Old City of Zuoying

The Old City of Zuoying (), also known as the Old City of Fengshan County (), is a walled city located in Tsoying, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. It was built during the Qing rule period and is one of the first Taiwanese cities fortified by a defensive wall. The city was administrated under the Fongshan County (鳳山縣) of the Taiwan Prefecture (台灣府).

History

Origin

Tsoying was a major juncture of the Kaohsiung plain, and therefore possesses strategic advantages. Nearby mountains such as the Turtle Mountain (龜山) and the Snake Mountain (蛇山) created nature barriers, making the place easily defensible. In 1684, Taiwan was annexed by the Qing Dynasty, which favored the strategic advantages the place provided. The Qing government set up the Fongshan County seat in Hsinglungchuang (興隆庄) and built government buildings and Confucian Temples, gaining its significance. The early Qing dynasty prohibited the construction of defensive walls in Taiwan to prevent rebellions, so the city never obtained its wall until 1721. In 1721, Chu Yi-kuei (朱一貴) led a rebellion in southern Taiwan and captured the county, which had no protection, and ruined many government buildings. After the incident, Qing permitted building defensive walls in Taiwan. The governor of Tsoying County Liou Kwang-shi (劉光泗) built the first city wall made of mud with a moat system in 1722.

Renovation

In 1787, the city wall was broken through during the occurrence of the Lin Shuang-wen...
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