Guantian

Guāntián (官田), literally “official tenant fields”, is a rural district in central Tainan named for land grants made to civil and military officials during the Ming-Zheng Dynasty. The district is home to Wushantou Dam, a landmark irrigation project designed by Japanese engineer Yoichi Hatta and constructed between 1920 and 1930; at completion it was the largest reservoir in Asia, and the 16,000-kilometer Chianan Irrigation system it anchors remains Taiwan’s largest, transforming the surrounding plain into the breadbasket of the country. Guantian produces approximately 70% of Taiwan’s water chestnuts (菱角), and these wetland fields have become critical habitat for the endangered pheasant-tailed jacana (水雉), with conservation efforts helping the population recover from fewer than 50 birds in 1998 to over 1,000 by 2016. The district is also notable as the hometown of former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁).