Diverse, rich culture from different countries come together at the Ximenting Shopping District, while the myriad of shops generate a constant stream of people, making it an ideal location for treasure hunting.

The building is located on Chengdu Rd. in Wanhua Dist., Taipei City, adjacent to the Ximenting Pedestrian Area. The two-story, class III historical site is a red brick Western style building constructed in 1908 (Meiji 41, Guanxu 34); the distinctive aspect about the ancient monument is its 8-meter octagonal façade, hence it was often referred to as the Octagon Building during the Japanese Occupation Period.

The main architecture of the octagon building is immediately adjacent to a cruciform brick building. The two seemingly dissimilar buildings are collectively known as the Ximen Market, and the Red Hall serves as the market’s entrance.

During late Japanese Occupation Period, the market expanded its parameter to the surrounding trapezoid-shaped area bordered by Chengdu Rd., Xining S. Rd. and Neijiang St. The same layout has been retained even until today. After the war, Shanghai merchants renamed it “the Red Theatre”. After 1963 (R.O.C. 52), the Red Theatre began showing films and it was simply known as “the Red House”. In 1997 (ROC 86), Taiwan’s Ministry of the Interior classified the Red House as a class III historical site and finalized the name of Ximen Red House.

Origin of the movie street can be traced back to the 1935 Taiwan Expo. At the time, Taiwan’s economic development has reached its pre-war peak, and four large, upscale theatres were opened in Ximenting: Taiwan Theatre (now China Theatre), International Theatre (now Wannian Building), Dashijie Cinema and Taipei Koukaidou (now Taipei Zhongshan Hall). Together with the existing “Sakae-za”, “Fanming Theatre”, “Xin Shi Jie Cinema” and “Sekai II Theater”, there were in total 8 cinemas and luxury theatres dispersed in the vicinity of Chengdu Rd. and Emei St.

During the 1960s, completion of the Zhonghua Market connected Ximenting to the Chengzhong region; with thriving economic development, new theatres such as Lux Cinema, in89 Digital Cinemax, Vieshow Cinemas, Shi Zi Lin Cinema, King Cinema and Queen Cinema also emerged on Wuchang St. Consequently, Ximenting not only became a national entertainment center, it also transformed into an authentic “Cinema Zone” thanks to the high concentration of cinemas in the region, especially Wuchang St., which boasts as many as 6 to 7 cinemas.

The camera street in the vicinity of Boai Rd. and Hankou St. is commonly known as “Bohan Area”, which features the highest density of camera equipment stores in Taiwan. The street bears witness to the development of camera equipments in Taiwan. Since photography was introduced to Taiwan during the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Japanese Occupation Period, camera has always been an extremely expensive luxury item that few can afford, because a camera costed as much as a house or over 600kg of rice at the time. Since there were numerous government agencies and presses in “Taipei City”, together with the transport convenience of the Taipei Main Station, camera equipment stores sprung up by the dozens and flourished.

During Qing Dynasty, Taoyuan St. was designated as a school, which was later incorporated into the parameter of the Governor’s official residence during the Japanese Occupation Period. After the Nationalist Government arrived in Taiwan, Ximenting became the busiest department store area, and the nearby Taoyuan St. also evolved into the most renowned beef noodle street. At the time, snack stalls sprawled all the way to Changsha St., much longer than it is nowadays. The most famous beef noodle stalls are concentrated around the Supreme Court, offering Chinese pan fried buns, hot pot noodles, noodles with gravy, dumplings, beef soup and Chinese pancakes etc. to comfort the homesickness of mainlanders. 

One can see an enormous black leather shoe installation art near Taipei Main Station and Yuanling St., this is the leather shoe street. The area bordered by Zhonghua Rd., Zhongxiao W. Rd., Zhongshan S. Rd. and Aiguo W. Rd. was Taipei City’s parameter during Qing Dynasty. It has always been the political, economic and cultural center in Taiwan. Although the city walls were later demolished, everyone still refer to this area as the “Chengzhong (city center) Area”. Yuanling shopping street is located “inside the city”, which is endowed with abundant historical and cultural resources since antiquity.

Wannian Building is situated at the intersection of Xining S. Rd. and Emei St., it is a youth gathering ground inside Ximenting. Not only is it an essential destination for students from the 60s, 70s and 80s, it is also an iconic landmark commercial building in Ximenting.

After three decades of transformation, the building still retains its youthful, popular image. The B1 food court offers a wide selection of reasonably priced cuisines including rice, noodles or even snacks; simply take a walk around, and you are certain to find something that will suit your fancy. The department store city from 1F to 4F consists of small stores, while Tom’s World, ice rink, MTV and billiard room on 5F are all young people’s favorites. The plethora of Japanese imported goods makes Ximenting the most popular shopping destination among enthusiasts of Japanese pop culture.

The story of Eslite Bookstore dates back to 1989, when it started as a small cultural arts bookstore located near Renai Rd. roundabout. Eslite persisted in the management philosophy of culture, arts, creativity and life. For over two decades, eslite has enriched the lives of readers through professional, unique book selections, as well as diverse channels and integrated culture & creative event platform. Over the years, this has developed the culture & creative oriented management model of today. In 1995, eslite’s Dunnan store was relocated to the current location and became the first 24-hr bookstore in the world in 1999, bring convenience to urban readers. 

The electrical appliance street on Zhonghua Rd. evolved from Zhonghua Market. At the time, six buildings inside the market, namely Zhong, Xiao, Ren, Ai, Xin, Yi, sold electrical appliances, hi-fis and various peripheral equipments. During its heyday, there were more than 200 stores in the vicinity, making it the largest electrical appliances shopping district selling the most diverse array of the latest equipments in the country. Subsequently, due to construction of the underground railroad, Zhonghua Market was demolished and relocated to the nearby streets, stretching from Zhonghua Rd. N. Station to Wuchang St, Hankou St. and Kaifeng St. Today, there are still some 50 electrical appliance/hi-hi stores in this area, many of which are old stores with 10~20 years of history. Take a stroll around and one can find stores selling hi-fis and digital sound/video equipments. As technology advances, so do the products offered here in the stores, which range from multi-million dollar hi-fis, home theatre systems to karaoke machines, mini-stereos, walkman, MP3 and MD players etc. Not only are all major brands available here, consumers can also purchase high quality products at reasonable prices, making it a paradise for audiophiles and sound enthusiasts.

Longshan Temple is a prominent ancient monument in Taiwan, not only does it have countless followers, the overall architecture features exquisite details in the form of stone sculptures, wood sculptures and decorative paintings. The beauty of the Taiwanese traditional temple makes it a well-known tourist destination. 

Located near the Longshan Temple, this is the first tourist night market in Taiwan that offers myriads of game and seafood etc. This is one of the most popular destinations in Taiwan among domestic and foreign tourists.

This is a building constructed to commemorate the former R.O.C. President Chiang Kai-shek. The entire park is a national ancient monument, and it is the largest in terms of scale among all CKS memorial architectures in Taiwan. It is also one of the most distinctive landmarks in Taipei City. Numerous social and political movements are organized here, and it is also a large culture & arts performance venue. 

Office of the President is located on Sec. 1, Chongqing S. Rd. in Zhongzheng Dist., Taipei City. Constructed by the Japanese in 1919, it was used as the office of the Governor-General at the time. After Taiwan’s Recovery, the building was renovated and it has been the office of Taiwanese heads of state since the Central Government relocated to Taiwan. As the heart of Taiwan’s highest political power, the majestic, towering architecture of the Office of the President emanates an aura of authority and grandness that is complemented by the spacious square.

228 Peace Memorial Park is situated in Zhongzheng Dist., Taipei City, adjacent to Gongyuan Rd. in the east, Ketagalan Blvd. in the south, Huaining St. in the west and Xiangyang Rd. in the north. The total area is roughly 71,520 m2. Originally known as Taipei New Park, it is a longstanding park in downtown Taipei. 228 Peace Memorial Park is extremely well located geographically near government institutions or buildings such as the Office of the President, NTUH, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Taipei Guesthouse etc. Ancient monument inside the park consists of a radio tower from the Japanese Occupation Period, old locomotives, charity memorial archway and Huang’s chastity archway etc. Not only is the park a prominent landmark in Taipei City, it is also a tourist destination iconic of Taipei City’s culture.

Always upholding the management philosophy of “Genuine sincerity”, Shin Kong Mitsukoshi hopes to enhance the quality of life for urban consumers through innovative, diverse services, in turn striving to transform the urban appearance and materialize the corporate spirit of “Happy New Life”.

Taiwan’s department store industry has entered the “quality” era, besides the constant innovation of products and services, Shin Kong Mitsukoshi also aims to reinforce cultural depth and create its unique brand culture via various culture and arts events and theme events. In the future, whether in terms of developing a stronghold in Taiwan or heading west into China, Shin Kong Mitsukoshi will continue to pursue the target of developing “High quality international department stores”. We will continue to implement changes through boundless creativity and play our role of improving consumer welfare in the department store industry.

There are about 250 stores on Dihua St., stretching from Nanjing W. Rd. to Guisui St., Ganzhou St., Zhaoyang Park on Baoan St. and Gangu St. During the early years, the area’s proximity to Danshuei River has transformed it into one of the most flourishing business districts in Taipei. Today, development of the area is limited due to the streets’ narrowness; however, after the government proactively promoted the Chinese New Year’s Supply Street initiative, the street’s former glory was restored, as it has now become the distribution center for grocery, Chinese medicine and fabric. Towards the end of each year, shoppers flock into the area by the thousands to form a bustling scene.

Xiahai City God Temple not only witnessed the past glamour of Dihua St. and the nearby Ningxia Night Market, it is also a temple with many followers. In addition to bustling business activity, the area is also a gathering ground of culture. 

Ningxia Night Market is featured in numerous gourmet magazine and online reports. The night market stretches from Mingsheng W. Rd., Nanjing W. Rd. to Chongqing N. Rd. and sells mainly Taiwanese traditional snacks. In particular, the old fashioned flavors near the Datong Dist. Roundabout are the most popular among senior Taipei citizens. The night market is the first in Taiwan to feature separate pedestrian and vehicle traffic for the public’s shopping and dining convenience. The thoughtful service is the main reason why people are attracted here.

The delicacies offered in Ningxia Rd. Night Market exuberate with rich Taiwanese flavor. For example, the aromatic minced pork rice, chicken rice, the refreshing egg oyster omelet, oyster noodle with pork intestines, freshly stir-fried beef with BBQ sauce, nourishing pork liver soup and the Tainan steamed rice cakes, salad with fish roe, tilapia etc. are all mouthwatering dishes. Stalls on the other side of the night market consist mainly of novel general merchandises and toys. The products here are fashionable and inexpensive, so everyone is welcome to come here to shop after enjoying gourmet food.

If you wish to take a leisurely stroll on the sunny forest avenue, window shop in various boutique stores or enjoy a cup of coffee by the alfresco café in the afternoon, pay a visit to the Jinghua Shopping District. 

As one of the largest and most renowned night markets in Taipei City, Shilin Night Market mainly comprises of snack stalls and vendors; it is a great nightlife getaway for Taipei citizens. 

The museum houses a vast collection of exquisite historic relics from imperial palaces spanning across the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasty. Its development is closely associated with the transition of contemporary Chinese society. 

The station joins the Taipei MRT and THSR to form the three-rail system. Combined with the nearby coach, bus and taxi services, this is the largest transfer station in the country.

The government began preparing construction of the Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall in 1964 to commemorate Mr. Sun Yat-Sen’s noble personality, revolutionary ethics and promote his thinking and doctrines. The memorial hall possesses the functions of culture & arts education, life recreation and academic research.

Located on prime real estate in Taipei, the Taipei 101 is the largest construction project in the history of Taiwan’s architecture industry. Inspired by the propitious Chinese number of eight (pronounced “Fa”, which also means prosperity), the design features a structural unit every eight floors. The continuation and overlapping of these structures form rhythmic aesthetics for the building’s exterior to establish a brand new international skyscraper trend.