Tainan, Taiwan

The country's oldest city marks its 400th birthday

Where Taipei sparkles with steel and glass, Tainan — Taiwan’s former capital — cuts a more historic figure, its skyline dotted with fortress towers and soaring temple roofs. And in 2024, the city’s quadricentennial puts its intriguing heritage under the spotlight and offers a fresh reason to visit.

The area has been inhabited for tens of thousands of years, but it wasn’t until 1624 that the foundations of Tainan were laid by the Dutch, who named it Fort Zeelandia. Centuries of international influence followed, from Chinese and Spanish to Japanese. The history is evident in the wealth of architecture, from the Old Japanese Martial Arts Academy to the Qing-era facades of Shennong Street, festooned with red lanterns. Street food is a major draw, too: look out for prawn-rich danzai noodle soup and hollowed-out ‘coffin bread’, filled with a deliciously creamy chowder.

Tainan is also known for its calendar of events, the most unforgettable being the raucous Yanshui Beehive Fireworks Festival. Taking place 15 days after the Lunar New Year, the day sees rockets being let off from large, apiary-like structures in the streets — it’s not for the faint-hearted.

Link:https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/uk-cool-list-2024