Old History Of Chiayi – Chiayi Park

Chiayi Park plays an important role in Chiayi people’s life.

I guess that most of the children who grew up in Chiayi like me had a wonderful time in Chiayi Park in their childhood.

Which place can stand for Chiayi most?

People lives in Chiayi votes for it every few years.

The unchanged fact is that Chiayi Park (公園雨霽) is always on the list.

The term “公園雨霽” means beautiful flowers, green trees and the murmuring of the running water in Chiayi Park.

Chiayi Park is located at the junction of Qiming Road (啟明路), Zhongshan Road (中山路) and Minquan Road (民權路)

This time we’re gonna to talk about Chiayi Park and show you some attractions nearby.

Chiayi Park is built in 1910 when Taiwan was during the time of Japanese colonial period.

After the Nationalist Government (國民政府) moved to Taiwan, the name of Chiayi Park was changed into Zhongshan Park (中山公園).

In 1997, however, the park was officially named Chiayi Park (嘉義公園).

There’re four areas in the Chiayi Park which are Steam Locomotive Commemorative Area, Confucian Temple Cultural Area, Historical Monument Area and Chiayi Tower Cultural Area respectively.

♦ Steam Locomotive Commemorative Area:

Upon you enter the gate, you can see the statue of Sun Yat-sen (Father of the nation) set uprightly there.

Going left, and you’ll see an adorable statue of Belgian Manneken Pis (尿尿小童) which has been stood there for over 70 years.

The statue of Manneken Pis with his hands on his hips and take a wee-wee which has caught lots of visitors’ attraction.

Wandering around in this area, you’ll feel like as if you were in the European manor.

In the Steam Locomotive Commemorative Area, you can also find out nine paintings from Tan Ting-pho (陳澄波) who was a local famous artist in Chiayi.

In his artworks, it presents how prosperity and shows the children playing together energetically in Chiayi Park.

Besides in Chiayi Park, there’re other paintings you might find out under the tree nearby the Chiayi Water Fountain and outside the Cultural Affairs Bureau of Chiayi City.

Next time when you visit Chaiyi, don’t forget to take a look of Tan Ting-pho’s former residence (咱台灣人的冰) where is a store now selling shaved ice, sweet soup with grass jelly and my favorite one - honey sweet potato. (Good😄 咱台灣人的冰 Tel:(05)222-2773 Address: No. 249, Lanjing St., West Dist., Chiayi City 600, Taiwan

The red-brick arcade is one of the Minnan (閩南) architectural elements.

With some greens hanging up on the arcade, it makes this space more visual variation.

I could still remember it’s my brother and my perfect place to play hide-and-seek when we were little.

Fu Kang-An Victory Memorial Stele was set up to praise Fu Kang-An (福康安) who commanded 20,000 troops and suppressed the rebellion in Qing Dynasty.

”Zhuluo (諸羅)” is the old name of Chiayi.

In addition, Fu Kang-An Victory Memorial Stele is a token that symbolizes the name change from "Zhuluo" to "Chiayi" in 1787.

On the turtle stone is erected the Memorial Stele which framed dragon patterns and written by Manchu (滿文) and Mandarin (漢文).

However, most of the words on the memorial stele are too blurred to read.

The Battle of Yijiangshan Island was one of the important Chinese Civil War.

The Yijiangshan Monument was established in 1956 after Nationalist Government (國民政府) came to Taiwan.

Well😨~Where’s the Steam Locomotive No. 21?

The Steam Locomotive had displayed in Chiayi Park for more than 40 years.

Last year ( in 2019), it was moved to Beimen Station (北門車站) for repair.

Maybe one day you’ll see the Steam Locomotive reoperation.

♦ Confucian Temple Cultural Area:

It’s pretty impressive to see twelve ancient cannons on the lawn. The steel cannons were forged in the Qing dynasty; however, the resources are still unverified until now.

Taiwan is situated at the Circum- Pacific seismic zone (環太平洋地震帶); therefore, the earthquakes happen frequently. Bingwu Earthquake Monument (丙午震災紀念碑) is in remembrance of the severe earthquake which was occurred in 1906 in Meishan, Chiayi and caused lots of buildings damage and casualties loss. It’s the first earthquake monument erected in Taiwan. In Chinese culture, Confucianism plays a crucial role in our life. In Chiayi Park, there’s a Confucian Temple where worship Confucius and his disciples. There’s a sculpture of a lively dragon outside the temple. Once you enter the Dacheng Hall (大成殿) , you’ll feel a sense of solemnity.

A giant baseball comes into view which symbolizes let everyone see the hometown of baseball – Chiayi. Have you ever seen the movie “KANO” which talks about the story of KANO Baseball Team with perseverance and unyielding spirit? Then they defeated other baseball team. What’s more, many people were touched by their KANO spirit. Upon you enter KANO Park, you feel it pulsing in every nerve of your body. Seven Tigers of Jhuluo Bronze Sculpture at the entrance stands for the championship won by Chiayi Junior Baseball Team. “The baseball Century Avenue” was the only path for KANO baseball team to the field. Unfortunately, now KANO Park is under reconstruction, so let’s visit it next time. Photo from Travel in Chiayi ♦ Historical Monument Area: Chiayi Park is not only a park, but historic sites. The whole historic site includes the historical remains of the first-generation shrine (第一代神社遺跡), the holy storehouse (祭器庫), the Chōzuya (手水舍), a resting house (參集所), a purification hall (齋館) and a main office (社務所).

The historical remains of the first-generation shrine which is fenced in was built in 1915. Now what you can see is only the pedestal of the shrine with old pictures nearby. On the way to the shrine, you’ll pass by the holy storehouse where was to store worship tools.

Along the Shinto Shrine Avenue, there are two stone sculptures of the Komainu (高麗犬) that were as symbols of protection and stone lanterns (石燈籠) were placed on both sides of the avenue. Walking along the Shrine Avenue, I feel a sense of tranquility and solemnity. “Resting House” was where worshippers take a break after worshipping. “Chōzuya / temizuya” was where worshippers purify themselves before entering shrine. Located inside Chiayi Park, the Historical Relic Museum (Temple Lodging House, Office) contains rich archives of cultural and historical documents and relics. It was built up in 1943 with Shoin-zukuri style (書院造風格) which makes it look more elegant. The elegantly-designed buildings have already been officially declared as city monuments. In recent years, the Historical Relic Museum not only combines fusion restaurant (Chia Yi J18), but also provides Kimono experience. What’s more, you can even enjoy the art special exhibitions from time to time or figure out cultural and creative products. The whole Historical Monument Area is full of historical cultural atmosphere where becomes the hot spot for the visitors. If you’d like to get acquainted with Chiayi city, I highly recommend you take a visit of Historical Relic Museum.

Historical Relic Museum (Chia Yi J18) Tel:(05)277-0518 Address:No. 42, Gongyuan Street, East District, Chiayi City 600, Taiwan (In the Chiayi Park) Open Hour: Sun. ~ Thurs 8：00~17：00；Fri. ~Sat. 8:00 ~ 20:00 Ticket：NT$50 (Free for Local People)

♦ Chiayi Tower Cultural Area Have you ever heard of the legend of Sun-Shooting? It’s said that two suns appeared by turns; therefore, it caused extremely hot and even drought problems. Then warriors decided to shoot one of the sun.

Wow~ The design of Sun-Shooting Tower is based on the Alishan Sacred Tree with aboriginal totems on the body. Recently, it has become a new landmark of Chiayi City. Look! There’s a Bauhinia (艷紫荊) which symbolizes the Chiayi City flower on the roof. From the 11th floor, you’re able to overlook the view of Chiayi City. Formosan clouded leopards are one of the Taiwanese endemic species. A couple of Formosan clouded leopards at the entrance of Sun-Shooting Tower are as the symbol of protection. The 10th floor is a space for art exhibition. Stepping on the glass, you could see the park underfoot. It scares me to step on the glass (shake...).

The Sky Café on the 11th floor is the best place to enjoy the relaxing afternoon time. Sun-Shooting Tower Tel:(05)275-1357 Address:No. 46, Gongyuan Street, East District, Chiayi City 600, Taiwan (In the Chiayi Park) Open Hour: Wed. ~ Fri. 9:00~17:00；Sat. ~ Sun. 9:00~21:00 Ticket: NT$50 (Free for Local People) Overlook from Sky Café Chiayi Park is a park containing a diversity of plants and historical cultures, appealing visitors to relax and wander along the paths.

●Arboretum (樹木園) Chiayi Park Arboretum next to Chiayi Park is also known as the Shanziding Botanical Garden (山仔頂植物園) which has become a rarely seen urban botanical garden. Due to the geographical features of the tropic zone, there’re hundreds of economic tree species from the tropical regions around the world now planted in Arboretum for the study. There’re two entrances that one is nearby the Sun-Shooting Tower, and the other is on the Minquan Road. This is a perfect place for you to take a forest bath. Why not come here to relax and enjoy the essence of the forest this weekend?

●Water Source Meter Room The Water Source Meter Room is elegantly situated on opposite side of the Agricultural Research Institute (嘉義農業試驗分所) on Minquan Road. The Baroque-style classical architecture with sky-blue door which was built in 1911 catches my eyes. The Water Source Meter Room was used to place the water-measuring machines in the Japanese Colonial Period. Now, with the development of technology, it has been stopped operations for over 20 years. The cracks on the wall reveals the traces of history. I highly recommend you take a visit to Chiayi Park and Arboretum. The century-old park contains cultural and historical treasures. Wandering around the park, you’ll find yourself being in the green haven. Taking Forest bath in Arboretum, you can stay away from hustle and bustle temporarily -References: 1.Chiayi City Government (May, 2018). Urban Forest Fun Series. Retrieved from https://travel.chiayi.gov.tw/upload/travel-folding/4b1d34ad51d4e08dd616dfc364ac9b8d.pdf 2.嘉義好旅行 (April 4, 2018). KANO Park. Photo Retrieved from https://travel.chiayi.gov.tw/travel-content?id=73&category=2