In the recently released Lonely Planet 2022 list, Chinese Taipei was listed as one of the "Top 10 Best Cities to Travel". There is a bustling modern metropolitan landscape, but also an ancient historical and cultural landscape. Downstairs and alleys, there are countless street delicacies, and a variety of cultural and creative spaces. Please follow us on the streets of Taipei.
Walk into Taipei
Taipei, as the name suggests, is located in the north of Taiwan. Several tributaries of the Tamsui River meander through the Taipei Basin and merge to the northwest into a wide Freshwater River that naturally separates Taipei City from the surrounding area. Leaning on the flowing water in the northwest, the city is developing vigorously, with the mrtto (subway) and buses in all directions as its unfolding branches, and the lush greenery beyond imagination provides it with sufficient nutrients. Today, the eastern part of what was once a rice paddy is the busiest "East District" in people's mouths, and the colorful lights of the skyscraper Taipei 101 are bright until late at night. Compared with these modern metropolitan landscapes with flashing neon lights and high-speed operation, the neighborhoods along the river in the west are not lonely, the ancient historical and cultural landscapes collide with the daily lives of today's residents, the chai rice oil and salt are intertwined with literature and art here, and the new and the old are integrated and created here. When you come to Taipei, you may wish to spend some time walking through these winding streets and alleys to experience the "smallness" of this big city, which is the best footnote to the city's unique character.
1
Dadaocheng neighborhood
Located in the Dadaocheng Neighborhood of Datong District in western Taipei, it gets its name from the large open space where rice can be dried. Since the opening of the Tamsui River in the 1860s, it has become an early prosperous and rich area with tea and cloth. From the period of foreign trade to the era of Japanese occupation, people's preferences and popular styles of architecture are constantly changing, red brick and carved stone walls, or elegant or complex - walking through the well-preserved markets, churches, celebrity houses, and rich merchants' mansions in the neighborhood, you may be able to imagine the aesthetic pursuits and life scenes of the residents of the past.
Dihua Street - Zhengyue New Year Goods Street
Dihua Street, the earliest market street in Dadaocheng, is still an important place for the wholesale of Chinese medicinal materials, groceries and fabrics. Every year on the eve of the Lunar New Year, the "New Year Street" event is held here, and lanterns and colored lanterns are hung. Not only local shops, but also well-known merchants from all over the world gathered together, with sweets, preserves, snacks, bacon, everything, and set up temporary stalls under the arcade and even on the street.
If you look up from the crowd, the old shops on both sides of the street are next to each other, the façade is narrow and tall, the house is deep, and the trance is still the same as the old time. But look closely, a few steps away there are a new interior decoration of the dim sum shop, cultural and creative shop, art and cultural space, cleverly and harmoniously hidden in it, through the shell of the old house, it seems to have a new look.
A section of Dihua Street in Datong District
Xiahai City God Temple
Xiahai City God Temple is located in the traffic of Dihua Street. Compared with other intricately decorated Minnan-style buildings, the decoration style of Xiahai City God Temple is slightly simple, but it is more easy to feel affinity. Even if it is not easy to see under the high-rise buildings, the incense is still burning all day long, the smoke is swirling, and the annual tour of Xiahai City God is also very grand.
©tsai.samuel/Instagram
Although the city god as a city administrator is all-encompassing and indifferent, gradually, the old man under the moon has become a more popular presence here, and praying for marriage has become the "main business" of the Xiahai City God Temple. If you want to ask for a marriage, you may wish to come here to ask for a red rope, drink a bowl of peace tea made of red dates and goji berries from Dihua Street, and eat a bite of the happy cake that the newcomer brought to thank you. However, the manager here will also tell you: "In the final analysis, you must be brave yourself, and you are really willing to cooperate with reflection and review your own behavior and attitude." ”
Interestingly, in 1853, the Tong'an people fought with the Sanyi people in the "TopXia Suburb Fight", the winner Sanyi people continued to maintain their own beliefs in Longshan Temple in Mengjia, and the loser Tong'an people came to Dadaocheng with the Xiahai Chenghuang that they believed in. Today, Longshan Temple and Xiahai City God Temple are competing in terms of marriage, it is difficult to distinguish between high and low, if you ask Taipei people who is more spiritual, everyone has their own opinion. This year, the two places have cooperated with MRT stations to launch blessing ticket cards and monthly old tickets, the latter of which has long been sold at MRT Shuanglian Station. However, whether to go to Longshan Temple to throw a cup to ask for a blessing, or to ask for a red rope in Xiahai, it is no longer related to faith and territory issues, probably all depends on the success rate of the friends around you.
No. 61, Section 1, Dihua Street, Datong District
tpecitygod.org
Sunset and fireworks at Dadaocheng Pier
Outside the traditional sunset viewing spots such as Tamsui and Kufen, watching the sunset at The Great Inari wharf is "hot" among young people. In the evening, bypass the City God Temple, walk slowly from the old neighborhood through Water Gate 5 to the Tamsui River, facing the Wind of the Pacific Ocean and an orange-blue color. The sunset reflects on the river, and the buildings on the opposite bank are lit up in turn, with an old-school romance and tranquility.
©bubble_611/Instagram
As the sky darkens, the newly built container market along the river begins to come alive, with small container-style stalls selling a variety of exotic delicacies and small performances, and the rooftop rooftop area will be the best viewing place. If you catch the Lunar Tanabata, you can also watch the wonderful Valentine's Day fireworks in Dadaocheng and leave your troubles behind.
Datong District Minsheng West Road Tamsui River No. 5 Water Gate
Star Café
©steffichuang/Instagram
If you turn out of the Dadaocheng neighborhood, a little away from the houses, and follow the Chongqing South Road in the southeast, you will suddenly smell the aroma of bread coming from the streets and alleys on the side. The aroma comes from a pale yellow sign, goose yellow window shed, and a pastry café decorated with red bricks, which at first glance looks no different from the surrounding shops. But walking through the bakery selling delicious Russian fudge on the ground floor to the café on the second floor, the Russian and Shanghainese décor comes into view, where coffee and Russian-style meals are served.
©wupengyann/Instagram
The "Star Cafe" (Astoria), which was moved from No. 7 Xiafei Road in Shanghai to No. 7, Wuchang Street, Taipei, was once the sustenance of the Russian aristocracy for nostalgia for his homeland, and in Taipei it became the universe of Taiwanese literature, where shy writers only need to order a cup of coffee, sit here for a day, write a manuscript or talk with three or two friends. Bai Xianyong, Huang Chunming, Zhou Mengdi, Sanmao, Modern Literature, Literary Quarterly... The stars of literature shine here. Now more than a few years have passed, and these pasts have become black-and-white photographs on the walls of the museum, lined with modern art paintings with bold colors. The Star Café still generously welcomes every visitor with a cup of coffee and spends the afternoon here.
Zhongzheng District Wuchang Street section 7 2nd floor
astoria.com.tw
2
Simon Movie Street
Continue along the Tamsui River from north to south and will lead from Wuchang Street to Ximending, also known as "Movie Street". The 1935 Taiwan Exposition concentrated 8 luxury theaters and theaters in this area, and at its peak, as many as 37 theaters and theaters were concentrated in the Ximending area, with signs and screens hanging along the streets, and promotional videos playing non-stop, each with a different list.
©wendydawanderer/Instagram
At that time, the grand situation was no longer there, but the in89 Luxury Cinema, Shin Kong Cinema and Nisshin Weixiu Cinema (which closed in September 2020) located here are the main screening areas of the Golden Horse Film Festival, and fans who have watched movies here must be familiar with it. During the Golden Horse Film Festival, this is a great area to "meet" filmmakers. Taipei, a city of extraordinary significance in the history of Chinese cinema, is not only the place where countless tragedies and joys in movies occur, but also an important place for film screening. New or old cinemas are lined up on the streets of Taipei, and every year there are a variety of special film festivals staged in various theaters in Taipei, as well as cheap second-round cinemas, which can be described as a paradise for movie lovers. Nowadays, due to the impact of the epidemic and the construction of new cinemas, Ximen Film Street is slightly lonely, whether it is the exterior or the internal facilities are slightly old, but walking here, feeling the fun of watching movies purely for the sake of watching movies, there is a nostalgic atmosphere.
Section 85-87 of The Second Section of Wuchang Road, Wanhua District
3
Wanhua- Stern
A little further south from Ximending, Wanhua Block is at the bend of the water flow of Xindian Creek into the Tamsui River, and the traditional area north of Sanshui Street, "Mengjia", is considered the birthplace of Taipei City. This old neighborhood surrounded by water is too old and too old, with groups of elderly people resting in the park during the day, and the red light district that was once withered at night, but it is still difficult to be quiet. It's probably the least "urban" place in Taipei, but it's also the most humane place in Taipei. If you want to experience the most homely taste of Taipei, you may wish to find it here, copper plate food gathered here, chai rice oil and salt, approachable. The Nan airport night market, which is longer than the north side of the food, or the Lehua night market in the new north boundary on the other side of Xindian Creek, are all worth visiting food paradises near Wanhua.
4
From Wenzhou Street to Wenzhou Street
Heading south along the wide road to the vicinity of National Taiwan University, Wenzhou Street is divided into two blocks by Xinhai Road. From Wenzhou Street here to Wenzhou Street over there, from the past to the present, it is scattered with the dormitories of teachers of National Taiwan University, and often becomes the place where stories in prose and novels take place. The inextricable connection with the humanities and the campus makes the small Wenzhou Street become very large, and the old trees, old alleys, and ancient books seem to be full of possibilities, and youth, dreams, literature and art, shade and cats are the keywords here. It is a great place for art lovers, and literary lectures, art salons, or performances by independent orchestras are often held in the art space here.
©liveking_is_life/Instagram
Wenzhou Street's alleyways are winding and flowing in all directions, so you can try different routes a few steps. Unlimited cafes, second-hand bookstores, young students who forage for food, famous witch shops, female bookstores, and tanuki cats that are stationed around a corner have become extremely gentle on Wenzhou Street. If you come here in early summer from April to May, the 5-storey Garolin fish tree is full of yellow and white flowers, like a tree butterfly, very beautiful.
Wenzhou Street, Da'an District
Don't forget to bring this book
Yang Jiaxian said that all those who slowly walk through Wenzhou Street must have books in their backpacks. Maybe it's Lin Wenyue's "Wenzhou Street to Wenzhou Street", maybe it's Li Yu's "The Story of Wenzhou Street", or maybe it's Chen Baiyan's "What's on Wenzhou Street?" Which book do you want to bring?
5
Night market cuisine
Travelers to Taipei must have already made a long list of food, including a variety of night market delicacies. At Taipei's large and small night markets, you can taste traditional Minnan flavors and Taiwanese dishes. Snacks do not take up space, you can eat two or three rounds.
Polygons
This traditional Minnan-style snack is very popular on the streets of Taipei. Oyster noodles and large intestine noodles are the two most common types, and the taste is tough and smooth, and the taste is fragrant and sharp. Travelers can taste a bowl of hot noodles according to their preferences.
Rice blood cake
Rice cake is made from pork blood and glutinous rice, and can be steamed and eaten with soy sauce paste, chili sauce, peanut flour, and coriander, or cooked in a marinated or oden soup, or fried in a frying pan until it is charred and eaten. Its taste is sticky and fragrant, with local characteristics.
Ancient and tasteful ice
"Ancient taste" in the Hokkien language means "taste of nostalgia". Ancient early taste ice products are "traditional taste of ice products", mostly with gentle ice or shaved ice as the main body, and drizzled with brown sugar, taro, powdered balls, red beans, taro balls and other ingredients to eat, is the first choice to cool off the summer heat.
Author | Lee table table
Preliminary | Aiting, Nang
Review | small arrears
Final trial | horses go to the field
The image | the idea of the figure worm, partly from the network