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Anping Fort.Author Rybloo.

Top 10 Best Facts About Anping Fort

Tainan Anping Fort (aka Fort Zeelandia) is an ancient fort in Tainan City that dates back to the Dutch rule of Taiwan. The fort sits right next to Anping Old street, making it a great place to understand Taiwan’s culture and at the same time get some of the best snacking at the culinary capital of Taiwan.

 The center of any visit to Anping is the old fort. Anping Fort is built on the foundations of the Dutch stronghold named Fort Zeelandia. That fort was the anchor point of early settlements in Tainan for both the Dutch and the Chinese, and much of the settlement’s history lies in Anping’s old streets surrounding the fort.

1. Anping Port Stands On Sandbars

It was built after 1624 on the high ground of what were then sandbars in what is now Anping, Tainan, the inland sea that once existed here has long silted in living just a shadow of the original building.

Anping Fort was completed in 1634 after 10 years of construction. It included a one story outer fort armed with cannons. There was also a three story inner fort for administration, including a church and jail. The bricks for the building were shipped in from Java.

2. The Craftsmanship Of The Building Is Something To Behold

There are three layers to the structure of Fort Anping. The bottom layer, a subterranean storage facility over three meters deep. It was built from bricks laid with a mixture of sugar syrup and oyster shell lime, a refined craftsmanship in those days.

There are two other layers above ground, the total height of the corner walls is over nine meters, and the walls of the corner bastions (where most cannons were placed) have a breadth of 1.8 meters. The walls of the upper layer have a breadth of 1.2 meters with 90cm tall.

3. The Fort Has Changed Hands And Names Many times

The fort has changed hands and changed names many times over. The Dutch first called it Orlande, but then changed it to Fort Zeelandia. It became Anping Castle when it was the home of Zheng Chenggong (Koxinga)

 Due to several times of demolition, the surviving on the ground is including seven sections of the former wall and a semi-circular bulwark, as well as two unearthed relics.

4. It Was A Significant Military Post

Anping Minor Artillery Fort. Author lienyuan lee.

Originally, the outer west wall faced Taiwan Strait., was the front of the coastal defense for Fort Zeelandia, it’s a significant military post.

Nowadays, the west wall has been hidden in the residence; the Tainan City Government based on the archives to find out the position of the west wall to present a historic testimony.”

5. The Amazing Anping Tree House Is A neighbor

The tree house is quite amazing and covered by huge banyan tree. The trees and their roots have over many years successfully strangled and just about suffocated the old house. This is a demonstration of the wonders of Mother Nature.

The building was the former warehouse for Tait and Co and was used to store salt for the Anping Branch of the Japanese Salt Corporation.  It lay empty for many years when the banyan trees became the buildings new tenants forming a living banyan roof and walls of banyan roots.

 The complex was renovated to include raised wooden paths and an overhead steel walkway to enable tourists to enjoy this rather unique attraction today.

6. Deyang ship exhibition hall Is Part Of Anping Port

Deyang Ship is located in Anping Port. It was originally the US Gearing destroyer and was officially named at the US Naval Shipyard on July 31, 1945.

In 1977, after 32 years of service, it was handed over to China at the US Naval Base in Meibao, Florida. It was named “Deyang”, number DD-925, and implemented the Strait Detective.

The ship retains the weapon system of the main force of the Taiwan Strait in the past, which includes open cockpit. A glimpse of the warship sea, you can see professional equipment for sailing, and the complete preserved captain’s room is the living of the central fortress. There is also helicopter deck and parking garage.

7. Shrimp Crackers Is The Food Of Choice At Anping Port

The main delicacy of Anping, Shrimp crackers. They are sold at multiple locations, and are made from shrimp meat and baked into a chip/pork rind like cracker. Another delicacy in Anping is the shrimp rolls which are steamed and served in a wrap in soup or eaten steamed.

The old street is only open during the day so don’t expect to see any stalls after 6:30 PM.

8. Very little original fort left

The remains of Fort Zeelandia are interesting if forts are your thing. Built in 1634 by the Dutch during their rule when Taiwan was known as Formosa, it was later captured by the Chinese and renamed Anping Fort.

Visit the small museum if for no other reason than to see the paintings of how close the fort was to water and then go outside to see how far away the water is viewed now.

Most of the fort has been reconstructed with few remaining original bricks and a piece of the inner wall still standing. It is a good climb up steps to see the cannons. The grounds are extensive. Good for

9. Anping Old Street Was The Original Settlement During Dutch Colonization

 Anping Old Street was the original settlements during the Dutch colonization, hence making this one of the oldest streets in the country. Of course the streets have been renovated, but it is still the streets where pedestrians would walk on back in the day.

This old street surrounds the area of the fort, and many travelers are fond this street due to the presence of the many Taiwanese traditional foods, shops, and gaming stores.

10. It Serves As A Historical Museum

Anping Old Fort nowadays serves a historical museum, along with a nice park that comes with it. Since it has gone through countless reconstruction in the past hundreds of years, the fort has lost many of its original structures.

There are, of course, some original features that are kept, such as the 70-meter wall of the Anping Old Fort, but a few parts such as the observatory deck is considered new.

 As for the exhibition area in the museum, there is plenty of historical information, both in Chinese and English, which one can gain.