Anping Fort

In the early 17th century, a combined Dutch military and commercial expedition occupied present-day Anping in 1624 and built Fort Zeelandia as their defensive stronghold. The entire construction was completed in 1634. After Koxinga (Zheng Chenggong) captured the Dutch fort in 1662, he renamed it Anping Town and converted the inner fort into his administrative residence. Consequently, the local Taiwanese referred to it as "Wangcheng" (King's City/Fort). During the Qing Dynasty, it lost its strategic importance as the Taijiang Inland Sea gradually silted up and became land. Additionally, Qing soldiers dismantled parts of Fort Zeelandia to build the Eternal Golden Castle (Yi Zai Jin Cheng), causing the fort to gradually fall into disrepair and ruin. It was rebuilt during the Japanese colonial period, and after World War II, it was officially named "Anping Fort." Currently, the only true remaining relics from the Dutch period are the brick walls of the southern outer rampart in front of the fort. Old banyan trees with gnarled roots, imbued with a sense of historical vicissitude, stand as witnesses to nearly 400 years of Taijiang's history.