Tainan's Eternal Golden Castle (also known as Erkunshen Battery 二鯤鯓砲台) is one of the best preserved Qing Dynasty era forts in Taiwan. It features a moat, large walls, huge era cannons, and live canon firing at certain times in the day. It is definitely worth a stop on your trip to Tainan.
Background: During the Mudan Incident in 1874, Japaneses military invaded Taiwan to punish certain aboriginal tribesman. As a result, the Eternal Golden Castle was completed in 1876 by the Qing Dynasty mainly to defend against Japanese invasion. During the Sino-French War, the facility was used to fire at and ward off French ships. When Taiwan was seceded to Japan in 1895, some Taiwanese people tried to fight off the Japanese from the fort but their efforts were futile. The Japanese did not use the fort and sold its cannons to Russia. The fort lie in ruins until 1975 when the Tainan City government began to make renovations. In 1999, further renovations were completed and it was opened as a public attraction. Hours: 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM Tuesday to Sunday Price: 50 NT per person (or 150 NT for four historical sites in Tainan). You can book tickets to Eternal Golden Castle on Klook here or KKday here. How to get there: By Car/Scooter: From central Tainan go west on Minsheng Road until it becomes Anping Road. After that turn left across the river and keep going west until you see the fort. Looking for scooter rental in Tainan? You can search KKday here or Klook here to look for options. You can also check out our scooter rental guide here. If you are looking for car rentals in Tainan, you can also search Klook here or KKDay here. You can also check out our car rental guide here. Bu Bus: Take Tainan Bus 19 from Tainan Train Station to Eternal Golden Castle station. The ride takes about 30 minutes. You can book tickets to travel to Tainan via inter-city bus on Klook here. You can book tickets to Tainan via high speed rail (HSR) on Klook here or KKDay here. Book tickets via the normal train (TRA) on Klook here. Where to stay? Most of the accommodation you will find is near the city center. If you only want to visit old Tainan, you can book a hotel near the west part of downtown and consider walking or cycling around the city. We have stayed at and recommend Liho Hotel, a quality hotel right next to Chikan Tower, and Famouse Hotel, which is another great hotel also within walking distance of Chikan Tower in old Tainan. You can find out where to stay in our Taiwan hotels guide or search for the best hotel deals in Taiwan here. Need travel insurance? Compare prices on Insubuy here. You can also book Wifi and SIM cards for Taiwan on Gigago here. Tours: You can book tickets to Eternal Golden Castle on Klook here or KKday here. You can find more tours and activities in Tainan such as SUPing / Paddle Boarding, Oyster Harvesting , Wind Surfing, Glamping and more on Klook here or KKday here. Map: Please see below: Our Journey: I have been to eternal golden castle twice. It is in my opinion one of the best preserved forts in Taiwan and may be the second best attraction in Tainan behind Anping Fort.
See above for our drone footage of the fort.
Also you can check out our 360 degree panorama above the fort above.
Map of the fort.
This is the only fort in Taiwan I think that has a moat.
View of the inner courtyard.
"The Drill Square"
"The vast square center of Erkanshen fortress was designed to accommodate training sessions for up to 1500 soldiers. There was once a pool dug back in 1884 (the 19th year of Emperor Guanxu’s era) conveniently located in the center of the square to be used as a reservoir to extinguish fire caused by possible artillery attacks. The pool is now refilled with earth and has been turned into a lush lawn." 
Another view of the square.
At certain times of the day some employees in costume will shoot off one of the canons, not with a real canon ball but with a firework. I have the video somewhere but I can't find it.
"Remains of Canons Bulwarks"
"The five cannons facing the sea all has their front bulwarks built with red bricks. ON the semicircular concave wall of the bulwark was a piece of granite, which protected the wall from being worn away. The banyan tree to the right grew long after the fort was built, but its roots have damaged the remains." 
Even though the original cannons were sold by the Japanese, the Tainan city government has put in replica era canons. These things are huge.
View looking outside the seaside of the bunker.
Another view of the moat.
View of the main entrance from the air.
View looking west.
Another view looking west.
Another historical exhibit you should check out nearby is the Naval History and Warship Museum, which is included in the 4 historical site bundle ticket.
You can book tickets to Eternal Golden Castle on Klook here or KKday here. You can find more tours and activities in Tainan such as SUPing / Paddle Boarding, Oyster Harvesting , Wind Surfing, Glamping and more on Klook here or KKday here. Check out our full guide to Tainan here. You can also check out our full travel guide to Taiwan here.
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Author 作家We are US Expats that have extensive experience living, working, and travelling in Taiwan. In our day, we had to learn many things about Taiwan the hard way. But we have come to learn that Taiwan is one of the best places in the world for Foreigners to live. Our blog does not represent the opinions of every foreigner in Taiwan. We are just trying to help others learn more about this beautiful country. Archives 檔案
September 2023
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