Xiao's Chastity and Filial Piety Archway

Xiao's Chastity and Filial Piety Archway is located in an alley behind Yonghe Hospital. Due to its long history and changes in the surrounding environment, with many private residences now nearby, it presents a unique sight where the historic archway is integrated with residential buildings. The Xiao's Chastity and Filial Piety Archway is the only single-bay, two-pillar, two-story archway of its kind in Taiwan, and also the smallest stone archway in terms of its structure. The words '節孝' (Chastity and Filial Piety) are carved on the stone archway. It was originally built to commend loyalty, filial piety, chastity, and integrity. Women whose husbands passed away before they turned 30, and who remained chaste and did not remarry even after reaching the age of 50, were eligible for such commendation. The method involved the local government granting thirty taels of silver, which the woman or her family would then use to construct an archway in their community. The Xiao's Chastity and Filial Piety Archway is precisely such a monument, commemorating Mrs. Xiao's acts of chastity and filial piety, and it is also the only surviving chastity archway in Tainan City today.