Xinshi

Xīnshì (新市), historically known as Sinckan (新港), literally “new port”, was one of the four major Siraya Indigenous communities along the margins of Taijiang Lagoon (台江內海) when the Dutch first landed in Taiwan. During Dutch colonial rule Sinckan became one of the most important stations of the Dutch East India Company, where missionary work formally began and a considerable amount of inland trade occurred. The Dutch used the Roman alphabet to record the Siraya language, producing the important Sinkang Manuscripts in the area. The district encompasses part of the Tainan Science Park area, where archaeological excavations have uncovered more than 2,000 prehistoric graves and 8 million artifacts representing multiple cultures, with hundreds now displayed at the Museum of Archaeology.