Tainan Travel

The Old Five Channels Cultural Zone (五條港文化園區) is one of the most impressive historical sites in Tainan's West Central District (台南中西區). The Taijiang(台江) area gradually silted up around the middle of the Qing Dynasty, but there were still five channels leading from the coast to the city. The area surrounding the five river ports became a busy center of commerce, and served as the foundation for the modern downtown West Central District. The five river ports from north to south were Xingangqiang Port (新港墘港), Fuotou Port (佛頭港), Nanshi Port (南勢港), Nanhe Port (南河港) and Anhai Port (安海港). The area ranges from the south of Chenggong Road (成功路), west of Xinmei Street (新美街), and to as far the south of Zhongzheng Road (中正路). Looking at today's landscape, barely a trace of the old river ports is visible. Only from Shuixian Temple, Kaijiwu Temple, Beishi Street, and Fengshen Temple can evidence of the river ports be seen. Only a century passed from the prosperity of the river ports to their total disappearance, but that prosperous period was enough to establish the area as Tainan's commercial center.