TAINAN, Taiwan—On a sunny spring morning in Tainan City, Taiwan on Feb. 23, Divine Performing Arts (DPA) International Company stopped to tour the historical Anping Fort between their busy performing schedule.
Anping Fort has unique historical significance. The Dutch East India Company occupied the entire Anping District in Tainan as a military and commercial base in 1624. The Dutch built a city named Zeeland City and a fort called Zeeland Fort, where Taiwan’s first recorded history took place.
After the Dutch were driven out by Chinese General Cheng Cheng-Kung (Koxinga) during the early Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) in 1662, the fort was renamed Anping Fort. Cheng with his clan decided to reside in the fort and continued his battle against the Qing, wanting to restore the power of Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).
Nowadays, Anping Fort is no longer a military center, but a first-class historical monument and a popular tourist attraction with folklore, artifacts such as a sword, pottery canteens, and even a xylophone.
Although coming to Taiwan for the second time, Faustina Quach, a DPA dancer, was still fascinated by the culture and the heritage.
“Taiwanese are very enthusiastic and give a warm welcome. We can particularly feel the passion when we are on stage. The great encouragement makes us feel that our efforts and hard work are well worth it.”
Aside from the historic relics, Taiwan is famous for its dim-sum. DPA emcee, Benjamin Freed particularly loved bubble tea.
“Next time I will grab a cup when we land [in Taiwan]. Upon seeing the cultural centers and monuments, I feel closer to the Taiwanese people. I hope to improve my Mandarin and Taiwanese so I can further perfect my job.”
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Divine Performing Arts. For more information, please visit DivinePerformingArts.org
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