Discover Old Taipei

To most foreign visitors, Taiwan’s cosmopolitan capital, Taipei, is a massive concrete metropolis of skyscrapers and modern apartment blocks. If you do a quick Google Image search, Taipei is most often represented by Taipei 101 Tower, formerly the world’s tallest building. Although Taipei 101 is one of the most iconic skyscrapers ever built, the surrounding Xinyi District is hardly the most charming part of the city, as it was designed for high-end shopping and corporate offices. Xinyi District may have the highest concentration of luxury hotels, but it would not be my first choice for first-time visitors.

A map of the historical walled city of Taipei.

Until very recently, visitors and policymakers overlooked Taipei’s old quarters. For too long, the western edge of Taipei has been regarded as the less prosperous part of town. The area’s aging housing stock gave the area a decrepit look. However, in the last decade, the city has started to recognize the historical value of these older communities. The city created a program providing subsidies for renovating historic homes and businesses. When I revisited Taipei last year, I was pleasantly surprised by the area’s stunning transformation over the past decade. Here are some of my favorite neighborhoods worth seeking on your next trip to Taipei!

Wanhua

If you asked me, Wanhua (萬華) would get my vote as the best neighborhood to experience Old Taipei. This is Taipei’s oldest area due to its convenient access to the Tamsui River. During the Qing Dynasty, Wanhua was an important religious center and the wealthiest settlement in northern Taiwan. The district has many of Taipei’s oldest structures, including historic theaters and tea houses. The city was developed and organized around the main temple, Bangka Lungshan Temple (艋舺龍山寺). Not only is Lungshan Temple the most important temple in Taipei, but it is the best introduction to Taiwanese folk religion if you have never been to a Taiwanese temple.

Most immigrants who settled in Wanhua were initially from a specific county of China’s Fujian Province. Lungshan Temple was built as a branch of a famous temple in their ancestral land. The temple was built with donations and completed in 1738. Compared to Japanese temples or those in northern China, Taiwanese temples are colorful and ornate. Every square inch of surface is decorated with elaborate sculptures or painted in bright, saturated colors. They are objectively garish and over-the-top. As a kid, I did not enjoy going to the temples. It was always sensory overload and sometimes chaotic scenes. It was not until now that I was mature enough to appreciate the cultural beauty of these temples.

In contrast with Christian worship, religious worship in Taiwan felt very casual. There was no particular dress code or schedule, so it was bustling at all hours. Visitors are immediately transported into a different world when they enter the complex. The smells of incense and fresh flowers permeate the air, and prayer chants are audible from just about every corner. One does not need to be a believer to partake in the ceremony. No one in my family is a believer, but we still partook in all the ceremonies. I never bothered to learn about all the deities we prayed to.

Like most Taiwanese temples, this place embraces religious syncretism, mixing Taoism, Buddhism, and Chinese folk beliefs. This may be why we never bothered to learn about all the specifics. That said, most Taiwanese know the rituals and the etiquette well. Most of us appreciate it more for its cultural value than our religious convictions. In the central courtyard is a table for offerings from the faithful. Popular tributes include fruits, crackers, and packaged drinks. We sometimes would bring cooked food on feast days, such as roasted chicken or whole fish.

For visitors, the most exciting aspect of the visit would probably be fortune telling. You could find a bowl of crescent-shaped wooden blocks in the bowl. These blocks are a divination tool for communicating with the gods. Known as Jaobei (筊杯), these blocks have two, a convex and a flat side. Worshippers hold Jiaobei in their hands as they pray for a specific answer. After asking gods your question, one would drop them on the floor to see which side of the block faced up. Two flat sides mean ambiguity, two concave sides mean negative, and the combination indicates positive. When somebody selects a fortune from the wishing jar, they must confirm the selection by consulting the Jaobei.

An intricately carved stone window frame.

To pray to a deity, one must introduce oneself to the god by stating one's name, birthday, and hometown. Like seeing a psychic, it is best to say your prayers and ask simple “yes” or “no” questions. One of the most visited shrines within the temple complex is a tiny one dedicated to Yue Lao (月老), the Chinese god of love. He is the Chinese version of cupids and is especially popular among single young people. Couples would also come here to pray for eternal love. According to traditional beliefs, couples would enjoy eternal love, or the “red thread of fate,” if they got positive results from Jaobei for three consecutive years.

The teeming activities in Lungshan Temple could be overwhelming for many first-time visitors. Although I am no expert in temple culture and traditional religion, I knew enough to guide Brian through the most basic ceremonies. Hiring a professional tour guide could put everything into a cultural perspective if you could afford it. I recommend picking up a talisman at the temple gift shops for those with a tight budget. You could select one based on your prayers, anything from safe travel and health to excelling at school. These are some of the most unique souvenirs you could have from Taiwan.

From Lungshan Temple, it was only a couple of blocks to Bopiliao Historic Street (剝皮寮歷史街區). This street was built about two centuries ago and was one of the earliest commercial districts in northern Taiwan. The name Bopiliao means “peeling skins,” it is believed this was the center of the fur trade, a lucrative business during the Qing dynasty. When a nearby elementary school became overcrowded, blocks along this street were zoned for expansion. However, the expansion never took place and was inadvertently preserved for posterity.

The government decided to renovate the street in 2003. Because of decades of abandonment, this block is the best-preserved area of the city, representing a typical streetscape of late 19th-century Taipei. Since it was already zoned for education, the area is transformed into an open-air cultural venue. Many historical homes were connected to create a long series of exhibition halls. The permanent exhibition was small but excellent. In addition to the history of Bopiliao, the exhibit also covers the evolution of Lungshan Temple, including a collection of religious statuettes. I found the gods of Chinese folk religion quite menacing; I used to be scared of them as a kid.

One of the numerous exhibits inside Bopiliao Historic Street.

Nowadays, Bopiliao is most associated with Taiwan’s film industry. It is home to the Taipei Film Festival. When the renovation was completed in 2009, a popular gangster movie based in this area, Manga (艋舺), had just premiered. The movie elicited great nostalgia for the turn of the 19th century. The film was set in Wanhua, and its success prompted great interest in the long-lost era. With the absence of comprehensive laws on historic districts, Bopiliao demonstrates the value of historic preservation to the public.

One of the most surprising exhibits at Bopiliao was a prominent gallery dedicated to the COVID-19 pandemic. We visited Taiwan in April 2023, just as Asia began to relax the pandemic restrictions. Compared to most other countries, Taiwan performed exceptionally well in pandemic control. Before its first major outbreak in the spring of 2022, there were hardly any COVID-10 cases or fatalities in the country. Taiwan achieved this without resorting to draconian lockdowns disrupting daily life, making the “Taiwan model” an envy of the world at the time.

An exhibit on the COVID-19 outbreaks in Wanhua District.

But like everyone else, the outbreak of the Omicron variants was inevitable. Because of Wanhua’s population density, the district became ground zero for the COVID-19 outbreak in Taiwan. This neighborhood inadvertently became the scapegoat of Taiwan’s pandemic “failure.” Bopiliao was turned into the country’s largest vaccination and rapid-screening site. A special exhibit now commemorates the heroic sacrifice by Taipei’s medical workers during this period. While most countries are eager to forget the pandemic, Taipei wants to honor its memory of those who parished.

Dadaocheng

Outside of Wanhua, another great spot to appreciate the history of Old Taipei is Dadaocheng (大稻埕). Also situated on the bank of the river, the area was the city’s main logistic center, where essential commodities were stored and sold. In particular, the most important commodities include textiles, tea, and camphor, a specialty of Taiwan. Even as Taipe’s center of commerce moved eastward over the last century, Dadaocheng remains a vital shopping area for traditional trades such as Chinese medicine and handicrafts.

When I was a kid, Dadaocheng was known as a place families would visit for their essentials for Chinese New Year’s. The neighborhood did not have the most stellar reputation. The area was decrepit, with many buildings either half abandoned or at risk of modern redevelopment. Dadaocheng has the city’s great collection of early 20th-century architecture. The prevailing styles at the time included Baroque, which was very different from the style we are all familiar with in Europe. It is a unique blend of Western, Japanese, and Fujianese architecture. Built as a commercial warehouse district, the houses of Dadaocheng are unique in their layouts. Like Amsterdam’s rowhouses, the owners were taxed by the length of the building’s frontage. The house may be narrow but exceedingly deep, with an external courtyard and a residential section toward the back.

Due to the rise of tourism, many of Taiwan’s regional restaurant chains have a branch on Dihua Street.

The neighborhood is noted not only for its architecture but also for the historical events that took place here. At the end of World War I, the Empire of Japan underwent a liberal reform, encompassing everything from culture to political philosophy. As colonized subjects, the young Taiwanese began to organize and call for equality among all ethnicities within the imperial system. Known as the New Culture Movement, the group called for political reform through non-violent means. Here at Dadaocheng, they organized and arranged the first newspaper for ethnic Taiwanese. This was the intellectual capital of Taiwan and the holy ground of a modern Taiwanese identity.

A newly renovated boutique shop in Dadaocheng.

Dadaocheng is organized around its prime artery, Dihua Street (迪化街). In 1977, the government announced the plan to widen the street, which would demolish numerous historic structures. The plan elicited massive public backlash and became an early test case for historic preservation. A few decades later, the municipal government set up special grants to renovate landmark shops and cultural venues. To prevent these owners from rebuilding their houses into multistory apartments, the government allowed them to sell their “air rights” to big construction companies for their projects elsewhere. By giving owners an immediate windfall to owners, Dihua Street was able to retain its original ambiance.

I just absolutely loved these condiment sets that are shaped like soup dumplings.

Over two decades, Dadaocheng transformed itself into a destination. Many traditional shops have been modernized with modern branding and hip interiors. The rebranding reintroduces many century-old businesses to a new generation of customers. The neighborhood's renaissance also brought in many boutique businesses, such as galleries, cafes, and design boutiques. As it happened, Dadaocheng is also Taipe’s best place for foreign visitors to shop for authentic Taiwanese products, edible or not.

There are hardly any ubiquitous chain stores except for a Starbucks and a few convenience stores. Just about every business here is unapologetically Taiwanese. Many shop owners are enthusiastic about hosting foreign visitors. It would not be unusual for welcoming shop owners to offer freshly made teas. And unlike places like Morocco or India, you are not expected to buy anything in return. My favorite shop in Taipei would be ArtYard 67. This venerated store/gallery showcases many of Taiwan’s up-and-coming artists and artisans. Their soup-dumpling-shaped condiment sets from Hakka Blue are excellent souvenirs.

With an influx of foreign tourism on the rise, one might be concerned about Dadaocheng losing its unique cultural identity. From my observation, evidence of the bygone eras is maintained here. During our recent visits, we encountered elaborate street banquets, which were traditionally Taiwanese. Rather than hosting a wedding or funeral reception in a banquet hall, some Taiwanese would host them on the street or sidewalks. Dedicated culinary teams specialize in cooking elaborate banquets in makeshift kitchens. Having been to many of them in my childhood, I could attest to how intricate and delicious these meals could be. The head chefs (總舖師) for street banquets are often celebrities in their own right.

If you were fortunate enough to be invited to one of these roadside banquets, it would be quite a cultural and culinary adventure. Foreign visitors are often surprised by how casual and friendly Taiwanese people are compared to Japanese or South Koreans. As you walk down Dihua Street, don’t hesitate to talk to shopkeepers and sample some unusual items for sale. I was pleasantly surprised by how English-friendly Taipei has become since my last visit twelve years ago.

Ximending

Historically, many of the most bustling neighborhoods in Taiwanese cities were developed near the city’s historic gates. Loosely translated as “West Gate District,” Ximending (西門町) was a central commercial district during the Japanese colonial era. The Japanese modeled the area after Tokyo’s Asakusa Ward, with pedestrianized streets and numerous theaters. After the colonial rule, Ximending remained Taipei’s entertainment district and has continuously evolved amid rapid urban evolution. Unfortunately, the historic West Gate was demolished in 1904 to ease the traffic congestion. Nowadays, an interpretative art installation marks the location of the historic gate.

Ironically, today’s Ximending is the most popular quarter for the youth subculture and is frequently compared to Tokyo’s Shinjuku and Harajuku. The pedestrianized streets are filled with small shops selling the trendiest snacks and fashion from Japan and South Korea. Instead of high-end department stores, shopping here is relatively affordable and fun. The Japanese culture of cuteness, kawaii, seemed like the prevailing theme here. Given the demographic, this is also a great place to try Instagramable desserts, such as over-the-top shaved ice and souffle pancakes. As someone in my late 30s, I could hardly think of any other place in Taipei that made me feel old.

A typical pedestrian street in Ximending.

Despite being one of Taipei’s oldest neighborhoods, few historic landmarks or architecture survived. One noticeable exception would be Red House Theater (紅樓劇場). Originally a public produce and fish market, it was converted into an opera theater in 1945. The theater’s distinct octagonal shape and ornate Renaissance Revival style made it the most recognizable landmark in the area. Interestingly, Red House Theater is now the ground zero of Taipei's thriving LGBT nightlife. If you are unaware, Taiwan has been at the forefront of LGBT rights in Asia. The legislature legalized same-sex marriage in 2019, a first in Asia.

The area around the Red House is lined with gay bars and sex shops. The contrast with the nearby historic monuments was quite jarring. However, the ambiance during the daytime was very family-friendly. Nearby, the main pedestrian crossing of Ximending is painted in PRIDE’s rainbow colors. Unsurprisingly, this is often the end point of Asia’s largest pride parade. Attracting as many as a quarter of a million participants, the Taiwan Pride attracts crowds from all over Asia, especially from places where homosexuality is outlawed.

Red House Theater is one of the last surviving historical structures in Ximending.

To escape from the hectic energy of Ximending, head across Zhonghua Street, and one will find the tranquility of an old neighborhood filled with elegant Japanese colonial buildings. Sadly, the beauty of many of these structures is obscured by chaotic signage and urban decay. As much as I love my homeland, the city's urbanscape often left much to be desired. Basic zoning and architectural regulations are frequently flaunted with little enforcement. I hope the influx of tourism could spur the government to inject a sense of urgency into beautifying the streets of Taipei.

Nestled within the modern city are historical buildings.

Although Taipei still has a long way to go to clean up its streets, the government has started revitalizing many historic landmarks. Many lesser-known landmarks, such as the historic merchant houses, had been meticulously restored and repurposed as cultural spaces. Little by little, the remnants of Old Taipei were reborn. The effort was championed by former mayor Ko Wen-je, who saw historical preservation as essential to the city’s identity. Stumbling upon an impeccably restored landmark among the urban chaos is part of the fun. One of these landmarks was Futai Street Mansion, the oldest surviving mansion of Old Taipei.

One of Taipei’s “newest” landmarks is the historic North Gate. This is the only surviving city gate that survived in its original form. The other four city gates were either demolished or substantially rebuilt in the mid-20th century in the Northern Chinese style. For decades, this beautiful landmark was suffocated by highway interchanges. After the highway was demolished overnight in 2010, Taipei's citizens were amazed by this historic monument's rebirth. Thanks to the concentration of historic monuments in the immediate area, the area has been designated as the city’s official gateway. With numerous developments underway, I can’t wait to return in a few years.

Constructed in 1884, the North Gate is Taipei's last surviving historic gate.

Objectively speaking, Taipei’s old quarters may not be comparable to great Asian cities like Kyoto or Beijing. However, I was glad to see how the city finally recognized its historic neighborhoods' value and tourism potential. After all, tourists come to Taipei to experience Taiwanese culture and history, not to shop at high-end malls in the modern Xinyi District. While Taipei 101 is still the city’s main icon, let’s venture into the backstreet of Old Taipei to discover the city’s unique charm.

▲

Wanhua

Dadaocheng

Ximending

Did You Say Serapeum?

Saqqara - The Birthplace of Pyramids