Tainan North

Tainan City’s North District (北區) is characterized by an exceptionally rich concentration of historic temples, including some of the oldest religious sites in Taiwan. The district is home to Kaiji Mazu Temple, established in 1662 and considered the oldest Mazu temple in Taiwan, and Kaiyuan Temple, founded in 1690 on a former estate of the Zheng family as the first government-funded Buddhist monastery in the country. Other notable temples include the Sanshan Guowang Temple, a rare example of Teochew architectural style established by merchants from Guangdong in 1742, and the conjoined Great Guanyin Temple and Xingji Temple complex dating back to the 1670s. The Japanese colonial period brought significant military infrastructure to the district, including the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) Garrison Hospital, an officers’ club, and extensive dormitories more recently transformed into the 321 Art Alley Settlement.