E's Tofu Pudding

Alishan Forest Railway Garage Park is a secret little place not well known to outsiders. Hidden between Zhongxiao Road (忠孝路) and Wenhua Road (文化路), it is the base of the Alishan Forest Railway. Here you will find a garage, repair facilities and a car wash, where, parked in the garage is a collection of every sort of train and equipment imaginable. If you are a railroad fan, a visit here will certainly make for a rewarding experience. But even if you are not, you are likely to be moved by the historical significance of these old trains. In addition to the little train parked here, known as the “Black Head” old steam locomotive, there are also diesel engines, early cypress cars, dining cars, and the like.

The early Alishan steam trains were all manufactured by the United States company Lima, and were specifically designed to conquer the steep ascent of Alishan. But following the collapse of Lima after World War Two, repair parts began to be constructed by technicians, who kept the steam engines puffing until its retirement in the 1970s. All of the steam trains in the park have a number. Those starting with "1" used to be responsible for the Chiayi to Zhuqi "flat line." As for a number starting with "2", those used to travel the mountainous "woodland line". In the garage you can also see a large piece of equipment, which was once used for changing the trains’ direction.

It should be noted that the Chiayi to Alishan mainline was suspended in 2009 after Typhoon Morakot. However, after many years of repairs, it is estimated that the line will reopen in 2016. If you find yourself in Chiayi City and would like to enjoy some historic train culture, remember to come to the Alishan Forest Railway Garage Park to explore!

Having operated since the Japanese rule, East Market bills itself as the oldest traditional market in Chiayi, where a significant number of historic eateries and food stalls have been around for two generations of owners. Many locals grow up having these delicacies. They find a deep connection through food and the memory of generations that have gone before.

A highlight of the East Market is Wang’s Ancestral Local Beef Offal Soup, whose claim to fame is that they only use beef from cows that have been slaughtered that morning, making the beef incredibly tender and fresh. This no-frills eatery opens its door at 6 a.m. to provide salivating carnivores with the freshest beef imaginable. For those city-dwellers who like their meat straight from the cow, it’s worth getting up early for. Other local gems include crispy sparerib soup, rice tube pudding, spring rolls, starfruit ice, and many more. Come on an empty stomach. You have been warned!

Koji pottery is one of Taiwan’s traditional art-forms and has been used since early days as a decorative feature in temple architecture. Traditionally, its subjects have been various, generally consisting of farmers, fishermen, carpenters and scholars in the center, alongside a variety of natural landscapes, insects or fish. The home of Koji pottery is Chiayi City, and, in the past, the masters of Koji pottery were all trained there. In fact, Koji pottery is even known as “Chiayi Pottery” in Japan. Originally, the high-valued Koji pottery was placed high up in the temple to protect it from thieves, but because of the beauty of its emerald-like brightly-colored gemstones, it gradually developed into a private collection of treasures. This museum, located in Chiayi Cultural Center’s Park is responsible for a collection of Koji-related cultural relics, research and a gallery, as well as offers pottery workshops, so that people can learn the ancient art of pottery for themselves. As well as learning about the origin and development of Koji pottery here, you can also come to know about two people who are very important to the development of Koji pottery: Ye Lin-zhi, who has been called the founder of Koji pottery, and Lin Tian-mu, who’s late contribution to Koji pottery was significant. Of course, both of these men were from Chiayi. As the museum regularly features displays of different styles of pottery, the Chiayi City Koji Pottery Museum is well worth a visit for anyone interested in this beautiful art-form.

In addition to the Alishan railway, another precious historic building to have been left in Chiayi from the Japanese colonial period is the ruins of a Shinto shrine in Chiayi Park. However, because the main body of the Shinto shrine was burned down by an accidental fire in 1994, the current Historical Relic Museum that stands today used to be the administrative office of the shrine. Soon after, the government renovated the building, restoring its original beauty by using Japanese-style stone lanterns, walls made out of wooden planks and a distinctive black tiled roof. Today, many people mistakenly think it is in Japan when they see a photo of it! However, after taking off your shoes and going inside, the exhibitions on show are related to historical relics and urban development in Chiayi, not Japan. Although foreign tourists to Taiwan are not guaranteed to find it interesting, such is the detail of its portrayal of historical life in Chiayi, that walking through the building is, nevertheless, an atmospheric and memorable experience.

Bantaoyao is a tourist park that used to be a pottery factory. The theme park-like space is ideal for a visit if you would like to experience the joy of making pottery and relaxing in a garden decorated with pottery artwork. The Changyi pottery factory was the first to utilise tunnel kiln for making Koji pottery and mosaics for decorating temples. Today, you can still see their products in many temples around Taiwan. The founder of the factory, Chen Zhong-zheng, is a local who used to create fragmented ceramic art (剪黏, an art form of "cut-and-paste" that requires several skills of sculpturing to be combined, and is similar to mosaics) and Koji pottery, but with the gradual decline of the traditional industry, noticed that there was a massive talent gap. After realising this, Mr. Chen decided to fully dedicate himself to preserving the traditional craft and promoting Koji pottery. In order to lure more attention to preserving this traditional craft, he established Bantaoyao, where you can appreciate the beauty of fragmented ceramic art and even make pottery dolls or mosaic art by yourself. This is a good place to spend your weekends if you have kids and want to go out with your family.

At the rear of Chiayi Park there is a traditional Chinese-style building that is the Confucius Temple of Chiayi. The Confucius Temple was formerly the Chiayi County School and was originally established in 1685. The Confucian Temple that stands today was originally built outside the West Gate of the old Chiayi City. Later, following a typhoon, the temple was rebuilt where it stands today. But this temple was fated to be unfortunate, and after the Lin Shuangwen Rebellion (林爽文事件), the temple was destroyed once again. In the Japanese colonial era, it was again collapsed by a huge earthquake, before it was converted into a hospital. It was as late as 1961 that sturdy reinforced concrete was financed by the local government to rebuild the magnificent Confucius Temple that stands today. Although the interior is largely unadorned, there is retained a solemn atmosphere, which, accompanied by the sounds of Confucius bells and drums on the day of the Confucius Memorial Ceremony (the 28th of September) gives one the illusion of being in a royal ceremony of ancient times.

Chiayi Confucius Temple is different to other temples around Taiwan as it is missing some of the traditional elements normally found in a Confucius Temple. But given its amazing history of destruction and resurrection, it is a fascinating place to visit. After you have finished exploring the inside of Chiayi’s Confucius Temple, don’t forget to take a stroll around the garden outside. The nearby Chiayi Tower (射日塔), the Japanese era constructed Chiayi City Historical Relic Museum (史蹟資料館) and the Martyr Shrine (忠烈祠) are also well worth a visit.