Tainan promotes 'sugar routes' to experience sweet life and preserve sugar culture

Tainan is inviting residents and visitors to step back in time and experience the city's sweet history through a series of popular 'walking tours' focused on its sugar heritage. The Beiqu District Office's community development program, 'Entering the City, Living Life III – Sugar Industry Memories and Cultural Translation Series Lectures,' has seen overwhelming demand, with registration slots filling up in less than a week.

These immersive tours guide participants along historical 'sugar routes,' offering a tangible connection to the city's past. As they traverse these paths, attendees gain insights into how sugar production shaped Tainan's culture and landscape over centuries. The experience is further enriched by tasting traditional pastries, 'peng bing' (a type of baked sweet), and other local sweets, providing a sensory exploration of the region's sweet legacy.

District Chief Pan Bao-shu emphasized the program's goal: to preserve and transmit cultural knowledge. Through lectures, educational materials, and the walking tours, the initiative ensures that the stories of the sugar industry are not confined to history books but are actively woven into the fabric of modern life. This effort connects the memories of life outside the city walls with local culture, allowing citizens to feel the power of culture in their daily lives.

Key lectures delve into the historical trajectory of the sugar industry in the Beiqu District, tracing its development from the Dutch colonial period through the era of Koxinga, and highlighting Taiwan's significant role in the global sugar export market in the 17th century. Another session focuses on translating the cultural significance of sugar into modern contexts, using selected content from the 'Entering the City, Living Life II' educational materials. Participants then take to the streets, following the path of the former Xiaobeimen gate, along Dachong Street (now Ziqiang Street), to experience the transformations of the 'sugar routes' firsthand.

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District Chief Pan Bao-shu stated that through a series of cultural lectures, lesson plan production, and walking tours, cultural knowledge is passed down, allowing the sugar industry's story to not only remain in history but also transform into a part of contemporary life.