Xiaonanmen - Chongximen Introduction
Taipei City is one of the last forts built during the Qing Dynasty. The city walls, which were once sturdy, have now collapsed, leaving only a few remnants of gate structures as witnesses to history. The walls of Taipei City were 4 meters wide and 5 meters high, enclosing approximately 4 kilometers, making it a very strong fortress. Unlike typical Chinese city walls that usually have four gates, Taipei City had five gates, reportedly donated by the wealthy Lin Benyuan family from Banqiao for convenience in entering and exiting. Although this legend has yet to be confirmed, the South Gate is indeed a very unique example in Chinese city architecture. Unfortunately, even though it, along with the East Gate and South Gate, escaped destruction by the Japanese, it was transformed into a palace-style city tower reminiscent of Northern China after the Nationalist government arrived in Taiwan. Only the base of the city wall retains its original appearance, continuing to guard Taipei.
