Hengchun Ancient City

Hengchun Ancient City

Hengchun Ancient City is a cultural tourism attraction.

Hengchun Ancient City is located in Hengchun Township, Pingtung County, Taiwan. It served as the county seat of Hengchun during the Qing Dynasty. It was built starting October 18, 1875 (the 1st year of the Guangxu reign, November 15, 1875), and completed on July 15, 1879 (the 5th year of the Guangxu reign, September 1, 1879). It is the only existing city in Taiwan that retains all of its original city gates.

The perimeter of Hengchun County City was 880 zhang (approximately 2,600 meters), with the city wall foundation being 2 zhang thick and the outer wall standing 1 zhang 4 chi 5 cun high; the inner wall was 1 zhang 3 chi 4 cun high and 1 zhang 6 chi wide. The city had four gates, with the south gate also known as the “Mingdu Gate,” while the other three were simply referred to as the East Gate, North Gate, and West Gate. Outside each gate was a moat, and bridges were built at the gate entrances. Additionally, there were artillery emplacements between the gates. Inside the city were government offices such as the County Office, the Office of the Clerk, the Confucian Temple, the Tongshan Public Hall, the Tin Hau Temple, the Temple of the Wind God, the Temple of the City God, the Temple of Earth Deity, the Temple of the Three Mountain Kings, the White Dragon Shrine, the Five Dragons King Temple, and the Guanyin Temple, among others. The liveliest part of the city was in the southwest, where major streets included County Front Street, West Gate Street, Blacksmith Street, South Gate Street, Guest Street, East Gate Street, North Gate Street, and Earth God Street.

During the Japanese colonial period, Hengchun Ancient City was designated as a Historic Site, Scenic Spot, and Natural Monument in the 10th year of the Shōwa era (1935). After World War II, in the 74th year of the Republic of China (1985), it was announced as a second-class historic site in the Taiwan-Fujian region, later upgraded to a national historic site. It is now one of Pingtung County’s most famous tourist attractions.

Hengchun Ancient City

Must-visit reason: The only ancient city in Taiwan that retains all of its original city gates.