Today’s “Southern Capital” (as Tainan is often known, having once been the capital city of Taiwan) still exudes a strong Kyoto-like charm from the era of Japanese rule (1895–1945). When you come to Tainan and walk its old streets and alleys, there are reminders everywhere of the past. In fact, Tainan is 400 years old, giving it a historical depth that no other urban area in Taiwan shares.

“It’s the ideal place for people to dream, to make a living, to fall in love, and to pass the days at an unhurried pace.” This quote from a book called Old Street Names of Tainan, penned by the modern writer and Tainan native son Yeh Shih-tao (1925–2008), can be considered right on the nail as a description of the Southern Capital. The writings of “Old Yeh,” as he is respectfully and fondly known among the literati of Taiwan, bring to life the defining characteristics of Tainan and make his readers, without even realizing it, feel a sense of attachment to the city and its people.

Confusion about the ownership of the old houses on Shennong Street hindered plans to redevelop the area. The fortuitous result is the preservation of many old homes. (photo by Jimmy Lin)

The “new” Hayashi Department Store

There are many famous historic sites in this city, including some that are a little off of the tourist radar, like the 18-sided old weather observatory and the Maxwell Memorial Church. The most recently renovated of ­Tai­nan’s historic structures is the Ha­ya­shi Department Store, located at the intersection of Zhong­zheng Road and ­Zhongyi Road. Opened in 1932, it was taken over by the KMT for government use after WWII; was declared a historic site in 1998 and transferred to the Tai­nan City Government; and was renovated and reopened in 2014 as the Tai­nan Cultural Creative Department Store.

On a weekend afternoon when we visit, several dignified ladies sit in the coffee shop on the fourth floor, chatting in fluent Japanese. The sales space next door to the coffee shop is packed with young people buying souvenirs designed using the department store’s original business logo.

In the far corner is an area with seats aligned in a long row. As one of the Ha­ya­shi staff tells us that these seats are often reserved in advance, we look out the large windows over the district that was known under the Japanese as Su­e­hi­ro­cho—an upscale shopping area that is mentioned in the novels of Old Yeh as having been nicknamed “­Ginza”—and imagine what it must have looked like in its heyday.

When the Ha­ya­shi opened in 1932, it was considered one of the top two establishments of its kind in Taiwan, on a par with Tai­pei’s Ki­ku­moto Department Store. However, while the exterior of the Ki­ku­moto building has been completely redone with glass, the Ha­ya­shi building still has its original façade, now beautifully restored, which serves as an inspiration to the collective memories of elderly residents while providing the younger generation with a new perspective. Synonymous with “modern” in its day, the Ha­ya­shi once again enjoys an elevated status, this time as “retro trendy.”

The Yeh Shih-tao Literature Memorial Hall is the first publicly funded museum in all of Taiwan that is dedicated to a writer.

A city best seen on foot

In any historic district of any city in the world, walking is the best way to capture the atmosphere, and Tai­nan is of course no exception to this rule. By walking the lanes and alleyways where local residents live their lives, outsiders and tourists can get a better sense of the real Tai­nan. Even more importantly, many eateries are hidden away in these neighborhoods: they are part of the “insider Tai­nan” known only to initiates.

Ms. Ma­riko Ta­ka­ha­shi, who comes from Hok­kaido in Japan, has been in Taiwan for 14 years, and ultimately decided to settle in Tai­nan because it reminds her so much of home: the slow rhythm of life, the Japanese elements that are so common in the older buildings…. Ma­riko loves to dress up in a kimono and explore the venerable old shops in the lanes off of residential areas. For her an enjoyable day consists of weaving through the streets on her motorcycle—making her own contribution to the city’s historic feel with her throwback attire—and adding to the list she keeps in her pocket, for her eyes only, of newly discovered out-of-the-way eateries.

All along Shennong Street you can see coffee shops and teahouses that still preserve the authentic ambience of the past.

“Tourism” as the experience of daily life

The preservation of culture is a cumulative effort that results from ordinary people taking deliberate action. Tai­nan offers the following perfect example:

Each year on the seventh day of the seventh month by the lunar calendar, the Southern Capital has activities to mark a unique rite of passage for people turning 16, considered the age of adulthood in days gone by. Held in two locations, the Kai­long Temple in Tai­ping­jing and the Kai­tai Empress of Heaven Temple in An­ping, it has been an ongoing tradition here for many years.

The Ping’an Community (in Ping’an Ward) where the Kai­tai Empress of Heaven Temple is located goes into “full mobilization” each year for this coming-of-age ritual. At four in the morning on the day, the ward chief brings volunteer women from the neighborhood into the temple precincts to begin preparation of lu­mian (spiced and stewed noodles). The local residents also personally handle the making of the “Seven Star Goddess Pavilion”—a pagoda-like structure made of wood or paper and placed on a table. During the ceremony, young people crawl beneath the table, and when they emerge from the other side this symbolizes leaving the protection of the Seven Star Goddess and their transformation into adults. The ceremony is always solemn and dignified, showing that it is taken quite seriously. When the ritual is over, everyone is welcome to enjoy a bowl of lumian.

Now that we’re on the subject of food, Tai­nan is famous throughout Taiwan for its cuisine. The Shi­jing­jiu area next to the historic Chih­kan Tower (originally Fort Provintia, built by would-be Dutch colonizers in 1652) and Xin­mei Street are frequent subjects of writers depicting daily life in the Southern Capital. Here you can find all the foods that define Tai­nan not because they are examples of some kind of local haute cuisine but precisely because they are fare for ordinary citizens: sticky rice cakes, fish stew, ta-a noodles (dan­zi­mian), stir-fried eel, “scalded beef,” deep-fried honey pastries….

To return to the theme of structural renovation, especially noteworthy is that in 2005 a project was launched to turn Hai’an Road into a center for the arts and culture, putting it in the vanguard of systematic renovation of old spaces in the city. Today, along and near Hai’an Road itself, and along the streets that intersect with it (including ­Minzu, Min­quan, and Min­sheng Roads, and You’ai and Shen­nong Streets), many old houses have been renovated into artists’ studios and the like. There are also some unique and very cool homestays—but you’ll be hard-pressed to find an empty room on a weekend or holiday!

Another—and newer—must-see area stretches from Shui­xian Temple (the ­Yongle Market) on Guo­hua Street all the way to Zheng­xing Street (West Market). It is characterized by businesses like coffee shops, ice cream parlors, and artsy boutique hotels located in renovated old buildings. These have mostly been started by young people born in the 1980s and 1990s, showing that this historic city with such a lengthy past still has infusions of young blood running through its arteries!

The Hayashi Department Store in Tainan, a municipally designated historical site, is the oldest Western-style department store in Taiwan. After several renovations, it has been restored to its original appearance.

The Ji Dian Wu Temple (literally the “Offering Rites Martial Temple” in English and known informally as the Guan Gong Temple by Taiwanese) is a Grade 1 Historic Site, and has even featured in a Michelin food guide. (photo by Chin Hung-hao)

Tainan holds a unique annual rite of passage for 16-year-olds, marking the transition to adulthood—by passing under a table topped by a symbolic pavilion!

After the ceremony, it is customary for all the young people and assembled guests to enjoy a bowl of lumian, a rich noodle soup.

Accessible only through a passageway 38 centimeters wide, this restored old house across from the Confucius Temple is now home to the Narrow Door Café, a popular haunt for artists and literary types.

The photo shows authentic old-fashioned pengtang (a kind of caramel) being made in a shop on Fuzhong Street in Tainan.

The Chin Men Theater in Tainan still uses hand-painted movie billboards. (photo by Chin Hung-hao)