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FYI SOUTH Magazine, December 2005.

Barclay Memorial Park

JhongHua E. Rd., Sec. 3, Tainan City (opposite Cultural Center)
Hours: Open 24 hours

--By Steven Crook, translated by Annie Liu

Few public places in Taiwan are named after foreigners. Roosevelt Road in Taipei City is one exception; another is Barclay Memorial Park, which commerates the contributions of the Reverend Thomas Barclay, a Presbyterian missionary who founded Tainan's Theological College in 1876, soon after he arrived in Taiwan. Barclay, who was born in Scotland in 1849, lived in Tainan until his death in 1935. This park is not especially new, but only recently was it renamed in honor of the missionary. There are information boards about the man and his work, but even if you've no interest in history it's a lovely place to spend some time. The park - which is centered around a natural-looking creek - has various ecological themes, including a zone for amphibians, and others for birds, insects, and shrubs. An arched footbridge crosses the creek. Behind the park there's a large expanse of Taiwan Sugar Corporation land that is open to the public for jogging and cycling.