Old Town Scenery
East Gate
The East Gate has been deserted for many years. It was not recovered and re-exploited by the city government until recent years. Now, it becomes a linear green space. In the sunrise or sunset, many locals like to take a walk leisurely here.
West Gate
The castle door of West Gate has been destroyed except for a short wall of about several meters. Some locals occupy the inside area here and dense weeds even covered the above of the gate. Now it just becomes a forgotten history.
South Gate
South Gate remains the same as ever. The stair has been very old and fallen into decay. In 1969, Mayor Chen re-constructed the castle door but he didn’t keep the original style and features which revealed its ancient and pure ambience. Currently, only the castle stair stands in South Gate Circle.
North Gate
People said that many gangsters often appeared in the north of Kaohsiung, so residents painted horrible images on the surface of the two castle doors in North Gate to frighten away robbers. The images were two powerful gods with sword and hammer. In addition to splendid painting style, the carving skills on the doors were so delicate that no other ones could compete with them in Taiwan. It is also why it becomes grade 1 historic relic now.
From Past to Present
Zuoying is famous for military barracks, but it also is equipped with features of histories and ancient residences. Totally, there have been five ancient residences left from five different families such as Chen-Family Historical Residence, Lin Family Historical Residence, Hsieh Family Historical Residence, Xue Family Historical Residence.
The Syue Family Historical Residence
Syue Family Historical Residence is a typical three-courtyard compounds with simple Fjuian-style architecture, including traditional 3-hall, 3-courtyard, double-wing layout. The family used imitation stone base in the bottom portion of the façade wall, red bricks with massonry in the middle and top sections, and red tiles on the roof. It reveals the beauty of community architecture. It was built for 3 generations.
Stories of Wells
The legend said that the water from Gong Cheng Well not only was very fresh and tasty but also could cure people’s illnesses. It’s considered as “water from Heaven.” It’s located on dead angle of the road, so the government tore down its fence and reserved it with an iron cover.
HsingLung Well
Although the HsingLung Well has been closed nearly a century, there are many tourists.
Confucius Temple
Being constructed originally in 1864 in Qing Dynasty, Confucius Temple has been renovated for many times. Finally, the government renovated the largest Confucius Temple in the northwestern part of Lotus Pond in Kaohsiung. The square-style Great Hall is the main structure of Confucius Temple. In front of the hall, there is a stage on which a memorial ceremony is held annually on the Teacher’s day, Sep. 28. In the ceremony, students at Zuoying Elementary and Junior High Schools perform eight-row dance in costume. This temple reveals that Confucius has had significant impact on China and Taiwan, and that Confucianism actually has profoundly influence our daily lives. In your spare time, don’t forget to pay a visit to Confucius Temple, viewing splendid architecture in sublime atmosphere. You will enjoy yourself so much as to forget to go home.
Introduction
Zuoying, meaning “a barrack in the left side of Kaohsiung,” is an area equipped with the features of culture, relics and history. After many years of wars, only East Gate, South Gate, and North Gate are left. Although their appearances are not the same as those in ancient times, their magnificent momentum still excites and thrills our spirit. They have gradually become the landmarks of Zuoying District.
Old Town Scenery
From Past to Present
Stories of Wells
Confucius Temple
Introduction