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All Taiwan Tainan City Anping Tree House

Anping Tree House

The tangled roots of a giant banyan tree have fully reclaimed the ruins of this abandoned warehouse.

Tainan City, Taiwan

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Nick
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A former doorway in the Anping Tree House.   nicholasabateman / Atlas Obscura User
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Inside a room at the Anping Tree House.   nicholasabateman / Atlas Obscura User
View from the walkway   nicholasabateman / Atlas Obscura User
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About

This abandoned merchant warehouse complex in Tainan's Anping District was originally built in the 19th century by the British Tait & Co trading company, which is evident in the Western colonial architecture that is still just barely visible at the front of the overgrown site. Nowadays, the place has taken on a new purpose altogether, thanks to the spectacle of the Anping Tree House that is tucked around the back.

For a few dollars, you can enter the grounds and find the remains of the warehouse buildings crumbling under an extraordinary web of banyan tree roots. In the years since the site was abandoned, the living banyan tree has forced its way through, over, and across the brickwork and concrete. Remarkably, the sprawling roots and branches have excellently preserved the shape of walls, doorways, and roofs that have long since fallen down and been removed.

An elevated walkway has been added to the grounds, which allows visitors to navigate the rooms of the Anping Tree House, as it has been dubbed, without too much interruption from the tangled tree roots that hang everywhere. Still, you may need to duck under a few invasive branches as you climb the stairs to explore this wonderfully unusual sight.

Related Tags

Trees Nature Abandoned Ruins Colonialism Flora Treehouses Plants

Know Before You Go

You'll find the Anping Tree House just north of Anping Fort and the very popular street market that runs alongside it.

Community Contributors

Added By

nicholasabateman

Edited By

edrossart

  • edrossart

Published

March 15, 2019

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Anping Tree House
108 Gubao Street
Anping District
Tainan City
Taiwan
23.003447, 120.159784
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Photo of Tainan City

Tainan City

Taiwan

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Places 9

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