Things to Do in West Central District

Things to Do in West Central District, Taiwan - West Central District Attractions

Things to Do in West Central District

Top Attractions in West Central District


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  • GlobalGypsy_13
    San Diego, CA2,688 contributions
    This grand building is a delight -- both inside and out. It stands on a main traffic circle in Tainan and has some displays on the outside as well as special exhibits in the inside. Although I do not know Chinese, this grand structure attests to the high esteen with which literature and literary life is held.
    Written July 9, 2019
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • wireless_in_CA
    United States4,829 contributions
    I recommend visiting this temple as a way to learn about the various ways in which Confucius was celebrated.

    There was a small admission of 40NTD.

    The main courtyard contained one structure with plaques commemorating the temple from the various dynasties.

    In the back there was some type of event so that area was closed.

    Rooms off to the side of the courtyard were filled with lots of artifacts and good information about the Confucius rituals.

    Before I left there was a table where visitors could stamp a piece of paper and write up their wishes and post on the gate before they left.
    Written September 25, 2022
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • grace
    Singapore, Singapore6 contributions
    If u got time, you probably can go in for a quick visit. Now part of the tower is under renovation , so you can just go visit the main tower
    Written March 11, 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • OrderintheHouse
    Brisbane2,800 contributions
    In January 2020 my wife and I included a 6 night Wendy Wu private tour of Taiwan as part of our 18 day Asian trip we arranged to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary. Our tour took in Taipei, Taroko Gorge, Sun Moon Lake, Tainan and Kaohaiung.

    While in Tainan we visited notable attractions such as a walking tour around Anping Old Fort, a visit to Chihkan Tower and a look at the Grand Matsu Temple. We also included a most enjoyable visit to the Hayashi Department Store, very iconic and worth visiting just for its history.

    On our 10 minute walk to the Department Store after visiting the Grand Matsu Temple there was a very pleasant diversion along the way. It was the grand 70 year old Chin Men Theatre with its façade completely covered with four 20 square metre movie posters carefully hand painted by 67-year-old artist Yan Jhen-fa who has been painting film posters since he was 16 years of age. Yan is the last movie poster artist still actively painting in Taiwan, and the Chin Men Theatre is the last cinema displaying such posters in the country. What is truly remarkable here is that Yan is partially blind and vows to continue painting until he can no longer see. The quality of the posters is truly amazing. It is well worth stopping for a look and well worth taking a photo.

    However, I digress, so back now to the Hayashi Department Store. The Store is located in a busy shopping precinct in the West Central District of Tainan. It is simply bursting with history. Hayashi Department Store was known to the Tainan people as "The Five-Stories-House". It was founded by Japanese businessman Hayashi Houichi and officially opened on 5 December 1932, under Japanese Rule, as the second large Department Store in Taiwan. It was the largest department store in southern Taiwan when it opened and boasted advanced facilities for its day such as a state of the art elevator and flush toilets. It is also the only department store in Taiwan with a Japanese Shintoist shrine (the Suehiro Shrine) on its rooftop completed in 1933 and not open to the public. The Store was badly damaged by US air raids during World War II (WWII) and ceased to be a Department Store soon after the War. It was of great interest that we could observe during our visit to the rooftop the pronounced holes in a wall, timely evidence of the US air raids on the building at the end of WWII.

    The Store had been deserted for decades prior to its reopening after restoration in 2014. It now welcomes visitors as the Tainan Cultural Creative Department Store with very distinct and well presented departments on each of its six floors. Each floor adopts a specific themes – floor 1 (Tainan Feast) incorporating a Taiwanese Tea Shop; floor 2 (Innovative Design); floor 3 (Fashion Stylish); floor 4 (Culture Salon); floor 5 (Unique Cuisine) and floor 6 (City Scenery) incorporating the Hayashi Shop, the Observatory and the Shinto Shrine.

    We never purchased anything during our one hour visit to the Store; however we enjoyed just walking around taking in the impressive shopping atmosphere of good old fashioned charm on display here – indeed this Store comes across as a throwback to a previous era. The original elevator could take a maximum of 12 passengers. To preserve the original mechanical tracks structure, the elevator has been rebuilt to a smaller size, to only take 6 persons maximum, for safety reasons. We had to wait in queues to use the elevator because of this restriction. On our way down from the top floor we chose to take the ornate steps down to each floor, rather than having to wait to use the elevator again. This proved a very good move because it enabled us to take a peek at every floor in the Store marvelling at the great way in which the goods are presented for sale. Very impressive was the historic floor indicator dial to let customers know which floor the elevator has stopped at. Also, being able to see the remnants of the very first original wooden elevator box on display on one of the floors was worthwhile.

    This was a most enjoyable visit to a very novel Department Store. You don’t have to buy anything here unless something appeals to you. However it is worth the effort to visit the place just to soak up its amazing history.
    Written June 6, 2020
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Heng
    Singapore, Singapore3,736 contributions
    Street flanked by traditional buildings, some commercial and some residential all mixed together. However like a few places in Tainan, we either came to early in the day (mind you, it’s early afternoon) or they only opens during weekends. Lucky for us, we found an interesting souvenir shop which is opened.
    Written July 20, 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • OrderintheHouse
    Brisbane2,800 contributions
    My wife and I enjoyed a 6 night Wendy Wu private tour of Taiwan as part of our 18 day Asian trip to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary. Our tour took in Taipei, Taroko Gorge, Sun Moon Lake, Tainan and Kaohsiung.

    The visit to Tainan incorporated a number of religious, cultural and historical attractions and one of these was the Grand Matsu Temple, also known as the Da Tian Hou Gong or Great Queen of Heaven Temple. This temple is just a short 3 minutes walk away from the Chihkan Tower (Fort Provintia) which we had visited earlier.

    The Grand Matsu Temple, constructed in 1664, was originally the palace of Zhu Shugui, known as the Prince of Ningjing. It was renovated in 1765 and again in 1775, when it assumed its current appearance. It fell into disrepair after a fire in 1818 and was partially rebuilt after damage from an earthquake in 1946. This Grand Matsu Temple was the first official Matsu temple built in Taiwan. For over 300 years the Grand Matsu Temple has become an important cultural and religious centre for Taiwanese people. A telling piece of legendary history occurred here in the Main Hall, when in 1683, the Prince of Ningjing and his five concubines committed suicide following the imminent surrender of his dynasty to the Qing empire.

    We enjoyed this temple experience. There are five halls that can be visited (the Main Hall, Worship Hall, Sacred Parent’s Hall, San-Bao Hall and the Guanyin Hall). The ones we visited had their own unique set of temple treasures and cultural relics and god statues. The Main Hall has a most magnificent 300 year old statue of Mazu (the Legendary Chinese Sea Goddess) with a golden face, flanked by statues of the lesser gods of Thousand-Miles Eye and Tailwind Ear. She is about four metres tall and is wearing a crown with nine beaded tassels and a splendid royal gown. This Mazu masterpiece takes centre stage as the stand out feature of this temple visit. The three bronzed San-Bao Buddhas in the San-Bao Hall, sitting behind a smiling pink Buddha, were also impressive. In one of the halls there was a most unusually constructed black wooden ceiling with solid wooden cross beams, that caught our eye.

    The temple is a richly carved wooden building. The main entrance to the temple is very beautiful. There are two most elaborate finely-etched stone dragon columns flanking the centre doors guarded by a male and female lion statue on either side. There are also two side doors and we observed temple etiquette by entering from the left door and leaving from the door on the right, avoiding the centre door which is reserved for the gods.

    This temple was not on our original tour itinerary. However it contains so much history and magnificent art treasures that it was for us a very pleasing added extra.

    .
    Written June 26, 2020
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • wireless_in_CA
    United States4,829 contributions
    There were quite a lot of visitors during my visit most likely due to some family event. A stage was setup, an MC motivated the crowds before the dance groups went to perform. It was quite entertaining and the kids drew a lot of support from the crowd.

    This place was a little smaller than I expected but there was a nice collection of boutiques. Architecture ran from traditional to modern with individual/eclectic landscaping and art. Wall paintings also were popular for groupies or selfies. There also was a second floor viewing area.

    It was a nice break from the typical city setting.
    Written September 24, 2022
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Tainanguesthouse
    Tainan, Taiwan24 contributions
    This is a city of temples.
     
    Taiwan is a small island, yet you will never get bored living on it. There are fireworks every week, especially in Tainan! We are celebrating birthday of Godssssssss almost every week.

    Taoism is the major religion here, unlike Buddhism, there are over thousands of gods in heaven. And similar to Greek mythology, the relations between Taiwan-gods are so complicated that you think you are watching “House of cards”.

    Imagine each god lives in 1 temple and believers play firework for each birthday. Multiple by thousand. Then imagine the gods are leaving their temples for other gods’ parties… Yes we have the busiest temple festival rundown, even busier than Taiwan international airport we afraid!
     
    The Lantern Festival shown in picture takes place at Pu-ji Temple, celebrating its 350 yrs old. All the lanterns are beautifully painted by local tainanese, from children to artists. This year there are also Stunning Traditional Paper-cuts hidden in nearby lanes. It's worth searching every single corner, both day and night. You will find it romantic, warm and full of blessings. 
    Written February 19, 2017
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • James M
    Medellin, Colombia181 contributions
    Very open and actually surprisingly sparse. The gardens around the shrine are very elaborate, but we when we were there they weren't in bloom. The museum is next door.
    Written January 13, 2021
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Goochmaster
    Sydney, Australia1,920 contributions
    2km walk from the Garden Night Market we came here and realised it’s just a smaller version of Garden Night Market with the variety you generally like in night markets between food, clothes and games.

    We went to Garden Night Market but could only spend 1.5 hours here but found it enjoyable.

    For Tainan if you have done Da-dong, Garden markets make sure you come here.

    It’s also within walking distance to the old street which is not much of an old street compared to the ones in Taipei or near Anping fort.
    Written January 13, 2020
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Phi Somchai
    Bangkok, Thailand3,773 contributions
    We passed by this old court house of Tainan but it is a museum now. The building was built by the Japanese during their administration here.

    The architecture of the building is very grand and majestic.
    Written December 2, 2018
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • pianocello
    Shah Alam, Malaysia1,330 contributions
    This is a decent art museum with good facilities. It can be combined with the nearby Tainan Confucius Temple and Art Museum No. 1
    Written April 27, 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Bowi72
    Kriftel, Germany319 contributions
    This is one of the smallest temples, though with its rather intimate atmosphere one of the nicest. We had bad luck: restaurateurs were working on the first shrine (April 2019) so we couldn’t visit that part. However, the areas behind are worth a visit too. They are nested and interlaced, giving it a homely feel. The temple is free of admission.
    Written April 11, 2019
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • pianocello
    Shah Alam, Malaysia1,330 contributions
    While a little expensive, this was a decent if unspectacular art museum. The facilities were good and there was quite a bit to see.
    Written April 27, 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Paul Y
    Hong Kong, China198 contributions
    There are many traditional Chinese markets in Tainan and Shueisian Temple Market is one of the best. You can find many Taiwanese traditional foods and ingredients.
    Written June 15, 2021
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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