Hengchun ("Eternal Spring") is the old walled town 7 km north of the Kenting resort area, and its Ming-dynasty-style walls are one of the best-preserved examples of traditional Chinese military architecture in Taiwan. Four gates survive intact — the North, South, East, and West gates — along with substantial sections of the original wall. Most walled cities in Taiwan were demolished during the Japanese colonial period; Hengchun's survival is partly luck and partly the town's peripheral location.
The town within the walls is a working community of about 30,000 people, with a market, temples, and street food stalls that are considerably more authentic than the resort strip to the south. The Hengchun Night Market, operating most evenings near the east gate, is excellent — grilled seafood, beef noodles, and local sweets at low prices. A walk around the perimeter of the walls takes about an hour. The town is also known for its guitar-playing tradition — a distinctive musical style rooted in indigenous Paiwan music has influenced Taiwan's folk music scene.