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It was my first time in Tainan, and I quickly discovered that this city has a charm all its own. A potted history: The Dutch East India Company arrived in 1624, built Fort Zeelandia in Anping, and controlled parts of the island. In 1662, Ming loyalist Koxinga drove them out. Tainan \u2013 its name often understood as \u201csouth\u201d (\u201cnan\u201d meaning south in Mandarin) \u2013 served as Taiwan\u2019s capital under the Qing dynasty until 1887, when the provincial capital moved to Taipei. That layered history is not tucked away in museums \u2013 it lives in the streets, in the alleyways, and in the buildings that have learned to adapt.<\/span><\/p>\n With four centuries of history behind it, Tainan has an eclectic urban fabric \u2013 historic temples, Japanese-era architecture (Taiwan was under Japanese rule from 1895 to 1945), and shophouses nestled along winding alleyways. Old buildings are plentiful, and many are dilapidated or dated. Yet just as many have been thoughtfully adapted for modern use.<\/span><\/p>\n Both top-down and bottom-up preservation efforts have played a role. The Foundation for Historic City Conservation and Regeneration (FHCCR), established in 2001 by a group of architecture and history professors, helped spark interest in saving and reviving old buildings. In 2006, it launched the New Uses for Old Buildings Awards, which further fuelled momentum.<\/span><\/p>\n In 2016, the Tainan City Council passed a law aimed at preserving and reviving historic sections of the city more than 300 years old. Another initiative is the Tainan City Cultural Heritage Architectural Materials Vault (HAMV). Opened in 2017 and located within Soulangh Cultural Park, repurposed from the former Soulangh Sugar Refinery, it collects, preserves and recycles old building materials from demolished or renovated structures for use in restoration projects \u2013 a fine example of circular-economy thinking. And you see the results not only in restored landmarks, but in the everyday pleasures that move into them \u2013 coffee counters, chocolate studios, small workshops where craft becomes a souvenir.<\/span><\/p>\nCOFFEE AND CHOCOLATE BONBONS<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n