Taipei City Gates & Walls 臺北府城 - Taiwan

Taipei City Walls 臺北府城

The Taipei City Walls 臺北府城 were constructed in 1884 in Taipeh Prefecture, Taiwan, Qing dynasty (modern-day Taipei, Taiwan). Shortly after the Qing dynasty established Taipeh Prefecture in 1875, Prefect Chen Hsing-chü 陳星聚 ordered the foundation of a new prefectural capital with enclosing walls in 1879. However the soil proved too soft to support so heavy a structure and the project was halted. Subsequently, governor of Fujian Cen Yu-ying 岑毓英 and Taiwan magistrate Liu Ao 劉璈 undertook successive surveys to determine the proper location of the wall's foundations. Craftsmen were recruited for the construction in 1882, and the wall was completed in 1884.

Nearly five kilometers in length, it could be accessed by five gates: East Gate, West Gate, South Gate, North Gate, and Auxiliary South Gate. The North Gate, the Auxiliary South Gate, and the buttresses of the East Gate were of particularly exquisite design.

In the first years of the Japanese colonial rule (1895), the city's walls and the West Gate were destroyed as part of the city's restructuring plan. After the handover of Taiwan from Japan to the Republic of China in 1945, the East, South, and Auxiliary South Gates were rebuilt, but the original appearances were not maintained. The North Gate alone retains its original appearance. Its design is a 2 story closed blockhouse of solid construction with traditional Chinese wooden roof truss and streamlined carved ornamentations.

After seeing all of the remaining gates the north gate is all that is really worth seeing. The other gates have been reconstructed and are in the middle of roundabouts making them inaccessible. With that the north gate is really very interesting and is located in a nice part of the city. Stop by and see it if possible.

Enjoy the video!

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