Tainan

Tainan is a special municipality located in southern Taiwan.

It sits on the western coast facing the Taiwan Strait. Tainan is the oldest urban area on the island. Its history spans more than 400 years. Because of its history of renewal, people call it the "Phoenix City."

In 2010, the city merged with Tainan County. This merger created the modern special municipality we see today.

Archaeological evidence shows humans lived in this region for a very long time.

Excavations in the Zuojhen District suggest habitation for 20,000 to 31,000 years. By the 16th century, the indigenous Siraya tribe dominated the area. Sub-tribes like the Sakam, Soelangh, Mattauw, and Baccloangh lived nearby. Chinese merchants and Japanese traders also established bases along the coast. They traded salt and food for deer hides and dried meat. These early interactions influenced the Siraya people's language and lifestyle.

In 1624, the Dutch East India Company, or VOC, arrived.

A merchant named Cornelis Reyersz established a small fort called Orange. They built it on a sandy peninsula known as Tayouan.

The settlement soon became Fort Zeelandia. It served as a major trading post between China, Japan, and Europe. The Dutch also built Fort Provintia in the Sakam area. This fort helped manage an agricultural colony that grew rice and sugar cane. By the 1650s, the Dutch settlement was larger than Batavia in Indonesia.

History shifted when Koxinga attacked the Dutch in 1661.

After a nine-month siege, the Dutch surrendered on February 1, 1662. Koxinga used Tainan as a military base for the Ming loyalist movement. He renamed the forts to Tungtu and Anping. His son, Zheng Jing, later ruled from the city. His minister, Chen Yonghua, introduced Chinese bureaucracy and salt production. In 1665, they built the first Confucian temple on the island.

This era left a lasting mark on the names of many local suburbs.

The Qing dynasty took control of the region in 1684. Tainan became the seat of Taiwan Prefecture. For many years, it served as the capital of Taiwan. In the late 1780s, the government began building city walls.

Later, the Qing government moved the provincial capital to Taichung in 1885. Tainan then became Tainanfu. To modernize defenses, officials like Shen Baozhen invited French engineers. They designed the Eternal Golden Castle in Erkunshen. Some parts of this castle were even built using bricks from Fort Zeelandia.

Tainan experienced many changes during the 20th century. After the First Sino-Japanese War, Japan took control of Taiwan in 1895.

The short-lived Republic of Formosa was proclaimed in Tainan during this time. Eventually, the city became the seat of Tainan Prefecture under Japanese rule. After World War II ended, the Republic of China took control in 1945.

The city remained a provincial city until the 2010 reorganization. Throughout these shifts, the city maintained its status as a cultural hub. It is famous for traditional Taoist rites and unique street food.

Today, Tainan is a major center for global technology.

The Southern Taiwan Science Park drives this modern industry. This park contains advanced manufacturing facilities. The company TSMC operates major facilities here. They produce nearly all of the world's high-end AI chips. This creates a unique link between Tainan's ancient history and the future of computing. The city connects its 400-year-old heritage with cutting-edge science.