Where Fire and Water Coexist

Where Fire and Water Coexist

Where Fire and Water Coexist, also known as the Fire-Water Cave or Fire-Water River, is located on the rocky cliffs of the upper ridge axis near the Liuchongxi Fault, southwest of Zhenshan Mountain in the Guanziling Scenic Area, Baihe District, Tainan City. It is a natural phenomenon where fire and water exist together. Natural gas seeping from the cliff face keeps ignited flames burning continuously, while spring water trickles out from fine cracks in the rock face. The fire bursts forth amidst the flowing water, producing no smoke or visible flame, creating a unique spectacle of fire within water and water within fire.

Where Fire and Water Coexist is one of Tainan’s most famous and unusual natural wonders. It was discovered in the 40th year of the Kangxi reign (1701) by Zen Master Canche of Baihe’s Daxian Temple, and the flames have continued to burn ever since. Before the 1964 Baihe Earthquake, the fire used to shoot out intensively from a single spot. After the earthquake, the flames became weaker and emerged from several small openings, resembling floating blossoms on the water’s surface. During the Japanese colonial period in Taiwan, locals carved a deity statue called the Fire-Water God or Immovable God above the site of the flames for worship. In 1993, Tainan County Government designated Where Fire and Water Coexist as the county’s symbolic emblem, representing harmony and coexistence, and reorganized the local vendors into a shopping street. This has gradually made the area a widely renowned tourist attraction.

Where Fire and Water Coexist [Taiwan] English Name: Water and Fire Homogeny

Baihe District