Hengchun Town (恆春)
Hengchun Town in Pingtung was established by the Qing Dynasty after the Peony Society incident. Construction began on November 15, 1875, and was completed on September 1, 1879. It is the only town in Taiwan that has preserved all its gates. The ruins of the city were designated as a natural monument of historical sites on December 5, 1935, during the Japanese rule. After the war, in 1985, the town was announced as a second-level monument and later changed to a national monument.From September to March of each year, the monsoon from Siberia blows south along the towering central mountain range. When the Hengchun Peninsula descends sharply, the monsoon accelerates along the terrain towards the ocean, forming a strong wind. Due to the abundant sunshine and the strong hot and dry wind, onions are suitable for planting. Additionally, Hengchun introduced Qiong Ma in 1901 to produce ropes, sacks, and other products for people's livelihood, occupying an important position in the colonial economy of the Japanese era. Qiongma also became a symbol of Hengchun.
Hengchun is located in a tropical climate zone. The southern coast has a coral reef terrain and rich natural ecology. In 1982, Taiwan's first national park, Kenting National Park, was established here. The Hengchun area was formerly known as Langya and was originally under the jurisdiction of Fengshan County. In 1874, Shen Zheng was ordered to come to Taiwan to deal with coastal defense and aftermath matters. The following year, construction of Hengchun Ancient City began.
During the Japanese rule, the ancient city of Hengchun was damaged by a typhoon in 1908 and was designated as a natural monument of historical interest in 1935. During the Second World War, the ancient city of Hengchun was also damaged by a fire. Furthermore, it was hit by an earthquake in 1959. Due to the construction of roads and other factors, the city wall of the Dongmen section was dismantled in 1963.
In 1968, the ruins of the ancient city of Hengchun were listed as tentative first-class monuments, and the Pingtung County government rebuilt the South Gate Tower with the subsidy of the Tourism Bureau of the Ministry of Communications in the same year. In 1983, the Dongmen City Tower was rebuilt, but due to insufficient reconstruction, it was downgraded to a second-class monument when it was announced in 1985. Among the two reconstructed towers, the Dongmen tower was damaged by termites again in 1998.
The perimeter of the ancient city of Hengchun is 2,600 meters, and there are four gates. The south gate is called "Mingdu Gate," while the other three gates are simply referred to as the east gate, north gate, and west gate. Battery turrets are located between the city gates. In 1878, Zhixian Huang Yanzhao excavated five water wells in the city, which were respectively located on the street, the west gate of the county office, the front of the Fengshen temple, the back of the county office, and the south gate. The more lively areas in the ancient city are in the southwest.
See also: Baihe Fire and Water Spring
Chuhuo Eternal Flame (恆春出火)
Chuhuo Eternal Flame is located just outside of Hengchun on the east side. This place is filled with natural gas underground, and sometimes the ground is covered with sand and gravel. When ignited, it forms a red flame, which attracts many tourists. Due to the constant flow of natural gas, the fire outlets also vary from time to time. Although the flame is not very large, there have been incidents where tourists have been burned.
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