Taiwan Food Atlas

Dihua Street

A 19th-century goods trading street with Hokkien and Baroque building facades
📍 Taipei · Datong District⛩️ Historic site🔖 Dadaocheng · Lunar New Year goods market

Dihua Street is one of Taipei's most intact 19th-century commercial streets. Hokkien-style brick shophouses and Baroque Western building facades are preserved on both sides of the street, forming a rare historical streetscape. The stretch becomes most lively in the weeks before the Lunar New Year for seasonal goods shopping. Xia Hai City God Temple sits in the middle of the street and is the cultural heart of the Dadaocheng commercial area.

Highlights of Dihua Street

Dihua Street developed from the late 19th century as a commercial district in Qing-era Dadaocheng, with dried goods, traditional Chinese medicine, and fabric wholesale as its main trades. It was once an important commercial hub for Taiwan's foreign trade. During the Japanese colonial period some merchants introduced Western Baroque architectural vocabulary to renovate their facades, creating the distinctive mix of traditional Hokkien layouts and European decorative elements. Many of the buildings are now listed as historical structures.

Today, alongside traditional goods stores, Dihua Street has also gained cafes, creative shops, and design brands, forming a composite scene of old street with new uses. Xia Hai City God Temple is well-attended, with the City God as the principal deity. The temple forecourt is narrow but densely frequented. For approximately six weeks before the Lunar New Year, the entire street transforms into a seasonal goods market offering festive foods, dried goods, and nuts — one of the strongest traditional Chinese New Year atmospheres in Taipei.

How to make the most of your visit

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Look up at the facade detailsWhile walking, pay attention to the second- and third-floor facade decorations — Hokkien brickwork, Western relief carvings, and arched window frames each have their own character and reward close attention.
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Set out early during the New Year seasonCrowds are very large in the weeks before the Lunar New Year. Going on a weekday morning gives you more room to browse the dried goods stalls at a relaxed pace.
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Visit Xia Hai City God TempleThe temple is in the middle of the street. The interior is compact and the worship flow is different from typical temples — worth noting as you move through.
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Old and new shops side by sideTraditional dried goods stores and newly opened cafes and creative brands are interspersed throughout. Follow your interests without rushing the pace.

Practical information

Getting there and time needed

  • Take the MRT Songshan–Xindian Line to Beimen Station or Daqiaotou Station; it is a 5- to 10-minute walk to the northern or southern entrance of Dihua Street.
  • The street is open all day. Individual shop hours vary; traditional dried goods stores tend to close relatively early in the afternoon.
  • The Lunar New Year goods season runs approximately six weeks before the New Year (exact timing varies with the lunar calendar each year), and crowds increase noticeably.

Nearby connections

  • Dadaocheng Wharf is a short walk along the Tamsui River. At dusk you can stroll along the riverbank and watch the sunset.
  • Ningxia Night Market is nearby and makes a natural stop for traditional Taipei street food in the evening.

Source: Taipei City Cultural Bureau historical building records and public historical materials. Photos to be replaced with Dio's own shots.

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