Fengshan Old City Introduction
The Old City of Fengshan County, established during the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, is located in the present-day Zuoying District. It was the first county seat of Fengshan County after the Qing government ruled Taiwan and is also the first earthen city wall in Taiwan. During the Lin Shuangwen Incident in the Qianlong period, the old city fell, and political and economic power shifted to Xiapi Head Street (now Fengshan District), which became the new city of Fengshan. However, due to frequent bandit disruptions, the new city was difficult to defend, and during the Daoguang period (1862), both officials and citizens gathered to reconstruct Taiwan's first solid stone fortress on the original site of the old city, now known as the Old City of Fengshan in Zuoying. The old city has experienced the Japanese colonial period, the relocation of the Nationalist government to Taiwan, and urban development, leaving only the East Gate, South Gate, North Gate, and part of the city wall ruins, which have been designated as a national historic site. The walls of the Old City of Fengshan are made of Laogu stone from Chai Mountain, filled with three-in-one soil, and the arch stones are granite from the mainland. The existing North Gate (Gongchen Gate) is located at the intersection of Shengli Road, Yimin Lane, and Piantou Street. The structure of the city gate is still relatively intact, with more than a hundred meters of walls extending to the left and right, presenting a hexagonal shape. The outer sides of the gate have intricately carved and painted door gods, Shen Tu and Yu Lei, which are very unique. The West Gate (Dianhai Gate) is located within Zuoying Zizhu New Neighborhood, with only a section of the city wall remaining, about a hundred meters long, and the plaque "West Gate" is currently displayed in the British consulate residence in Takao. The East Gate, also known as Fengyi Gate, is still intact, with over five hundred meters of city wall extending, connecting on the right to Yongqing Elementary School and on the left to Haiguang New Neighborhood, featuring nine crenels and a sloped ramp divided into seven levels on top. The South Gate is located at the intersection of Zuoying Road and Gushan 3rd Road, with the gate plaque "Qiwen Gate" still perfectly preserved today. Reflecting on the past, the old city of Fengshan in Zuoying has undergone numerous changes. Amidst the prosperity of the new Zuoying business district, the ancient and simple silhouette of the old city quietly waits and tells the story of the pioneering history of ancestors in Taiwan for over three hundred years.
