Hengchun is a place full of historical traces. Various cultures collided with each other in this primitive area. Near the end of Qing Dynasty, Chancellor Shen Bao-zhen was assigned here. He built the first castle town in Taiwan to defeat enemies from the sea. It is now one of the second grade historic site and the only castle town in Taiwan that all gates are still standing today. Some parts of the castle wall are also maintained properly and you can walk on them to imagine the tension in the old days. This is not a big town and you can actually walk leisurely to see the north, east, south, and west gates in half a day. Don't forget to get some green bean ice in summer. This is also the place for bus transit in Kenting.
If you come in August, which is the "ghost month" in lunar calendar, you will see a special event called as "Qiang Gu", which means "race for the oblation". People used to give the oblation for ghost to poor people after the ceremony. However, people got hurt or even killed robbing the food from others. The government decided to put all the oblation on top of a high platform and people will climb the columns to get the food. It gradually evolves to be a game on the ghost day, which is the fifteenth day in July in lunar calendar. In order to rise the difficulty level, the column will be covered with oil! It is an exhilarating race to see on the spot!
