Tainan Wu Garden

Tainan Wu Garden
臺南吳園
Location Tainan, Taiwan
Built c. Daoguang Year 8 (1828), Qing Dynasty
A rockery at Wu Garden.

Tainan Wu Garden (Chinese: 臺南吳園; pinyin: Táinán Wú Yuán), known at the time of its creation as "Purple Spring Garden (紫春園)," is located in Zhongxi District, Tainan, Taiwan (once part of Tainan (府城)'s Pang-kiô-thâu (枋橋頭) area). Built during the reign of the Daoguang Emperor, by local gentleman Wu Shangxin (吳尚新), it is included among Wufeng Lin Family Mansion and Garden (霧峰萊園), Hsinchu Beiguo Garden (新竹北郭園), and Banqiao Lin Family Mansion and Garden (板橋林本源園邸) as the Four Great Gardens of Taiwan (台灣四大名園)[1].

History

Wu Garden was built in the eighth or ninth year of the Daoguang Emperor (1828 or 1829). Salt magnate Wu Shangxin bought and built his estate to the north of the garden of He Bin (何斌), an interpreter during the era of Dutch rule who played a role in the fall of Fort Zeelandia, at the time also called "lâu-á lāi (樓仔內)"[1]. Because at that time, the wealth of the Wu family was considered the greatest in Fucheng, so there was a local saying "If you have the wealth of lâu-á lāi, then you don't have the lâu-á lāi estate; If you have the lâu-á lāi estate, then you don't have the wealth of lâu-á lāi 「有樓仔內的富，也無樓仔內的厝；有樓仔內的厝，也無樓仔內的富」".[1]

It remained this way until the era of Japanese occupation, when the fortunes of the Wu family began to decline, and its property rights were confiscated by the Tainan Office (臺南廳)[2]. In Meiji 44 (1911), it constructed Former Tainan Meeting Hall along the Garden's southern edge, as well as the then-famous Four Seasons Inn (四春園旅館) on its southeastern side, the Tainan Library (臺南圖書館) in Taishō 9 (1920) on its northwestern corner [3], and Tainan Municipal Swimming Pool (臺南市水浴場) in Taishō 11 (1922) on its northern edge[4]. In 1974, Four Seasons Inn, Tainan Library, and Tainan Municipal Bathhouse were sold to Far East Department Store, and is now the home of their Park Branch store[4].

In 1994, after the Social Education Building was moved out from the Former Tainan Meeting Hall, there was a proposal to build a commercial building on this area, but afterward the plans were scrapped and the Garden has been preserved to this day[2].

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 傅朝卿 (November 2001). 台南市古蹟與歷史建築總覽. 台南市: 台灣建築與文化資產出版社. pp. 279頁. ISBN 957-30880-4-5.
  2. 1 2 石萬壽 (March 2004). 樂君甲子集. 臺南市政府文化局. pp. 191、192頁. ISBN 957-01-6745-9.
  3. ↑ 遠流台灣館 (2003-02-01). 台南歷史深度旅遊. 台北市: 遠流出版社. pp. 52、53頁. ISBN 957-30880-4-5.
  4. 1 2 臺南公會堂內展出的之歷史沿革介紹
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Coordinates: 22°59′39″N 120°12′22″E / 22.99417°N 120.20611°E / 22.99417; 120.20611

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