Welcome to Dadaocheng

In the Dihua Street commercial district, cafes are everywhere. Yet, the opening of AMA Café has its own special meaning.

"AMA" refers to the Taiwanese women forced to become comfort women in the past. On the table of the café on the first floor, several feminist books can be found. Meanwhile, the exhibition hall of peace and women's rights is located on the back of the first floor and the entire second floor.

Pictures of these women are hung in the hallway with the topic “their own times,” faithfully presenting their happiness and sorrow.

What is worth mentioning is that there are many art pieces related to the common reed in the hall, which represent former comfort women's strong resilience against constant suffering.

The exhibition preserves many historical documents on comfort women. Through images and texts, the stories of comfort women are recorded. The purpose is not to make people hate each other ; yet, the exhibition aims to lead people to focus on and care about human rights issues and to empathize with others' sufferings.

“I would like a monaka set, thank you!”

The freshly baked “monaka” is a confection especially for moon watching in the ancient Japanese court. The crispy glutinous rice wafers sandwich cold and silky azuki bean paste. With a cup of black tea from Alishan, you can leisurely enjoy the confection that represents the spirit of Japanese tea and snack culture on the veranda next to the bustling street and feel the changes in history.

The word “Nurturing” in the original Chinese name is the initial intention of the founder, who wished to nurture people’s souls with confections and convey the sweet happiness to customers. The shop uses the best agriculture products in Taiwan to take advantage of excellent seasonal harvests, while the Wagashi-making technique aims to fulfill your five senses.

Established 60 years ago, Lin's Wagashi Confectionery was previously situated on Nanjing West Road. Now, it has been relocated to the Dadaocheng commercial district with creative and cultural elements.

Apart from the signature monaka, there are also a wide variety of Japanese confections, such dorayaki and mini buns. If you are a fan of confections, don’t miss the shop when visiting Daodaocheng.

In the scorching summer days, you will definitely want to have some summer dessert after a meal to get rid of the greasy feeling. If that's the case, Summer Tree Sweet on Dihua Street is your top choice.

The name“Summer Tree” has the following meaning: “When children are enjoying our delicious desserts, they will feel like resting under a tall tree in a hot summer day. While a breeze blows by gently, their mouths and hearts are filled with sweetness.”

The owner insists on using natural and healthy ingredients to make the desserts, which will allow its customers to maintain their health while enjoying the tasty sweets. Among all the desserts, the almond tofu is the best known, whose cold and smooth texture appeals to many customers.

Museum 207 used to be the century-old herbal medicine shop--Guang He Tang. The red brick building constructed in the modernist style combines circular outer walls and big windows, which are particularly eye-catching among all the baroque buildings.

The museum's theme is promoting Taiwanese traditional life style. For instance, the “gift giving exhibition” held previously illustrated the gift giving culture in Taiwan, which appealed to many visitors. Using diverse exhibition methods to tell the local cultural stories, the museum shortens the distance between people in Taiwan; at the same time, it allows foreign tourists to gain a deeper understanding of Taiwanese culture.

The concept of the museum's founder K.C. Chen is recreated through rejuvenating the old house, and the local history is thus kept intact. At the same time, a regular symposium on the old house is held every month, which invites experts to share their experiences in how to re-use old houses to pass on their stories.

Lin Feng Yi Store was founded in response to the needs of the early agricultural society. Speaking of bamboo-made products, people think of this store to “mine treasures”.

Lin Feng Yi Store is like a small museum of bamboo crafts. From rain capes and hats to bamboo-made daily products, you will see the wisdom of the old craftsmen everywhere and discover that bamboos can be cleverly used anywhere in life.

The exquisite techniques used in making bamboo crafts here have gained considerable reputation through word of mouth. Many Japanese tourists especially come here to buy useful bamboo products home.

At the intersection of Dihua Street and Minsheng West Road, if you follow the savory aroma of pork buns, you will see the owner deftly putting warm buns into bags and hand them to the customers.

The firm and al dente buns are filled with a lot of pork stuffing. Seasoned with black pepper and onion, the buns are made less greasy. Also, the place serves Four Spirits Soup made of high-quality Chinese herbs (Chinese yam, fox nut, lotus seed and poria), and the sweet broth is unstoppably delicious; you can even refill the soup if you want more.

This combination of “soup and buns” is undoubtedly the must-eat delicacies on Dihua Street.

Taiyuan Asian Puppet Theatre Museum was built earlier by the Lin family to commemorate ancestor Lin Liu-Hsin's contribution to the local community. The “Nadou Theater” designed by the museum aims to pass on the spirit of perseverance Lin Liu-Hsin showed when he was selling natto beans in Japan in the past.

In order to pass on the puppetry culture, the museum has collected many puppets from around the world for visitors to enjoy and play with ever since its establishment. It also provides guided tours and DIY courses so that people can learn more about puppetry.

Recently, the museum has been actively connecting to the international culture scene, hoping to introduce the beauty of traditional Taiwanese puppetry to the world.

Taipei Xia-Hai City God Temple, situated on Section 1 of Dihua Street, was declared a Class 3 historic monument owing to its longstanding history and value of preservation.

One of the most important characteristics of the temple is its “kitchen-knife-shaped” appearance, which symbolizes that City God (main deity) can make a prompt decision when deciding a case; it also has the purpose of suppressing ghosts and exorcising evil spirits.

Though the building was not built in a magnificent, impressive style, it has been constantly enshrouded in a haze of incense smoke due to the numerous worshippers coming here. Either on weekdays or holidays, many pious worshippers gather here and fold their hands in prayer or light their incense sticks to pay homage to the deities.

Among all deities, the efficacious Yue Lao (God of marriage and love) attracts many tourists from Hong Kong and Japan to pray for successful romantic relationships. If you don’t want to be single anymore, come visit the temple and get a red string home!

Yongle Fabric Market was established in 1908. Originally positioned as a place for selling local dishes, the market is now one of the largest fabric markets in Taiwan. In earlier days, the district turned into the main fabric wholesale market in Northern Taiwan as the Dadaocheng commercial district prospered and local merchants brought in all types of fabrics.

When going up to the second floor of Yongle Market, the first things you see are the various colorful textiles. From local to imported textiles, shoppers can return home with everything they want.

Apart from the exquisite fabrics, the market also sells all kinds of peripheral items for people to choose from, such as lace and embroidered fabrics; the market has whatever you can think of.

On the third floor, you will find many workshop banners and all sorts of cutting tools. The skillful craftsmen transform bolts of printed fabrics into elegant and exquisite dresses, deftly-made curtains, or unique printed fabric bags.

Speaking of Dadaocheng, many people think about grocery shops, tea shops, or Chinese medicine stores. If you come to Minle Street, Yaodehe Herbal Tea Shop is something you must not miss. Here, you can order a glass of cool and refreshing Taiwanese herbal tea, and chat with your friends at the bar leisurely.

It has been said that the tea was originated from the hot weather in the Fujian and Guangdong areas. The tea was brought along to Taiwan by the migrants from these areas. This shop sells herbal tea, bitter tea, and Bai Mao Gen Tea, as well as dried herbs so that people can bring some home to make a pot of nice tea.

This century-old shop went through a renovation project that combined tradition and modern industrial design, adding some creative and cultural air into the originally disorganized space. The shop still preserves the vintage herbal cabinets, which are photo worthy to many visitors.

When your herbal tea is served, you will immediately smell the aroma and feel the effort put into making the tea even before you take a sip. This sweet flavor will make you want to visit the shop again.

Situated around Yongle Market, Yongle Thick Rice Noodle Shop has 50 years of history. The food here is affordable and the ingredients used are of excellent quality. The shop provides the older local residents with the traditional food they never forget.

The shop has become bright and spacious after renovation, offering a very comfortable dining environment.

The sweet and refreshing thick rice noodles here are served with bone stock and added with Chinese chives as seasoning. Gourmets who love strong flavors are advised to order some more signature dishes, such as cheek meat and fried tofu, to enhance the flavor of the meal.

The key to Dadaocheng's early prosperity was its tea trade. The tea was harvested in the tea growing areas (e.g. Pinglin and Wenshan), and then transported to Dadaocheng for processing and exporting.

Now, if you visit the neighborhood of Minsheng West Road, you will see a lot of old tea shops. Among those, Sin Hong Choon is one of the rare historical buildings that have been kept intact. After being renovated by the later generation, the shop is open again.

The museum features an exhibition on tea leaves. Both the introduction to the building or its artifact collections are worth seeing.

The museum aims to evoke the older generations’ memories of tea, and to help young people know more about this traditional cash crop.

Every time you pass by Jiaxing Fishball Diner, you will see the throng of people waiting in line just for a taste of its signature dish—Fuzhou Fishballs. The hand-made al dente balls are filled with freshly-made pork stuffing, which even bursts out after one bite. It is an unforgettable delicacy and also a traditional breakfast dish that locals often eat.

The diner is brightly furnished with some quaint wooden tables and chairs as well as noodle shop utensils, adding some charm of old times.

The fishball soup can only temporarily satisfy your craving; if you want to fill your stomach, don’t forget to order some specially made soy sauce noodles.

If you walk along Kulun Street, you will see an eye-catching red wall inscribed with the words “The High Surrounding Walls.” On the other side of the wall is the elegant and quaint temple - the famous Taipei Confucius Temple.

Entering through the Hong Gate and then passing through the Li Gate will lead you to the Lingxing Gate and Pan Pond. Every landscape and facility have their own meaning and purpose.

Furthermore, if you look closer, you will discover that no words can be found on the pillars and windows in the temple. This is because it has been said that nobody dares to show off their writing in front of the greatest sage and teacher, Confucius.

In recent years, the temple has tried to host activities that combine traditions and modern art as well as brand new virtual reality experiences. For instance, the annual Baosheng Culture Festival allows visitors to experience religious ceremonies of ancient times and to gain a better understanding of traditional Confucianism.

The temple's Minglun Hall even provides a 4D virtual reality experience, which makes use of technology to present the story of Confucius and Confucius Temple. While a lot more fun is added, the feature also successfully attracts many visitors.

Bao'an Temple is also known as Dadao Gong Temple. The words “Bao'an” literally mean “Pray for Tong’an” It has been said that some Tong’an residents in China travelled to Taiwan in the past and built the temple to pay homage to the guardian deity, Baosheng Dadi, in the hope of settling successfully in Taiwan.

Every March 15th of the lunar calendar, the widespread sound of gongs and drums marks the beginning of Baosheng Dadi's birthday celebration. The temple hosts the “Baosheng Cultural Festival” and arranges festive procession and a series of activities to celebrate with people. Through the promotion of the festival, Bao'an Temple has attracted more and more worshippers.

Apart from the annual festival, Bao'an Temple is also known for its magnificent decorative arts. The temple collects the color paintings and cochin ware artworks created by prominent artists, such as Pan Li-shui, Hong Kun-fu, and Guo Ta. The carving techniques are extremely delicate and hold historical and artistic value. It has also been declared a Class 2 historical monument by Taipei City Government.

Particularly, the works of “national treasure,” Pan Li-shui, have always fascinated visitors and left them with a profound impression.

The Dadaocheng Wharf which used to be the trading hub of the former North Taiwan, has now transformed into a casual riverside trail.

With the cozy wind, sunset, river view, Dadaocheng Wharf at sunset becomes very romantic and charming.

Moreover, the Dadaocheng Wharf Plaza is stationed in many hilarious and well-stocked container markets in the evening. When you are tired, you can go to the second floor viewing platform to enjoy the big rice hustle and night scene, or sit on the turf on the river bank with your friends, and come to the charming street music feast.

In 1851, Lin Lan-tian brought his whole family and moved to Dadaocheng to run his business. Later on, he opened a fortune-telling store with the name “Lin Wu-hu,” the now Former Residence of Lin Wu-hu. The building was later registered as cultural heritage for its excellent state of preservation.

The building still preserves the old tile floor and door latches. It is a traditional old Minan shop. Climbing up the old stairs and passing through the atrium hallway feel like traveling back in time, and make you want to praise our ancestors’wisdom of architecture design.

Please note that only the atrium is open to the public on weekdays. Every Saturday, the older members of the Lin family serve as guides and explain to tourists the history of the building, which is worth joining.

Ren-an Hospital is a greyish-black baroque building with exquisitely carved patterns. The overall style is simple and elegant. Currently, the hospital houses the community development center; it is the first hospital that has been preserved and donated in Taiwan.

Pushing open the old front doors, you will see the traditional medical facilities, such as tarnished register and prescription pick-up counters.

If you walk in further, you will see the desks, white coats, and equipment used by the doctors in the past. On the second floor, old-style medicine shelves and room plates of the old hospital are exhibited.

It is hard to imagine that the hospital could have such comprehensive medical equipment in an era of scanty resources.

Through the preservation of these medical artifacts, visitors can feel the changes over time and learn more about the medical conditions in the past.