Hidden Underground in Tainan's Old City: Deqing River Illustrations Depict River Landscape

The City Government's Cultural Affairs Bureau commissioned the National Tainan University of the Arts in the 114th year of the Republic of China (2025) to execute the 'Tainan Deqing River Design Illustration' project. The project aims to recreate the historical watercourse and urban spatial memory of Tainan. After field surveys and illustration creation, the results, 'Deqing River Basin - Recreating the Splendor of Tainan's Water Features,' were presented today at Xingji Palace in North District. The project uses bird's-eye view illustrations to depict the Deqing River basin landscape.

The Deqing River basin illustration was primarily reconstructed by cross-referencing Qing Dynasty city maps, Japanese colonial era Taiwan Fortress maps, and historical images to recreate the appearance of the Deqing River basin landscape. With the core concept of 'Recreating Urban Water Mark Memories,' important nodes such as county city god temples, Wuyuan Garden, Yamuliao Market, and traditional street houses along the riverbanks were incorporated into the illustrations, transforming them into visual outcomes that possess both cultural value and artistic expression.

The Cultural Affairs Bureau stated that the Deqing River illustrations will reawaken citizens' understanding of the urban water environment and life memories. In the future, they will be made into brochures to serve as important media for city tours and cultural education promotion. The river basin exhibition is scheduled to run from April 15th to April 21st at Xingji Palace.

The Cultural Affairs Bureau explained that the Deqing River is approximately 3,200 meters long and runs through the old city of Tainan, flowing from East District through North and West Central Districts, finally merging into the Yanshui River. The water system once profoundly influenced the development of Tainan's street layout, temple orientations, and market distribution, shaping the fundamental outline of the city's space.

The Deqing River also carries rich common memories. In the midstream area, from Minzu Road to the vicinity of Tainan Junior College of Nursing, due to limited drainage and sanitation conditions, vendors often dumped kitchen waste into the stream, causing water pollution and environmental problems. There were even accidental falls into the ditch by pedestrians, reflecting the limitations of urban infrastructure development at the time.

Furthermore, around the Yamuliao Market, the Deqing River nurtured a duck-raising industry that coexisted with the water. Farmers raised ducks and collected duck eggs in the river, forming a unique living memory. The flow of the Deqing River also influenced the spatial arrangement of Tainan's temples. Temples in the upstream area were often arranged north-south, facing the river course; downstream, they often turned westward, responding to the direction of the town and the water flow, reflecting the interaction between religious spaces and the natural environment.

However, with the implementation of urban renovations during the Japanese colonial period and underground engineering projects after the war, the river course gradually disappeared beneath the surface, becoming an urban water artery that exists only in historical memory. (Editor: Li Hsi-chang) 1150408