Trip Advisor: Day 2

On day 2, we went to visit several places of interests. We learnt about part of the history of Taiwan and also the culture of people in Tainan, who are mostly Hakka.

Meinong Hakka Museum

Rating: 4/5

This was a very educational place. We learnt more about the Hakka culture. There were many exhibits. They even kept cigarettes and opium from the past, and built structures to show how opium were dried. This was helpful with our understanding as we were able to see it instead of just reading about it. The guide was knowledgeable. There was clear explanation, but it was too deep and hard for us to understand. The plentiful information and numerous artefacts displayed helped us learn a lot. However, we felt that the museum was a tad too dark, which made it look gloomy and uninviting.

The structure built to show how opium was dried.

Meinong Folk Village

Rating: 4.5/5

This place was well maintained with there being adequate shade. It was cool there even though it was in the noon. There were many shops selling things from food to souvenirs, including the famous traditional oil paper umbrella (油紙傘). It was also the only place that sold 擂茶, Taiwanese thunder tea. It was different from what we have here in Singapore, being a drink instead of a soup. This gave me a deep insight into the differences between the two different cultures. 

Meinong Folk Village

Traditional Hakka food

Former British Consulate

Rating: 3/5

Former British Consulate Building

The former British consulate was located on a hill. Tourists had to climb a steep flight of stairs to get there which made it a place not ideal for elderly or the disabled to visit. The guide was late but he had a sense of humour, which made us more interested in what he was saying, though we did not have time to tour the whole area.

Kaohsiung Museum of History

Rating: 

The Kaohsiung Museum of History

Fortunately for us, we had a guide. This aided us in the deeper understanding of the antiques and posters in the museum. However, there is always flaw in everything. The guide kept going off topic which also made it a little confusing for us, but overall, it was quite understandable. There were a lot of pictures and texts where the guide went in depth. There was also a scales model of the [inserts building name bc I forgot] which was really interesting.

Kaohsiung Hakka Cultural Museum 
Rating: 4.5/5

There were even more exhibits that were not found in the Meinong Hakka culture museum. The guide there was clear in her explanations and very knowledgeable. She was able to answer most of our questions clearly.

Videos projected on the walls to helped us understand easier as we could see the celebrations and customs for ourselves instead of just reading. We could visualise and learn better. 

A kids section with games and activities to help us understand the Hakka traditions.  There was also activities that taught us about the Hakka traditional food. I think this is good because fun learning can interest and engage the younger generation better rather than only text.  This way, they would be willing to learn about the Hakka culture and also remember better. These activities would leave a deeper impact than words.

The sign of the Kaohsiung Hakka cultural museum

The 夜合花, which the Hakka chose to represent themselves with. The flower is "humble" as it only blooms at night, not showing off its beauty in broad daylight.

Liuhe Night Market
Rating: 4/5 

The night market was situated on a blocked off road. There were stalls situated on both sides of the road separated by a barricade with the frequent dustbin for us to dispose of our trash. The atmosphere was one most of us never experienced before. To our disappointment, though there were many stalls, most sold the same things, namely,  fermented tofu, fried foods, fruit juices and seafood. 

The Liuhe Night Market