Exploring
Old Tainan

Time period: Late Qing Dynasty, late Tongzhi reign
Publisher: E. Leroux
Scale: 1:5,000 Annotation: Tongzhi Year Thirteen (1874) , Surveyed and Mapped by the Fujian Arsenal Academy
Characteristics: This map depicts the urban area of Tainan during the final years of the Tongzhi period and the first years of Guangxu's reign during the late Qing Dynasty. It includes Qing-era government offices, commercial streets, and residential streets. The map was created from the survey and mapping of students at the Fuzhou Arsenal Academy, led by Shen Baozhen when he came to Taiwan to strengthen its coastal defenses. It is Taiwan's earliest city map designed accurately to scale.

Time period: Late Qing Dynasty and early period of Japanese rule
Publisher: Mapping Department of the Office of the Governor General of Taiwan
Scale: 1:5,000
Characteristics: This map depicts the urban area of Tainan during the late Qing Dynasty and start of the period of Japanese rule. The map includes features such as the city wall, waterways, the railroad, and topography. Most of the inner urban area of Tainan retains its original appearance, and the street names mostly have kept their names from the late Qing Dynasty.

Time period: Late Qing Dynasty and early period of Japanese rule
Scale: 1:4,500
Characteristics: This map depicts the Tainan urban area and the Wutiaogang area outside the western wall during the late Qing Dynasty and early period of Japanese rule. The map shows significant streets and locations and notes the locations of government offices set up by the Japanese. Most of the street names from the late Qing Dynasty have been maintained.

Time period: Early period of Japanese rule
Publisher: Kuroda Bookstore
Scale: 1:6,000
Annotation: Printed and Published in Taisho 4
Characteristics: This map depicts the Tainan urban area during the early period of Japanese rule. It includes temples, government offices, commercial associations, and the railroad. Planned roads are marked with dotted lines, and the most roads have retained their names from the late Qing Dynasty.

Characteristics: The map illustrates central Tainan in the early days of Japanese rule, and shows railways, irrigation channels, and bridges. The streets of Old Tainan are largely as they were in the Qing Dynasty and have also retained their names.

Time period: Mid-period of Japanese rule
Publisher: Office of the Governor-General of Taiwan Transportation Administration Railway Department
Scale: 1:10,000
Annotation: Printed by the Office of the Governor General of Taiwan Transportation Administration Railway Department
Characteristics: This map depicts urban Tainan after the completion of the urban planning program in the mid-period of Japanese rule. A street system was created and the city walls were removed to make space for roadways. It also shows the renovated Tainan canal. Both the city districts and roads are labeled with their Japanese colonial names.

Time period: Mid-period of Japanese rule
Publisher: Tokyo Transport Company
Scale: (None)
Annotation: Published in Showa Year 11
Characteristics: This map depicts Tainan after the mid-period of Japanese rule urban planning program. It marks the names of all government branches, companies, and businesses. The districts surrounding Tainan also show gradual development, including a school on the east side and a residential area on the north side.

Characteristics: This photograph portrays the development of Tainan in the early days after WWII. The photograph depicts the southwestern area and parts of the northern and southern areas. The picture shows that most of the area in the southwestern area of the city had been developed.

Time period: Shortly after the seat of Nationalist government moved to Taiwan
Publisher: Xingtai Culture Press
Scale: 1:10,000
Annotation: Republic of China Year 48, Published by the Popular Culture Press
Characteristics: This map depicts the Tainan urban area during the period shortly after the seat of the Nationalist government moved to Taiwan. It reflects the renamed streets and notes important buildings. The western side of the North, South, and Anping districts are still depicted as containing a large amount of fisheries. The map includes a copy of the Anping district and a Tainan auto roadmap.

Characteristics: This picture from the mid-1970s depicts the development of Tainan City, including Jiali, Sigang, Anding, and Tainan City. Land was being prepared and roads were being widened in Anping Industrial Zone. The sites of today’s municipal government building and city council were still fisheries then.

Characteristics: This map is from the late 1970s and is marked with organizations, businesses, schools, temples, the districts of Annan and Anping, and a list of companies in Anping Industrial Zone.