Shennong Street

Top choice in Tainan


Cafes, art galleries, fashion boutiques and B&Bs have flowered in the hub of Tainan's former Five Canals area, taking full advantage of the long, narrow, loft-like spaces in the former canalside shophouses. Wedged among them are small shop-sized temples, traditional workshops and crumbling homes. The 90m Shennong St is book-ended by the King of Medicine Temple to the west and the Water Fairy Temple inside a market to the east.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Tainan attractions

1. Wind God Temple

0.05 MILES

Nature-worship temples are hard to come by, which makes this one dedicated to the God of Wind unique. The small structure was originally part of an…

2. King of Medicine Temple

0.09 MILES

A foreboding temple dedicated to the King of Medicine (sometimes erroneously translated as 'Drug Lord'), the first of its kind in Taiwan. It faces the…

3. Water Fairy Temple

0.13 MILES

Hidden inside a market named after itself, Shuixian Temple (literally 'Water Fairy Temple') is a far cry from the days when it was not only a place of…

4. Duiyue Gate

0.24 MILES

This gate (1835) was part of Tainan's outer city walls in the Qing dynasty. You can see the coral stones in the base and the red bricks making up the low…

5. Grand Mazu Temple

0.3 MILES

This lively temple once served as the palace of Ning Jin, the last king of the Ming dynasty. If you wish to confirm visually that a king's status is lower…

6. 182 Art Space

0.33 MILES

A fabulous gallery inside an attractive 50-year-old building. The three-and-a-half floors of space hosts well-curated exhibitions of works – paintings,…

7. Chuan Mei Theatre

0.36 MILES

This old second-run theatre (1950) is worth a look for the movie posters created by Master Yan Jhen-fa, the last such painter in Taiwan. You can see…

8. Official God of War Temple

0.4 MILES

This is the oldest and most impressive temple in Taiwan dedicated to Guandi (Guan Gong), a Han-dynasty general deified as the God of War. He is the patron…

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