2026 Summer: 7/1

Today is another historical sites day!

First stop: Anping Tree House! Anping is the earliest port in Taiwan's history and has been through the rules of the Dutch, Zheng's reign of the Ming Dynasty, Qing Dynasty and Japanese era. It was also an important trading port of Taiwan. In 1858, the 8th year of Emperor Xianfeng's reign during the Qing dynasty, with the Treaty of Tianjin, more ports were opened in Taiwan, including the earlier Dansui and Keelung ports, and subsequently the ports in Takao and Taiwan Prefectures. In 1865, the 3rd year of Emperor Tongzhi's reign, Anping opened its ports on the 1st of January, and foreign merchants came successively to set up their firms. The British Tait & Co., Elles & Co., Boyd & Co., US Wright & Co. and Germany's Mannich & Co. were the five well-known traders in Anping at the time. During the Japanese occupation, with the Japanese monopolizing the opium trade and taking away the shipping businesses, the foreign merchants gradually withdrew from Anping. The merchant buildings were subsequently converted or used for other purposes. Wright & Co. building was converted into Anping subprefecture, Elles & Co. was converted into Anping Aquatic Products School; and Boyd & Co. was converted into dormitories for Taiwan Salt Company's employees. Tait & Co. building was sold to Taiwan Salt Making Corporation. After Taiwan's Retrocession, its main factory was made into office buildings, and the factory was relocated. Today, Tait & Co., and Mannich & Co. buildings are the only two remaining merchant buildings having witnessed the history of Taiwan's foreign merchants during the late Qing dynasty.

Our second stop: Anping Fort!

In the early 17th century, Dutch military-business alliance troops conquered current-day Anping in 1624 and built Fort Zeelandia as a defense base. The construction was completed in 1634. In 1662, the 16th year of Emperor Yongli's reign during the Ming dynasty, after Zheng Chenggong (Koxinga) seized For Zeelandia, he renamed it as Anping Township, and turned the inner fort into government offices. The Taiwanese hence called it the Imperial City. During the Qing dynasty, as the Bay of Taijiang was demolishing For Zeelandia to build the Eternal Golden Castle, it was gradually abandoned. For Zeelandia was rebuilt after the Japanese occupation, and renamed ad "Anping Fort" after Taiwan's Retrocession. Today, the only remnants from the Dutch period are the southern brick walls of the outer fort. The deep-rooted banyan trees have experienced countless years of change and witnessed over 300 years of the ups and downs of the Bay of Taijiang.