沙鯤漁火
清代臺灣八景最晚出現於康熙35年(1696年)高拱乾《臺灣府志》,分別為安平晚渡、沙鯤漁火、鹿耳春潮、鷄籠積雪、東溟曉日、西嶼落霞、澄臺觀海及斐亭聽濤。其中斐亭聽濤、澄臺觀海、安平晚渡、沙鯤漁火與鹿耳春潮,這五景不僅位於臺南,更呈現17世紀的臺江內海與府城之間的歷史重要意義與地形變遷。
「沙鯤漁火」描寫臺江內海的鯤身沙洲旁有漁船燈火高懸以便夜間捕魚,海面密集閃爍的燈火和夜空星光相互輝映,呈現出一幅樂利民生的悠閒美景。
「沙鯤」為臺江內海上的七個沙洲,即今日臺南市安平區與南區的海岸地帶。沙鯤意指沙洲鯤身,由於在海平面上形似鯤魚身體而稱之。一鯤身為安平古堡附近;二鯤身即億載金城一帶(亦稱二鯤身砲臺);三鯤身即漁光島;四鯤身位在南區鯤鯓里。五、六、七鯤身則說法不一,其位置約在今南區喜樹、灣裡以及高雄市茄萣區白砂崙一帶,換言之「沙鯤漁火」的場域約在臺南安平至高雄白砂崙之間。
主祀清水祖師的龍山寺(俗稱祖師廟)為四鯤身當地民眾的信仰中心,今日四鯤身仍保留部分臺江內海的遺留地貌,並反映出濱海漁民隨潮汛捕魚繼而遷徙移居形成聚落的過程。
Historic Location: The Eight Views of Qing Dynasty Taiwan
Fishingboat Lights of Shakun
As described in “The Gazette of Taiwan Prefecture”, edited by Gao Gongqian in the 35th year of the reign of the Kangxi Emperor in Qing dynasty(1696 A.D.)at the latest, the “Eight Views of Taiwan” included “The Night Ferries of Anping Harbor”, “Fishingboat Lights of Shakun”, “Springtides at Luer”, “Snow in Jilong”, “Sunrise at Tungming”, “Sunset at Hsiyu”, “Watch the Sea at Chengtai”, and “The Crashing Tides of Feiting”. Five of these sights, specifically, “The Crashing Tides of Feiting”, “Watch the Sea at Chengtai”, “The Night Ferries of Anping Harbor”, “Fishingboat Lights of Shakun”, and “Springtides at Luer” were located in Tainan, underscoring the historic significance between the Taijiang Inner Sea and the Tainan Prefectural Seat in the 17th century, as well as topographical changes.
“Fishingboat Lights of Shakun” described scenes of night-fishermen working by lamplight in the vicinity of the Kunshun sandbars in the Taijiang Inner Sea. The flickering clusters of lantern lights on the surface of the sea and the star-speckled night sky mutually illuminate to portray a scene of prosperity and livelihood.