Did you know there are many Tainan attractions that still retain the flavor of the olden days?It was three years later when I returned to Tainan again. That’s when I finally started my long-overdue new life.
Why does Tainan attract me? I think the scale of this city is just right—not too big, not too small. You’re never too far from anywhere. Whether it’s going to Anping to see the sea, visiting the historic sites at Chihkan Tower, or strolling through the old neighborhoods in Xishu, you can get there in a reasonable amount of time. The weather is also great—compared to the north, it rains much less here, and most days are sunny and bright.
The profound cultural atmosphere is another reason that draws me in. There are alleys that retain the flavor of the past, buildings carrying ancient memories, and over 300 years of historical accumulation from the Ming-Zheng era to the modern day. The rich culture provides ample nourishment for my artistic creations, allowing them to grow and thrive. But what fills me with the most memories are the people. There are so many friends here who live earnestly and are happy to share. Interacting with them has shown me the true inner essence of this city.
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? The southern section of Dachong Street
After leaving Yaoping Brownie Shop No. 2 and walking further ahead, you’ll come across Mu’s Furniture—an eclectic workshop that repurposes recycled furniture and also serves brunch, desserts, and drinks. Past this is the northern exit of Dachong Street. Crossing the road where the ancient river Deqing Creek once flowed, you enter the southern section of Dachong Street. This alley is quite short—you can see all the way to Mish Street at the other end.
On Dachong Street, old houses are gradually disappearing. The old buildings near Yaoping Brownie Shop No. 2 were flattened by excavators before I could even document them, leaving behind empty lots that still retain the layout of the former houses. At the entrance to the southern section of Dachong Street, several traditional red-brick mansions are surrounded by metal sheets—it’s unclear whether they’re awaiting demolition or a buyer. Without proper preservation plans for historical districts, in a few decades, Dachong Street may vanish like Deqing Creek, lost to the changes of the city.
The southern section of Dachong Street features two noteworthy landmarks: Kaiji Tianhou Temple and the Old Laifay Cake Shop.
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Kaiji Tianhou Temple
Kaiji Tianhou Temple is the first Mazu temple in Taiwan. During the Dutch era, Han Chinese immigrants crossed the turbulent Black Water Ditch (the Taiwan Strait) and landed on the south bank of Deqing Creek at Shuiwei Zi. At that time, the Taiwan Inner Sea had not yet disappeared, and the coastline was along Ximen Road. With many fishermen making a living from the sea, a thatched shack was built at Shuiwei Zi to pray for Mazu’s protection—this shack was the predecessor of Kaiji Tianhou Temple. It wasn’t until the Ming-Zheng era that the shack was rebuilt into a proper temple. Since this temple is smaller than the larger Tianhou Temple, which also worships Mazu, it is also known as the Little Mazu Temple, and the southern section of Dachong Street is thus called Little Mazu Street.
Across from Kaiji Tianhou Temple is the Old Laifay Cake Shop, a well-known century-old pastry shop in Tainan. Unlike the large souvenir cake shops commonly found at tourist spots, the exterior of Old Laifay doesn’t look much different from an old-fashioned general store. But don’t underestimate this old shop—it has weathered over a hundred years of storms since its founding. Because of its purely traditional handmade pastries of excellent quality, many traditional Fucheng temple ceremonies commission their offerings from Old Laifay. This reminds me of a theory a friend once shared: the abundance of temples in Tainan has helped preserve many old crafts and artifacts.
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The most famous signature product of Old Laifay is the mooncake. Former Tainan Mayor Lai Qingde once bought 4,000 mooncakes from Old Laifay in one go to distribute across Taiwan. The mooncake is a traditional Tainan pastry, with white or brown sugar as the filling—it tastes particularly fragrant and has a plump, round appearance, hence the name “mooncake.” In ancient times, sugar was a luxury, and during the Qing Dynasty, mooncakes were considered high-end snacks in Fucheng. When families couldn’t afford to slaughter a chicken for postpartum care, they would use black-sugar-filled mooncakes instead—breaking open the hollow shell, placing an egg inside, adding dried longans, and cooking it in sesame oil. This method gradually became the traditional way to eat mooncakes.
Besides the traditional mooncakes, this old shop also has a delightful surprise—the owner’s daughter, Wan-Hui, started getting into miniatures a few years ago. Through self-taught skills, she mastered the art of crafting delicate little items. She perfectly recreated a miniature version of the entire Old Laifay shop—we can see the whole store at a glance, as well as the tiny pastries in the miniature display cases, giving the illusion of stepping into a Lilliputian world. Tainan’s old shops always bring surprises—who would’ve thought a traditional pastry shop would hide an entire miniature universe inside?
In my eyes, the new and the old are not mutually exclusive. On the contrary, innovation rooted in tradition often sparks even more energy.
In recent years, the old alleys of Tainan have gained new vitality through the presence of young people. I truly hope such change will be positive.
? Old Laifay Cake Shop
Address: No. 15, Ziqaing Rd., North District, Tainan City
Hours: 9:30 AM – 8:30 PM (irregular closures)
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? Nan Thirteen Coffee
The alleys that remain in my memory often possess unique cultural landscapes — sometimes rich with historical depth, other times simply charming little shops. Nestled within the side room of the Chen Shih-hsing Residence, Nan Thirteen Coffee is just such an unforgettable spot. One sweltering July afternoon after I started working at U Company, I organized a sketching event along Puppet Alley, the fourth stop in my quick-sketch series exploring Ye Shi-tao’s literary landmarks. I began by introducing the story and history of Puppet Alley before everyone scattered to sketch. As I sketched, I recalled having read about Nan Thirteen Coffee in the magazine “Alleys of Tainan” and was struck with the idea to visit it as well.
Behind the Chen Shih-hsing Historic House lies an even narrower alley than Puppet Alley — Lane 1, Section 2, Zhongyi Road, No. 147. The entrance is marked by the white side room of the historic house, and Nan Thirteen Coffee is inside. The rich aroma of coffee and soft music wafted out through the blue wooden door. Upon closer inspection, there was no signboard by the door, but I guessed this must be the place I was looking for. Still, standing at the entrance, I hesitated to go in. Peering through the window, I saw what looked like a group of friends gathered around a large table chatting, and I worried about accidentally intruding on a private home. Just as I was at a loss, a young couple went in ahead of us, and my wife and I followed them inside.
Are you together? the coffee shop owner asked.
No, no, we’re not, I quickly replied.
Oh, then just rearrange a bit and squeeze in to find a spot.
My wife and I sat down at the table, joining the other guests around the large table, and only then did I finally relax.
The owner handed us a cup of coffee to try, then continued focusing on brewing. The people around the round table chatted with one another or casually talked with the owner.
Once the brewing was done, the owner poured the coffee from the flask for us, then scooped fresh coffee grounds from a jar into a steel cup in preparation for the next round. He passed the coffee grounds around for us to smell — a rich fruity aroma hit our noses, and I exclaimed in surprise, What is this? The other guests also gasped after smelling it, and the owner then slowly explained.
These coffee grounds, infused with fruity aromas and a hint of acidity, come from Kenyan beans roasted slowly over a low temperature in a clay pot for a long time. It’s commonly believed that Kenyan beans have a stronger berry-like acidity due to the high phosphate content in the soil where they’re grown. Commercial roasting using machines over high heat for short periods usually leads to one of two outcomes: either a light roast is used to preserve more fruitiness, but this often comes with a sharp, intense acidity that becomes especially noticeable when the coffee cools to room temperature; or a darker roast is used to avoid the sharp acidity, but this results in a greater loss of fruitiness. I, however, use a slow, low-temperature clay pot roast with a double-roasting method over the course of two days to achieve the perfect balance between fruitiness and acidity, the owner explained as he continued brewing.
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Through our conversation, I gradually learned about the background of the café. The Chen Shih-hsing Historic House is owned by the family of the owner’s wife. Since the large residence had long been vacant, he rented the side room and turned it into a coffee workshop. Even though it’s not on a main street, this quiet little haven still attracts many customers. The philosophy here is less that of a typical café and more like a space dedicated to simply sharing the beautiful things in life. The owner also mentioned during our chat that he had learned clay pot roasting techniques at Tainan Thirteen Coffee in Taichung, and upon returning to Tainan, he opened Nan Thirteen Coffee as a spiritual branch. Another friend of his from Tainan Thirteen Coffee went back to Hsinchu and opened Border Thirteen, which also pays homage to the original shop. Coincidentally, Border Thirteen is near my hometown in Hsinchu.
That day, the guests around the table were a diverse bunch. The person sitting to our right was quite knowledgeable about coffee and clearly a discerning connoisseur. The young man in the couple we’d met had actually studied watercolor with me at the NCKU Art Club and had since graduated and moved back to Taichung. He had brought his girlfriend back to Tainan for a relaxing weekend. Later, a middle-aged man wearing a baseball cap came in — he seemed like a regular, bore a striking resemblance to my Japanese illustrator friend Yamazaki Tatsuya, and chatted animatedly with us about the good old days of vinyl records while sipping coffee.
Before leaving, I’d completely lost track of how many cups of coffee I’d had. When I asked the owner about the price, he only charged us a small token amount. I couldn’t help but think, how does he even make a living like this? Making friends must really be his true purpose.
Ye Shi-tao once lamented in the final passage of “Puppet Alley and Guan San Gu” that although the old alleys of Tainan continue to disappear, every time he steps into one, it stirs up memories from his youth — whether tragedies or comedies, they all became part of his soul. These words resonated deeply within me. A year ago, I went to Puppet Alley to sketch in search of inner peace, and a year later, my encounter with Nan Thirteen Coffee on a hot July day also became part of my soul.
? Nan Thirteen Coffee
Address: No. 46, Lane 317, Section 2, Minzu Rd., West Central District, Tainan City
Hours: 2 PM – 9 PM (Closed Tues–Thurs)
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? The Taste of the Land: Daoxun Friendly Cuisine
This is not just a restaurant serving organic food, but more like a revolutionary base brimming with the passion of a battle—vigorously promoting a philosophy of life that respects the land and all living things.
Walking through Yichun Lane to Nanan Lane, I spotted an old Japanese-style restaurant at the intersection called Doshun Friendly Cuisine. With its distinctly Japanese architectural style, Doshun stands out in Snail Lane, reminding me involuntarily of the Japanese restaurant "Wakakusa" that Gu Anshun frequented in Ye Shitao’s novel "Past Events Like Clouds."
Doshun is a collage of gray cement walls and orange Japanese wooden structures, featuring a small courtyard and a vegetable garden about one to two pyeong in size, where crops like shiso, amaranth, and South African leaf are grown as ingredients. From the Japanese-style room, you can view the simple scenery created by this little vegetable patch.
The age of this old building is no joke, but despite being revitalized, it retains the charm of the olden days and doesn’t feel out of place with the surroundings due to excessive renovations. The slogan “Friendly Cuisine” and “We Support Non-GMO” hanging on the restaurant’s exterior wall caught my eye—that was my first impression of Doshun.
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The Philosophy of Doshun
The owner, Hsieh Lih-guang, is from the same generation as me—we’re both from the “seventh grade” (born in the 1980s). He studied electrical engineering in university, which has nothing to do with the culinary field. After graduation, he gave up the stable path of being an engineer and forged his own life journey. His venture into the food industry began with a book he read in his senior year of college—“The Life Without Illness.” That book made him start questioning the sources of the food he ate. That question kept fermenting in his mind, prompting him to enter the food business after his military service, learning firsthand about restaurant operations and food preparation. After eight years of exploration, he finally decided to open a restaurant on Nanan Lane where customers could dine with peace of mind.
To better understand the production process of ingredients, Lih-guang worked on an organic farm in Tongluo, Miaoli, before opening the shop. Through assisting in farming, he learned what organic cultivation really means, gaining a wealth of valuable experience and a deeper understanding of ingredients. During one casual chat, he shared with me how to distinguish whether rice had been treated with chemical fertilizer: rice treated with chemical fertilizer has very bright green leaves, while rice grown with organic fertilizer has less vividly green leaves. Usually, you can judge with a color chart, but you really need to have spent time in the fields to tell the difference accurately.
Lih-guang’s sense of mission in pursuing his ideals reminded me of Ye Shitao, who dedicated himself to Taiwanese literature and recorded the hardships of the underprivileged through novels. They both picked up the tools at hand to fight for Taiwan. In literature, Ye Shitao depicted the social landscape of the 1950s, reviving forgotten old memories and thus rekindling people’s love for their homeland. From Lih-guang, I see him using the cuisine at Doshun to convey a philosophy of life that respects the land and all living things—starting with mindful eating to rebuild the connection between people and nature.
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Doshun’s Commitment
“Our restaurant doesn’t have a fixed menu. It mainly depends on what ingredients we can get that day,” Lih-guang explained as he busied himself preparing the ingredients. Because there’s no set menu, they can make the most of naturally in-season ingredients. The restaurant only offers vegetarian set meals, but if you want meat, there are options for fish and chicken à la carte.
I once asked Lih-guang how he comes up with the content of the set meals. He said, “Actually, I don’t really refer to any particular dishes. As long as you understand the ingredients, you’ll know how they can be paired.” Take the meal I had during my visit in July, for example—I ordered a rice ball set meal, which included an enzyme-rich radish grilled rice ball as the main dish, accompanied by croquettes based on fresh vegetables, a rich-flavored egg custard cooked in broth, a refreshing organic salad, and a wild vegetable miso soup mixed with diced shimeji mushrooms. These ingredients weren’t overcooked but were presented either in their natural taste or through clever combinations. Additionally, the color scheme of the dishes was vibrant. Lih-guang would choose tableware that complemented the flavors of the ingredients, making the presentation aesthetically quite refined.
To ensure the ingredients are genuinely friendly and non-toxic, Lih-guang believes relying solely on government organic certifications isn’t enough. Many details fall within the ambiguous boundaries of legal definitions—even with certification labels, you can’t fully trust them. The safest method is still to get to know every small-scale farmer you work with, discovering the true face of the ingredient sources through details like the farmers’ character and the state of grass and insects in their farms, because the land doesn’t lie. At Sian Hin Temple Market, Lih-guang took me stall by stall for shopping. From over-medicated egg-laying chickens and dishonest vegetable vendors to trustworthy small farmers… there’s a mix of everything. Even in traditional markets, you can’t feel completely at ease. Thanks to his diligence in research, Lih-guang always manages to find the shops that truly sell good ingredients.
Aside from vegetarian dishes, Doshun also adheres to a friendly philosophy when selecting meat. For fish, they choose those caught by line fishing or offshore hook-and-line boats. Although the catch is small and the price is higher, it at least helps reduce overfishing. For chicken, they use free-range chickens that have ample living space. These chickens have fewer accumulated toxins from frequent medication, and there’s also less environmental burden and animal suffering caused by mass production in high-density confined environments.
Speaking of this, Lih-guang said earnestly, “My future goal is to move toward fully vegetarian cuisine.”
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A Day in the Life at Doshun
Life at Doshun is hectic and busy. After dining here a few times, I arranged to sketch at the shop one weekend morning. I arrived around ten, but the team at Doshun had already started preparations. Soon, Lih-guang and his fiancée returned with the day’s purchased ingredients and let me in. I chose a corner of the restaurant to paint, trying not to disturb anyone while also observing the workflow.
Since customers would start coming in at 11:30, the morning’s purchased ingredients had to be processed quickly. Everyone bustled about prepping, never stopping for a moment. Lih-guang carefully handled the chicken, another team member deftly sliced fish, skewered them, and set them out in the small courtyard to dry. Lih-guang’s fiancée focused on weighing the miso to be used later. Once one task was done, another would follow. I also used the time to finish my quick sketches. The busy period didn’t ease up until customers started coming in and the dishes were served.
My morning at Doshun reminded me of my time helping out in the army kitchen. Waking up early in the morning to take a military truck to a market on another hilltop to shop, then returning to camp to prep and organize ingredients until lunch was served—now looking back, I kind of miss that busy yet simple life.
A week later, I returned to Doshun. It happened to be a day they closed a bit earlier, so I could have a proper chat with him. Before leaving, I asked him his thoughts on the lane. He said, “I actually preferred the quietness when we first opened, when there weren’t many tourists around. Now that the crowds have come, it’s gotten a bit too noisy.”
The casual chat came to an end, and I left Daoxun in the night. The faint streetlights spilled onto the alleys as dusk fell, creating a serene atmosphere. Despite having closed for the day, Liguang and his coworkers were still earnestly holding a review meeting in the shop, discussing new menu items — his work wasn’t done yet!
? Friendly Cuisine at Daoxun
Address: No. 11, Lane 157, Section 1, Minsheng Road, West Central District, Tainan City
Hours: 11:30 AM – 2:00 PM, 5:30 PM – 9:00 PM (Closed on Tuesdays)
Phone: 0906-555183
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? Author:1/2 Art Shrimp (Lin Zhiwei)
Master's graduate from the Institute of Materials Science at Tsinghua University, currently an engineer at a tech company and an amateur painter.
Awards and Exhibition History
2013 ? Selected for the National Art Exhibition
2014 "Anping Stroll" Watercolor Exhibition (Old Oven Cafe, Anping, Tainan)
2016 ? Shortlisted for the World Watercolor Competition, "Painting Tainan" Watercolor Exhibition (Art Center, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan)
2017 "Frames of Tainan Alleys" Watercolor Exhibition (Good Sense Living Space, Tainan)
? Facebook Fan Page: 1/2 Art Shrimp
This article is excerpted from the bookFrames of Tainan Alleys: A Time Walk Encountering Literary Master Yeh Shih-tao, courtesy of Yueli Publishing Co., Ltd. and Mountain Culture.