Fort San Domingo

This guide to Fort San Domingo above the Tamsui River in Taipei traces the site through Spanish, Dutch, and British hands, opening with a Spanish garrison commander in 1641 choosing to destroy his own fort rather than hand it to an approaching Dutch fleet. You'll hear how the Dutch rebuilt what they found, how locals gave the building its nickname, and how a British consul later used the site while helping shape a spelling system for Chinese names. The guide also touches on the fort surviving French shelling in 1884.