’s mentioned on Shizai Street. It is the ancestral home of the founder of Yuen Foong Yu Paper Co., Ho Chuan. Built in 1920, it is nicknamed “Taiwan House”. Currently, it is the Anping Cultural Heritage Hall. It is a very special building in that it is very narrow. To reach the second floor, a very small and steep flight of stairs have to be taken, so care needs to be taken by tourists. The highest record was that eight people in one day once fell on the stairs.
Anping Customs, built in 1926, was where cargo ships stopped to pay tariffs when arriving at or departing Anping. This beautiful red brick Japanese style building under a large tree next to the canal never fails to attract attention. Officially declared a municipal momument in 2003, it is surrounded by art installations that combine with the canal scenery, the scenes created by the merger of modern art and historic site making the Canal Museum a popular Instagram check-in spot. It regularly holds art exhibitions.