自明鄭以來，臺南丘陵一帶就已經有漢人移民進入內山進行開發，當時作為進入到山地的重要城市，大目降，也就逐漸發展起來，「大目降」為西拉雅語 Tavocan 音譯，意為「山林之地」。西拉雅(Siraya)名稱在荷蘭統治時期的文獻已出現，一直以來就在這塊土地生長，與大臺南歷史和文化的形塑與發展有著密不可分的關係。

大目降在日本時代成為控制臺南內山開發的重要據點，並更名為「新化」，新化老街、街役場、武德殿等皆在日治時期設置完備，因此新化也是觀察日本人對於臺南丘陵地區發展的重要城市。

在 1990 年代，隨著臺灣經濟起飛與城市發展，許多老建築一一被拆除，然而新化的居民卻組織起來，發起保留新化日治時期的街景地貌，並以此作為在地特色，推動社區營造與文化資產活化，到近年來與臺南各級學校合作藝文活動與文化導覽，成為臺南推動社區營造與文化景觀保存的重要案例。

Since the Ming Dynasties and Zheng, Cheng-Kung era, Han immigrants have entered the inner mountains for development in the Tainan hills, and at that time, as an important city before entering the mountains, Tavocan gradually developed. "Tavocan" is a translated word from the Sirayan word Tavocan, meaning "land of mountains and forests". The name Siraya appeared in literature as early as during Dutch rule and it has been growing on this land for a long time, which is inextricably linked to the shaping and development of the history and culture of Greater Tainan.

During the Japanese era, Tavocan became an important base for the development of the inner range of Tainan and was renamed "Hsinhua", and Hsinhua old street, the street office, and Butokuden were all fully set up during the Japanese occupation, so Hsinhua was also an important city to observe the Japanese development in the hilly area of Tainan.

In the 1990s, with Taiwan's economic take-off and urban development, many old buildings were demolished, but Hsinhua residents organized themselves to initiate the preservation of the streetscape and landscape of the Hsinhua during the Japanese occupation era and used this as a local feature to promote community construction and the activation of cultural assets. In recent years, Hsinhua has been collaborating with Tainan schools at all levels in holding art and cultural activities and cultural guides, it has established itself as an important case of promoting community construction and preserving cultural landscapes.