Fu Kang'an Memorial Tablet Introduction
The memorial stone inscribed by Emperor Qianlong to honor Fuk'anggan is quite famous. The stone tablet is erected on a stone turtle, making it quite spectacular. While it is common to see stone tablets based on stone turtles throughout China, it is rare in Taiwan, with only a few remaining in Tainan and other areas. Not only is it valuable due to its rarity, but more importantly, this tablet brings to light an important piece of Taiwanese history—the Lin Shuangwen Incident. Notably, due to this event, Zhu Luo County was granted the imperial name "Jiayi," making it the only place name in Taiwan given directly by an emperor. In the 51st year of Qianlong (1786), Lin Shuangwen raised an army in Changhua, killing the county magistrate. He then moved south, capturing Zhu Luo (Jiayi) County and Fengshan County, causing chaos throughout Taiwan. Fortunately, the governor-general of Taiwan, Chai Daji, bravely fought to defend Tainan City and successfully recovered Zhu Luo County in the first month of the 52nd year of Qianlong (1787). However, Lin Shuangwen's forces continued to besiege Zhu Luo, leading to fierce battles and a dangerous situation. In October of the same year, Emperor Qianlong dispatched General Fuk'anggan, who had distinguished himself in battle, to reinforce Taiwan, ultimately defeating Lin Shuangwen and lifting the siege of Zhu Luo. Afterward, due to the commendable defense by the military and citizens of Zhu Luo City, the place name was changed to Jiayi. In the 53rd year of Qianlong (1788), the emperor personally ordered the creation of ten memorial stones with turtle bases to honor Fuk'anggan's military exploits. Four of these were inscribed in Manchu, four in Chinese, and two in a combination of both languages, with one of the combined language stones intended for Jiayi, while the remaining nine were to be placed in Tainan City. The turtle bases were carved in Xiamen and, upon arrival at Tainan City’s port, one turtle base accidentally fell into the harbor and was subsequently replicated in sandstone for Jiayi. The stone tablet has been relocated multiple times and is currently situated at its present location. (The turtle base that fell into the harbor was salvaged by fishermen in Tainan in 1911 and is now enshrined at the Baosheng Temple in Tainan). Fuk'anggan's memorial stone profile: Dimensions: height 310 cm, width 143 cm; Style: topped with the emperor's inscription, adorned with double dragon motifs, bordered by dragon patterns and featuring Manchu and Chinese characters. Construction of the attraction: the 53rd year of Qianlong (1788 AD).
