Tainan Travel

The Hayashi Department Store (林百貨) was founded in 1932 by Lin Fang-yi in Suehirocho 2-chome (末廣町二丁目), Tainan. It was the first building in Tainan to be equipped with an elevator, and is commonly referred to by elderly Tainan residents as "the five-story building" (五棧樓仔) in Taiwanese. The first is easy to remember, and the ones after easily ignored. After the glory days of Hayashi, Tainan City's second department store was Meili An Foreign Product Store (美麗安洋品店) on Minquan Road (民權路). Its first generation was just opposite the current site of B.B.Art, and its second generation was the B.B.Art site itself, until the third generation moved to Zhongzheng Road (中正路). If you look up at the exterior of the building you will see the single Chinese character "Mei" (美;meaning beautiful in Mandarin) at the top floor, the only remaining evidence of the Meili An Store. Now the 1st and 3rd stories serve as exhibition halls, and always contain unique art exhibitions, while the 2nd floor is a coffee shop. Tourists who visit the old building will be fascinated by the building's unique layout; with its enormous patio, it has the imposing manner of the old style large courtyard house. Drinking coffee and looking at art exhibits in this old building is the perfect way to spend a day off.