Eternal golden castle

In 1874 during Emperor Tongzhi’s reign, Japanese troops invaded Taiwan, and Shen Boazhen was put in charge of the country’s defense system. He suggested a fortress be built in Anping, and Erkunshen Fortress, also known as Golden Castle was constructed using bricks from Fort Zeelandia.

Taiwan’s southern most tip

Eluanbi Park was famous for its lighthouse built with a moat and loopholes for cannons to ward off Taiwan’s original inhabitants — protesting aborigines against Chinese invasion. It was built in 1882, but there were far better sights to see along the trails that criss-crossed the promontory.

A fascination with moats

I may pretend that moats were something boys were interested in, but in truth, they fascinated me as well. The Nijo-jo Castle Imperial Villa had two: the outer moat surrounded the entire complex and within the walled off area an additional moat, the inner moat housed Honmaru-goten Palace and its garden.