Historic Fengshan New City 鳳山縣新城

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Fengshan County New City in Fengshan District of Kaohsiung is not new, but it was the new rebuilt city after the old city of Fengshan in Zuoying was destroyed in a rebellion. It now stands as a monument to the past with only one surviving city gate and three batteries, from when the Qing Dynasty ruled western Taiwan. The old city sits in a pedestrian shopping area and is a nice place for a stroll. It is definitely worth a visit on your trip to Kaohsiung. 

Historical Background:
After the capture of Taiwan by the Qing Dynasty, they quickly set up a settlement in Zuoying in 1684 because of its strategic location between hills and mountains.
The walls of the Old City of Fengshan first started as earthen walls with a moat in 1721. Before this, the construction of city walls was forbidden by the Qing government to prevent rebellions, but after a rebellion by Chu Yi-kuei (朱一貴) in which he ruined the government buildings there with no protection, the Qing allowed walls to be built.
The uprising by 17 year old Zhu Yigui was successful in exiling the provincial government out of Taiwan after heavy taxation and a bad earthquake had left the people destitute. The Qing took back the capital of Tainan about a month later and Zhu Yigui was executed. 
In 1787 another rebellion by Lin shuang-wen (林爽文) ruined the old city, and afterward the local government relocated to the current Fengshan district of Kaohsiung and created a new Fengshan City in 1788. However the government was still attacked continuously.
In 1826, the government rebuilt the Old Fengshan City walls and improved them. During the Japanese Era, most of the remaining city gates and walls were destroyed for city planning and development purposes.

The New City of Fengshan had six gates and six batteries, and included a bamboo wall and an earthen wall. Currently only one city gate remains intact, as well as three batteries.
Originally there were four gates: the Outer North Gate (外北門, no longer exists), North Gate (北門, no longer exists), Greater East  Gate (大東門, no longer exists), East Minor Gate (東便門,  also known as Tongyi Gate 同儀門 still exists), South Gate (南門, no longer exists, also known as Anhua Gate 安化門), and West Gate (西門, also known as Jinghua Gate 景華門 which no longer exists).
Originally there were also six batteries: Pingcheng Battery (平成砲台, still exists),  Chenglan Fort (澄瀾砲台, extant), Xunfeng Battery (訓風砲台, extant), Yingen Battery (迎恩砲台, destroyed), Dongnan Battery (東南砲台, destroyed), and Dongbei Battery (東北砲台, destroyed).

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Map:
Please see the existing city gates and batteries marked with red castle icons below, and temples dating back to the old city in orange below:

Our Journey:

I have passed through the old City of New Fengshan countless times. I used to live in northern Fengshan. But I only took one time to capture all of the old monuments from the city. It is really a nice area and suitable for pedestrains. You can walk around the entire old city in just a few hours if that. 

Datie Street (Sanmin Road) 打鐵街 (三民路)

Sanmin Road is an old street by day and a night market at night. It was formerly Datie (Iron Works) Street, a main street in the New City of Fengshan. The section of raod near the East Minor Gate is covered in bricks. It is a pedestrian shopping district and a nice place for a stroll. 

East Minor Gate 東便門 (Tongyi Gate 同儀門)

The East Minor Gate is the only extant gate of the historic Fengshan New City. All the other gates were destroyed by the Japanese as part of their city planning and development projects. This one was probably spared because it sits in the middle of the Chienchen River. 
It was restored in 2006 to what is thought to be its original appearance. 
​Check out more photos of the area in the photo gallery above.

From an English plaque at the site, "Built in 1788, the wall of the New Fongshan County City was originally made of bamboo. By 1804, six gates were constructed for the county, which were East Gate, East Minor Gate, West Gate, South Gate, North Gate and North Exterior Gate. The only one remaining is the East Minor Gate, which is also known as the Tongyi Gate. Located in the southeastern corner of New Fengshan County, the East Minor Gate was built in 1839. The gate was made of Lao-gu stones and soil. Originally, there was a bridge called Tongfu Bridge outside the gate, its three ship shaped piers were also made of Lao-gu stones, and the bridge floor was flagged. In 2001, the old bridge was destroyed in a flood which came with Typhoon Trami. The two piers were lifted to be preserved by the side of Fengshan Stream. And a new bridge was constructed. On the left-hand side of the castle is "Tongfu Temple" which enshrines the God and Goddess of the Bridge. In the back of the temple, a small portion of the remaining baily can be seen."
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Dongfu Bridge 東福橋

Dongfu Bridge connects the other side of the river with East Minor Gate. It is a popular path for scooter traffic because there are no traffic lights and usually it doesn't get backed up. 

There is also an old well here where people would fetch water from the river, which still works. 

Dongfu Temple 東福祠

There is a small temple on the side of the gate where the God and Goddess of Dongfu Bridge reside. 

Remains of the old Dong-fu Bridge 東福橋遺址

As stated above, "Dongfu Bridge was originally outside the gate, its three ship shaped piers were also made of Lao-gu stones, and the bridge floor was flagged. In 2001, the old bridge was destroyed in a flood which came with Typhoon Trami. The two piers were lifted to be preserved by the side of Fengshan Stream. And a new bridge was constructed. "

Xunfeng Battery (訓風砲台)

Xunfeng Battery lies west of East Minor Gate along the river. It is one of the three extant batteries or forts in the old city. It was built in 1838 and restored in 1999. 
Check out more photos of the area in the photo gallery above.

Remains of Fengshan New City South Gate 鳳山新城南門遺址 (Anhua Gate 安化門)

Between Lixin and Lizhi streets you can find the remains of the old South Gate at Nanmen Park. You can still see some of the original granite stones for the gate here. The gate was near Zhennan Temple, and was an important religious gathering site.  
​Check out more photos of the area in the photo gallery above.

​Chenglan Fort (澄瀾砲台)

Chenglan Fort was built in 1837 in an octogonal shape. The fort was refurbished in 1999. ​Originally someone attached their house to the wall, but this was taken down later. 
Check out more photos of the area in the photo gallery above.

​Pingcheng Battery (平成砲台)

Near Caogong Temple, and built in the shape of a square, this is the most intact of all the batteries in the Fengshan New City. It was built in 1838 and restored in 1999. ​
Check out more photos of the area in the photo gallery above.

Places we missed:

If you have time, you can also walk around and visit these historical sites from the New City of Fenshan below:

• Fongyi Tutorial Academy 鳳儀書院
• Longshan Temple 龍山寺
• Shuangci Temple 雙慈亭
• Fengyi City God Temple 鳳邑城隍廟
• Caogong Temple 曹公廟
• Jade Emporer Temple 玉皇宮

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more of our blogs on Kaohsiung to come!

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