The Origins of Yong Kang City
Yong Kang is the pioneer site of the Han people during the Ming-Cheng era. The Han people crossed the Tai-jiang inlet, traced their way up Hsingang river (present day Yan-Shuei River), and settled on the south shore of the river. The place gained prosperity as it was along the north-bound route from Jun-Cheng (present day Tainan city). In the early days, Yong Kang was referred to as “Pu-Jiang-Tou.” The origin of the name is an interesting one. The late Ming and early Ching dynasty era of Chinese history coincided with the warring states period in Japan, and the armour of the warriors were mostly made of deer leather, of which Taiwan was a main supplier. The Han people traded rice, salt and other sustenance with the Pingpu tribes for deer. The deer pelts were exported to Japan, and the meat was made into deer jerky and shipped to the mainland. In the southern Jujianese dialect, “Pu” means flatlands and “Jiang” is a type of deer that's relatively smaller in size. “Tou” referred to capes near the sea or the water. Together, “Pu-Jiang-Tou” meant “a flatland near the sea where deer gather.” When Cheng Ch'eng-Kung arrived Taiwan, he first established the Cheng-Tien Court and An-Ping Town, then organized the south and north peripheries of An-Ping town into 24 villages. The Pu-Jiang-Tou at the time was officially recorded as “Yong Kang Village.” In the 23rd year of the reign of Kangxi, Taiwan was incorporated into the domain of the imperial Ching court, and Yong Kang was ruled under the jurisdiction of Tainan court. During the Japanese occupation era, town councilors were stationed at Yong Kang “Pu-Jiang-Tou Quarter”, and the area was ruled by the board of Tainan official in Tainan State. The place was subsequently renamed as “Yong Kang Upper-Middle Village” and “Yong Inner District”, and “Yong Kang Quarter.” After the recovery of Taiwan, the province-town-vilage-city structure was implemented, and “Yong Kang Quarter” was renamed as “Yong Kang Village” and organized into 15 communities. However, due to the rapid growth of population, the area was restructured into 29 communities in 1982. By 1993, the population had exceeded 150,000, and the status was raised to county-controlled city. The administrative structure was revised to 39 communities on May 22 of the subsequent year. It is currently the city with the most villages and communities in the entire county.
In terms of the administrative structure, Yong Kang city is under the jurisdiction of Tainan County government. The city is organized into 39 villages and 1270 neighbourhoods. One chief secretary, one confidential secretary, and two specialized staff members work under the mayor to provide deputy and assistant services in city affairs. There are 8 departments and 3 offices in the city hall: the Administration Department, the Public Affairs Department, the Finance Department, the Engineering Department, the City Development Department, the Agricultural Economics Department, the Social Affairs Department, the Military Service Department, the Human Resources Office, the Accounting Office, and the Discipline Office. The supplementary units are the Cleaning Squad, the Institute of Social Education, the Nursery, and the Public Retail Market. There are also the village offices and the mediation councils which are part of the department of public affairs and each works on its designated tasks to benefit the community.
Etymologies and Stories of Place Names:
1. Pu-Jiang-Tou: This is the present day area of Yong Kang, PuYuan, and Chengchiang villages. One saying is that the place gained its name because lots of Pu-Jiang (commonly known in English as simple leaf chaste tree) grow near by the Carp Pond in the area. Another saying is that in the southern Jujianese dialect, “Pu” means flatlands and “Jiang” is a type of deer that's relatively smaller in size. “Tou” referred to capes near the sea or the water. Altogether, “Pu-Jian-Tou” meant “a flatland near the sea where deers gather.” The area is now the city center of Yong Kang.
2. Pi-Ma-Yuan: The area is divided into two villages. The larger village is on the east side, and the smaller one on the west side is the modern day Pu-Yuan village. Pi-Ma is the Chinese common name for the castor oil plant. It's a perennial plant with a height of 8 to 9 feet. The stalk is hallow like bamboo, and the leaf resembles a large palm-shaped shelf. Castor oil plants bloom and produce seeds in the fall, and oil can be extracted from the seeds. The extracted oil can be used as a laxative for medicinal purposes and as mechanical grease for industrial uses. The area gained its name because both villages grew castor oil plants as crops.
3. Pu-Zai-Zhuang: This place is located north of Pi-Ma-Yuan, and it earned its name due to its abundance of grasslands. It now belongs to the present day Pu-Yuan village and accommodates the houses in front of the Yong Kang train station.
4. Wu-Gui Bridge: The Wu-Zhu neighborhood is close to the vertical connector rails, which is called Wu-Gui Bridge. The name referred to the bridge that crossed the Niaosong river, which was built during the colonial government during the Dutch occupation. The bridge shared equal rank with the major and minor Kaiyuan bridges and was one of the major routes to the north-bound traffic to the Tainan town. During the Ming-Zheng era, armies were dispatched to set up posts at Jiao-Su (or Jiao-Siu) and guard this land connector. The bridge gained its name because it was built by the African slaves (Wu-gui literally means dark ghosts) captured by the Dutch government.
5. Bu-Hou: During the Japanese occupation days, this area did not yet have any villages. It was an agricultural area. The new community was established after the land re-configuration after 1968. The area was originally configured as Nan-Wan village, but due to the increased population, it is now divided into the original Nan-Wan village and the new Kun-Shan village. The location of Bu-Hou is at the present day Kun-Shan village, which encompasses four old places: “Zhai-Xiang-Zai” (Narrow alley), “Ji-Yu-Tan' (Carp Pond), “Tan-Di” (Pond-Base), and “Yu-Liao-Zai” (Fishing Camp).
6. Ji-Yu-Tan: Literally meaning ‘Carp Pond', the lake is surrounded by the Ching dynasty towns of Yong Kang Upper-Middle village, Guang Chu west village and Chang Hsing village, which are the modern day Yong Kang (on the north), Sishi, Beiwan, Dawan, Siwan, Nanwan, Kunshan (East), Wangliao, Fuguo, Jianguo (west), and Taizi village (southside) of Rende town. It is a sack-shaped body of water that is longer along the north and south and narrow across the east and west. The perimeter of the lake is a little over 10 miles. It has three names. One is carp pond, because there are lots of carps in the water. Another is East Lake, because it is located on the east side of the Tainan town. And the last is Dragon Lake, because it is believed that it is the dwelling of the ground dragon of the old Tainan town, and it is also the ceremonial location where prayers are made for rain during summer droughts. This pond is the remaining part of the Dawan strait which retreated gradually over 3500 ago. After the period of Dutch-Zheng, the lake became the source of irrigation for Yong Kang, Guang Chu, and Chang Hsing. It is also the volume regulator of Hsingang river (modern day Yan-shuei River). The lake is filled with water throughout the year, and the scenery is beautiful. The view is particularly beautiful on moon-lit nights, where sayings such as “Moonlight nights of dragon pond” and “Serene moon of carp pond” attest to its status as one of the 8 scenic sights of old Tainan.
7. Tan-Di: In July of the 3rd year in the reign of Daoguang, southern Taiwan was attacked by a major storm. Zengwun river was diverted to Tai-jiang. Large amounts of sand and debris built up in the central and northern parts of Tai-jiang , blocking the river outlet of Yanshuei river. As a result, the river went straight into Niaosong river, poured into Carp pond, and demolished the divider located at the current eastside of the Chung Hwa College Of Medical Technology in Rende town. The pond water then detoured and flowed south through San-lao-Ye temple creek and Er-ceng-hang creek to the ocean. After that, the thousand hectares of lake mass became rich soil. What is left is Kunshan lake, the heart of the former pond, now located in the Kun Shan University of Technology. It is still referred to as Carp pond, and the surrounding area also became known as “tan-di”, which literally means ‘lake base.'
8. Zhai-Xiang-Zai: The location of the Ling-xiao temple used to be called “zhai-xiang-zai”, which means “narrow alley.” Seated facing west at the based of the Nanwan street of Nanwan village in Yong Kang city, the temple is an inevitable place to pass for people traveling from Er-wu-lun (modern day Wangliao village) into Tainan city during the days of the Japanese occupation. The surroundings of the temple used to be secluded bamboo forests. During WWII, when the US airforce fiercely bombed the Tainan area, many locals dug bunkers in the bamboo forest. The place became an ideal hideout. At that time, there were only a few families living in the ‘narrow alley.' There was a bumpy and secluded path along the north, which is the modern day Guoguant 5th avenue of Kunshan village. The width of the street was no wider than 3 meters, and it allowed only one-way traffic by cattle drawn carriages. In the case of two carriages traveling in opposing direction, the lighter one must yield and drive into the fields. Not only that, cyclists in the same situation would encounter even bigger problems, because the two sides along the way have been deeply grooved by the carriages, so the sidewalk is only 2 feet wide. Since empty bicycles are easier to switch lanes, the cyclists would often have to unload their goods before switching lanes. Such was the true conditions of the early days.
Special Sites:
1. Zheng Cheng-Gong Memorial Tomb (Location: on Guosheng Street, Yanchou village of Yong Kang city)
2. Ancient well of the narrow alley (Location: behind the Ling-xiao temple of the city)
[No. 8, Lane 103, section 2 , Yongda road, Kunshan Village. Tel: 2728329]
3. Dragon Eye Well of Bao-Sheng Temple (Location: next to the Bao-sheng temple of the city)
[No. 65, Zhongshan N. Road, Yong Kang village. Tel: 2035854]
4. Yam house of Guang-Shing Temple (Location: at the General Temple of the city)
[No.60, Lane 19, Sishi Road, Sishi village. Tel: 2711458]
5. Shi-Ma-Deng (location: behind the Matsu temple)
[No. 690, Zhongzheng S. Road, Yanhang village. Tel: 2532323]
6. Stone pots, stone urn, and wheeled carriages (location: inside the Bao-Ning temple of the city)
[No. 78, Zhouwei Street, Yanchou village. Tel: 2536681]
7. Guanghu Temple (No. 286, Dawan Road, Dawan village. Tel: 2714964)
8. San-Lao-Ye Temple (No. 96, Niaosong 1st street , Niaosong village. Tel: 2535047)
9. Yu-Di Temple (No. 27, Yanhang Road, Yanchou village. Tel: 2541432)
10. Erwang Temple (No.395, Yong-Er Street, Erwang village. Tel: 2333215)
11. Kai-Tian Temple (No. 180, Yule Street, Wanghang village. Tel: 2328901)
12. Sankan store- Inner dike – Old park of Taiwan Sugar
13. Yong Kang train station
14. Yunshan Farm
15. Water pump station of Dapai, Yong Kang
16. Institute of Social Education
17. Incinerator
18. Military cemetery of Tainan county and heritage homes
19. The Army Shell and Missile School
History of the Yong Kang Train Station
1925 (year 14 of Taisho Era) Built on November 16
1932 (year 7 of Showa Era) Added bus services
1941 (year 16 of Showa Era) New station built on the modern day site
1985 Upgraded to grade two station
1991 Rebuilt as modernized architecture (present day appearance)
Between the end of 2000 and the beginning of 2001, the place gained surging popularity due to the lucky ticket stub that punned on “eternal health and prosperity.” The popularity resulted in the historical record of raking in $20,713,159 worth of sales in a single month (January 2001).
Yun-shan Farm
The farm is located on the block between Shing-guo street and Fuguo First Road. The total area is about 9 hectares, and the actual farm land takes up a part of it. The area is filled with lush trees with shady groves. There are lots of fruit trees, coconut trees, and yolk-peach trees. The landscape preserves the former hillside appearance of the old Yong Kang city. The geography is diverse with natural hills and ponds. With the layers of scenic beauty, the place feels like a sanctuary.
During the days when former president Chiang, Ching-Kuo was in office, the former farm owner was a friend of the presidents. The former president stayed at the farm several times during his visits down south.
During the 1997 city plan reconfiguration, the farm was designated as park land (level three of public usage) and sports arena land (level two of sports usage). Currently, the county government is working on the planning and design of the park and is in the first stage of landscape construction. It is estimated that the park will be open to the public in the middle of this year.
The Army Shell and Missile School
Located at the Erwang area and taking up about 80 hectares, the school has been in the city since it moved here in 1978. It is the cradle where national gunman, experts, and technologies of missile and artillery are nurtured.
Land development is currently taking place in the Daciao land acquisition region on the west side of the school. The county government is also proposing a Yong Kang creative design park project.
In collaboration with the moving plans of the school, the county government is currently working on the overall configuration and revision of city planning. The government hopes to integrate the nearby creative design park to form a high-end environment for the living and production of “creative R&D with leisure living” concept. The project is aimed to facilitate the industrial transition of the city.
Institute of Social Education
一、Origins:
The Institute of Social Education was formerly the Yong Kang City Public Library, which was established in July, 1987. The original location was behind the city hall. Due to the rapid population increase over the decade, the library was not able to accommodate the public; therefore, the local government requested for library rebuilding funds from the superior units. The construction of the Institute of Social Education began in 1998, and upon approval of the representative committee, the “Yong Kang City Public Library” was renamed as the “Yong Kang City Institute of Social Education.” The library relocated in September 2001, and the institute was officially opened. Aside from maintaining the original functions of the library, the existing institute has additional performance spaces and seminar rooms. It is the government's wish that the improved space and operation of the library would offer a suitable place for people to relax, read, and learn, thereby expanding the range of local services.
II. The Yong Kang City Institute of Social Education is one of the few city or county level libraries that is equipped with performance spaces and public art landscaping. The usage of the various levels are as follows:
1. Basement: two levels with a total area of 13736.44m2
Purpose: parking and machinery room (can accommodate approximately 400 cars and 100 scooters)
2. First floor: total area of 2289.86 m2 (694 Ping)
Functions: Reading area, office, conference room(can accommodate 200 people), foyer (can be used for exhibitions and meetings)
3. Second floor: total area of 1938.61 m2 (587 Ping)
Functions: Exhibition halls (2 rooms), performance hall (elevated from the 2nd floor to the 5th floor)(can accommodate 1000 people).
4. Third floor: total area of 1479.57m2 (448 Ping)
Function: Aboriginal center of Tainan county, Information classrooms (42 computers), Seminar rooms (2 rooms, each with a 30 people capacity)
5. Fourth floor: total area of 1707.56m2 (517 Ping)
Function: Children's reading room, study rooms (2 rooms with a total capacity of 120 people), Seminar rooms (2 rooms, each with a 30 people capacity), and the volunteers office.
6. Fifth floor: total area of 1271.28m2 (385 Ping)
Functions: Library archive, editing room, and conference room
Chronology of “Yong Kang Incinerator”
March 1997: first auction, resulting in an invalid bid
December 30, 1997: second auction, resulting in a failed bid
November 10, 1998: contracting completed with the German business Steinmuller and Taiwan Dahin Corporation jointly winning the bid. The budget for the project was NT$3,567,000,000.
September 1999: Taiwan Dahin Corporation went into bankruptcy
December 12, 1999: the start-of-construction ceremony
May 15, 2000: the official start of construction
July 2002: German business Steinmuller encountered financial crisis and went into bankruptcy. The construction of the incinerator was suspended.
September 24, 2003: Chinese Petroleum Corporation wins the bid and signs contract with the Environmental Protection Administration. The construction of the Yong Kang incinerator resumes, and the bid total is NT$1,845,000,000.
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From the planning to the construction of the Yong Kang incinerator, the project went through the hands of 5 different heads of the Environmental Protection Administration, including Chang, Lung-Sheng, Tsai Hsung-hsiung, Lin Jun-yi, Hau Lung-bin, and the current bureau administer Chang Juu-en.
Tainan Military Memorial of Patriotic Souls
The Tainan Military Memorial of Patriotic Souls (originally called the Military Cemetray) was formerly located at the SongJiao Village of GuanMiao Town. As the original cemetery was deteriorating and showing leaks and wears, a new location was proposed in 1996 while the Erwang public cemetery of Yong Kang city was also going through revision plans. Since the new location was nearby Tainan city and access to the place was convenient, the families of the deceased also accepted the relocation plan Upon negotiation and agreement with the Yong Kang city hall, the plan was submitted to the provincial and central government for approval. Joint construction contracts were signed immediately after the issuing of government approval.
On March 29 (Youth day) and September 3 (Soldier's Day) of each year, the Tainan County Government hosts the spring and autumn national memorial ceremonies. Led by the county magistrate, the leaders of various units, the locals, troops, and schools attend the ceremony along with the families of the deceased. The ceremony is simple and solemn in honour of the patriotic souls.
Yong Kang City Folk Cultures and Festivals:
1. Puppet Show: Hong-Shing Court Puppet Theatre Tel: 2308916
Zeng Zhi-Peng Puppet Theatre Tel: 2719928
Guo-Feng Court Puppet Troup Tel: 2712507
2. Song-Jiang Parade: The original purpose of the parade is to provide training for bodily physique and sense of community unity and mutual safeguard against thieves. With the improvement of community safety, it gradually loses its defense purpose. The parade now only exercises and performs at temple festivals and major events.
3. Yangcun Beiguan Traditional Music Society: Contact person: Liu Tian-Lu (Tel: 2325781; address: No. 48, Longtan street, Longtan village, Yong Kang city.)
4. Ci-Hui Lion Dance Troupe: formed by the students in Ci-Hui class of Yung-Jen Junior high school. (Contact person: Leader Hsieh, Counsellor Office. Tel: 3122341)
5. Cake-Carrying Festival: This is a special tribal custom. Whenever a member of the tribe gets married, the person enters the “Prosperity” group which pays tribute to the guardian deity of General Hsieh until they have reached the age of 60. On the lunar January 20th of each year, which is the birthday of the General, all group members who have gained a son in the past year must prepare live stock offerings, new clothes and hats, 2 pairs of new shoes, and enough fruit cakes to cater the whole group. The offerings would be carried to the General Hsieh shrine to request divine protection of the baby boy's safety. After the ceremony, the tribal leader will lead the cake contributors to hand out the fruit cakes to various members of the group as a gesture of sharing their joy of having a new son. There are also Senior Cakes given to retired members who are over the age of 60 as a good wish for long life and prosperity. Currently, there are only 4 tribes – Yam house, Sishi, Shinzhuangzi, and Lunziding— actually participating in the cake carrying festival. (General Temple is located at No.60, Lane 19, Sishi Road, Sishi village. Tel: 2711458)
6. “Red Turtle Loaf” carrying festival: Back in the days of agricultural society, it was a tradition that locals of the Wuchu area who had gained a son during the past year would carry “red turtle loaf” (a kind of pastry) to the Sanqian temple in Wu-Zhu to pray for safety. Afterwards, the contributor would send the loaves to various participants of the year to announce and share their joy. (Wu-Chu San-qian Temple is located at No.96, Wu-zhu north Street, Wu-zhu neighborhood. Tel: 2016381)
Famous Traditional Delicacies
1.
Peanut candy – next to the Guang-Hu Temple in Dawan
2. Meat Cake – Three-way intersection at the end of Guangsheng Street and Sishi Road. (Hwang Shi-zhi Meat Cake Snack Shop, 2715323)
3.
Savory Patties and Sticky Rice – inside the Dawan market
4.
Sausages – inside the Dawan market
5. Moist cakes – Wang Ji-sheng Fruit cakes (No. 318, Fuchiang Rd Sec. 1. 2712574)
Commercial and Industrial Development:
There are currently about 12727 registered businesses and 2721 registered factories in Yong Kang city. This includes the companies in the fully facilitated Yong Kang industrial area, the Asia-Pacific industrial area, the President Corporation, the Dachan Greatwall Group, Catcher Technology, Ton Yi Industrial Corporation, and others. For everyday shopping and grocery, there are Carrefour, Geant, and numerous other large outlets in the city. In term of traffic and transportation, courier services and shipping companies are available throughout the city. There are approximately 22 financial institutes.
Education & Culture:
There are 11 elementary schools in the city: Yong Kang, Dawan, Sancun, Fusing, Longtan, Sishi, Daciao, Kunshan, Wuwan, Yungshin, and Shengli. The high schools are: Yong Kang, Yung Jen, Da Ciao, and the Tainan county Dawan Senior high school (with a junior high school division), the Affiliated Senior High school of National Tainan Teachers College, the National Tainan Industrial Vocational High School. In addition to these, there are also post-secondary institutes such as the Tainan Women's College of Arts & Technology, the Kun Shan and Southern Taiwan University of Technology which help to build a stronger education in the city and foster countless excellent students. These schools are truly the pride of Yong Kang.
5 Yong Kang local anecdotes
1. “Hsuehchia Temple, Zhou-zai-wei carriage”
Zhou-zai-wei is the former dock of the Tai-jiang inlet, and the Da-dao-gong temple was there. During the 13th year of the reign of Qianlong, the temple was rebuilt, and they made a sacred carriage on which the dragons, lions, phoenixes, peonies, lotuses, chrysanthemums, and plums were so intricately carved that the quality surpassed those in the Taijun capital. The carriage, along with the renovated Hsuehchia temple crafted by Master Yeh, became priceless artworks, which led to the saying of “Hsuehchia Temple, Zhou-zai-wei carriage.” The carriage was confiscated and burnt by the colonial government toward the end of the Japanese occupation era and during the Japanization movement.
2. “Wugui bridge, Chulin-Qian, bail the show on Niaosong.”
Wugui bridge and Chulin Qian are two communities that worshipped the San-Lao-Ye Temple with the Niaosong community. However, the former two communities were much poorer than Niaosong, so each year during the deity's birthday festival, the two poor communities would still carry their offerings to supplicate the gods, but they would pass on the banquet and theatre shows normally required by the festival traditions.
3. “April 22, not a piece of tofu jerky left for memorial”
On April 22 of the first year of the reign of Daoguang, many Wuding residents were out on the waterfront catching crustaceans when a massive tsunami hit the shore. A large number of people drowned that day. On their memorial day of the subsequent years, all the fish, poultry and meat in the market would be purchased by the surviving descendents of the victims, and not even a tofu jerky was left to be bought.
4. Wangtian SongJiang are all elders; Chulinchian SongJiang has just a few; Wuqitan SongJiang filled with youths”
SongJiang refers to the SongJiang parade, which is a self-defense organization composed by the community. In the late Ching dynasty, every village had its own team. During the Japanese occupation days, the prosperity of the villages varied greatly. Many residents from Wangtian and Chulinchian moved to Wuqitan, and only the old, the meek, and the women and child were left. When it came time to form the SongJiang parade, Wangtian was left with only elderly folks to attend, while Chulinchian had only 2 or 3 families. On the other hand, the well-populated Wuqitan had a team full of youths.
5. “By and by, go to Erwang to eat dumplings.”
Erwang is Erwanglun. In the old days, there was a vegetable market where turnips, cucumbers, legumes, eggplants and other vegetables were gathered and sold. Naturally, there were snack shops selling dumplings, rice cakes, and things like that. Hence it made sense that people go to Erwan to eat dumplings. On the other hand, there is also a cemetery in Erwan, and it was customary to offer pyramid-shaped meat that resemble the dumpling to the deceased. So, “going to Erwang to eat dumplings” had the connotation of sending one off to the cemetery.
Major Natural Disasters in History
After the political restoration, the most severe recorded earthquake was the Sinhua quake which occurred at 6:47, on December 5, 1946. The Richter reading at the city was 6. From the southeast of Yanhang to Erwang, the houses along the east side of the line collapsed toward the east and the ones along the west side collapsed toward the west. There were 34 deaths and 110 severe injuries. 1036 homes were completely demolished, and 1171 homes were damaged. 1365 non-residential buildings were fully demolished, and 113 non-residential buildings were damaged. Villages such as Yanhang were virtually destroyed. Another major disaster was the Tainan quake, which happened on January 18, 1964. The quake center was at the Lingtou mountain near Guan-Zi-Ling, and the Richter reading at the city was 5. The damages were great. Although there were no detailed stats, the losses were less severe than those of the Sinhua earthquake.
