Tainan Park (the old Chong San park) site was a “Yang-Ji Yuan” ( beggars hut) in Ching Kang-Xi 23rd year (1684 AD). In Ching Yong Cheng 1st year (1723 AD), Taiwan Prefectural City is first fenced at the south bank of Yan-Tan (the big water pond in the park now).
During Ching Chien-Long 1st year (1736 AD), the great Bei-men (Gong-Chen Men) were built to the southeast of Yan-Tan, Chien Long 53rd year (1788 AD) Taiwan Prefectural city is rebuilt into a clay castle at the original site. After the Japanese occupation of Taiwan in Ching Shane Tong 2nd year (Japan Min-Zhi 43rd year, 1910 AD) the city town plan was published with the current Tainan Park site of 14.63 hectares. Till 1912, construction started and relocated Yan-Ji Yuan into the hut (around Kung-Yuan Road North section now) and landscaped according to existing terrain, forming small mounts, directing streams, expand Yan Tan into a small lake, and the beautiful park took four years to complete costing 170,000 Yen, and is the park with most natural beauty in the entire flat area of the province.
In 1933, the “Chong Dao-Chong-Wen” monument of gentlemen Lin Chow-Yin at Long-Wang Miao Street (next the Min-Sheng roundabout now) was related to Yan-Tan lakeside enhancing its beauty. During the 2nd World War, the Japanese had set up a temporary military hospital, but since then has left it to waste. After recovery of Taiwan, besides taking down the military hospital, the park has been maintained every year, and the public works bureau of Taiwan provided design to landscape the gardens plant some flora, and so the work progressed in years and in stages, making it significantly different from the old look. On June 19, 1956, Tainan park was voted one of 12 major attractions in the city by the cultural committee of this city with the name “Yan-Tan-Chiu-Yueh”. So during mid-autum festival every year, the park is packed with tourists.
Current site of Tainan train station plaza, during Ching Dynasty, Shih-Tsai-Toh street passes through here with defense guarding the castle and soldiers manning each gate.
After the Japanese occupation of Taiwan, street houses and military camps were dismantled in 1903 to make way for a new wooden construction train station. A few years later, North South national railway becomes operational. The train station plaza then becomes bigger. Bronze statue of Goto Shimpei were erected in the plaza in 1913, and dismantled during 2nd World War due to shortage of military supply. The
train station plaza was expanded in 1923 prior to the visit of Japanese Prince Showa, and the wooden train station was rebuilt into the current Tainan train station in 1928.
After recovery of Taiwan, construction commenced on October 28th 1953 to build a plaza with an oval ring in the center and round fountain of 20m diameter, lane separating island to the outside. It took two months to complete at the cost of 200,000 dollars and it is the window of this city.On April 29, 1957,the bronze statue of people’s hero Cheng Cheng Kung, donated by gentleman Lin Su-Huan, was erected inside the plaza facing Cheng-Kung road, signifying forever remembering the homeland to the west. (transcribed fromTainan city chronology)