Tainan the fourth centennials in 2024

【縛雞之論】英文拷到 G / D 找中文翻譯
Tainan, a southern city in Taiwan, will commemorate its fourth centennial in 2024.  The city government invests budgets repairing the monuments and historic sites.
Taiwan was administered by various foreign rulers during the last four centuries: the United East India Company (VOC), the Koxinga, the Qing Empire, the Japan Empire, and the Republic of China (ROC-in-exile).  Like all the issues concerning Taiwan's history, the four-centennial commemoration of next year is contentious.
Some well-educated intellectuals blame the commemoration, saying that the Tainan government focuses on the monuments of the Japanese era, and ignores those from another era.
The accusations might be true, in a way, but the Japanese rule brought Taiwan a genuine modernization compared to the Qing’s rule.
Although Japan tore down traditional villages for urban planning and the renewal of the cities, temples and nongovernmental constructions remain intact.  Most of the modern buildings under Japanese rule in Taiwan were ripped down by the ROC-in-exile, but the civil engineerings are intact.  The ROC-in-exile tore down Japanese buildings with all its heart when it found it was losing the legitimacy of claiming the sole government of China from the 1970s to the 1990s. 
The leading historical sites in Tainan are the Dutch Fort Provincia, the Fort Zeelandia, and the Eternal Golden Castle, among others.  They share a common history of sadness and hurt.
The Dutch Fort Provincia was rebuilt into Chikan Tower, a Southern Chinese-style fort without a defense function. 
The Anping Fort was reconstructed from the Fort Zeelandia, a bastion-style fort with an angular brick wall in shape and positioned at the corner of the fort signifying its connection to the HQ of VOC.
On the contrary, we tend to ignore the existence of the Eternal Golden Castle, a bastion-style fort built in 1876 under the Qing’s rule and was outdated after its completion. 
But the culture and history are stubborn.  Although the new ruler tends to sweep out the icons and memories of the former by tearing down the buildings, the allocation of streets and civil engineering exist.  The invisible parts of the culture combined with the visible ones to form our civilization as a whole.  We then must deal with history with forgiveness and tolerance, not hatred.

台南建城 只知日本 不知明鄭、荷蘭？    陳煥章＠聯合 20221215

黃偉哲市長連任感言，念茲在茲，要做好幾件事情：全國運動會、台灣燈會，以及台南四百年紀念。前兩項重要，但只是例行之事，而「台南四百年紀念」，全台獨有，前無古人，大有可為，可以展現台南市長文化素養的高度。選戰之後，回報選民，回應非選民，「四百年紀念」是展現能耐的良緣良機。

台南建城四百年紀念，具有歷史的深度和文化的高度，但台南市多少世代的「文化建設」，卻把這座蘊含豐富歷史內涵的古城，弄成數典忘祖，不知歷史為何物。

台南有大量日本時代遺留建築的復建或維修，但難以看到清代或明鄭時期的史跡，至於荷蘭時代，則被糟蹋得不成模樣。

日本時代的遺構，市政府非常重視。台南州廳（文學館）、台南廳長官邸（育樂街）、台南知事官邸（衛民街）、林百貨（中正路）、鶯料理（民生綠園）…。日本時代，「近」代的「古」蹟，處處可見，維修復建，莊嚴華麗，而且大肆宣揚。但是對於四百年的深度而言，它們太膚淺了。

清代有什麼遺留？比較保存原味的是三山國王廟，其他五條港及許多廟宇，都是數十年一變，一變再變，舊貌不存，古味難尋。最有代表性的清代遺構，應為台灣道署，乃清代治台最高長官的公署，坐落在永福國小，但它長年被漠視。民國四十一年中研院胡適院長來參觀時，還可看到若干遺構，那是胡先生兩三歲時居住之地，懷舊憶古，情深意遠。幾十年來，台灣道署頹圮拆除，以至片瓦不存。直到最近，考古學者找到清代台灣兵備道署遺構，只是幾排紅磚的地基殘留。清代「古」蹟，一處難覓。

明鄭時期的遺物，有孔廟、開元寺、竹溪寺等，但都是一變再變，缺乏古蹟的韻味。

至於荷蘭時代遺構，叫人感慨萬千。為了宣傳，總是說台南有四百年歷史，最有資格的遺留是熱蘭遮城（安平古堡）與赤崁樓。但赤崁樓竟是一棟又一棟的清晚期的中國式宮廟建築，加上九座清室用兵台灣紀功的乾隆贔屭碑；除零星的地下殘跡，並沒有荷蘭歷史記憶。

熱蘭遮城，大家常看到的是高聳的白色燈塔，以及刻有「安平古堡」大型石碑。紅頂白牆的塔原是日本人建的，戰後台南市政府加以改建並增大規模，變得更炫麗，破壞古蹟魔高一丈。「安平古堡」石碑更離譜，那是日本人的歷史紀念物，「贈從五位濱田彌兵衛武勇之趾」，戰後第二任台南市長磨去原來日文刻字，以其反面刻上「安平古堡」。荷蘭遺構已零落難覓，更被這些殺風景的違章建築和古物破壞給折騰得蕩然無存。

黃市長為台南建城四百周年紀念推出了主視覺與主題曲。主視覺是熱蘭遮城和西拉雅十字繡。熱蘭遮城作為主視覺，但是如果本尊沒有得到應有尊重，可能淪於虛偽與空洞。

紀念一座城市的四百周年慶，需要認識歷史，重視每一個時代，呈現祖先走過的路。日本時代距今一百年，而清代距今兩、三百年，豈可漠視清代。明鄭與荷蘭時代的意義更大，是「四百年」紀念的主角，怎可薄古厚今，讓正牌的四百年一級古蹟，幪遮在一兩百年的違章建築和傷殘古物的後面？

七年之病需求三年之艾，紀念四百周年，不應該只知重視日本，淡忘清代，不知明鄭和荷蘭。