Cultural and creative businesses are revitalizing a historic Taipei neighborhood.
Dadaocheng, a neighborhood bordering the Tamsui River in Taipei City’s Datong District, was once one of the most prosperous areas in Taiwan. It was home to a major trading port in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. During this period, numerous local and foreign companies set up offices and stores in the area, as evidenced by the varied architectural styles of its historical buildings.
The neighborhood started to lose its luster in the 1950s, however, due to the silting of the Tamsui River and rapid development in other parts of the city. Commercial activities became subdued throughout much of the year, with the notable exception of the period leading up to the Lunar New Year vacation, when people still flock to the area’s famed Dihua Street to shop for candies, spring couplets and other customary holiday items.
With traditional stores struggling to make ends meet, new cultural and creative businesses began moving into the neighborhood about a decade ago. Among the recent additions is ArtYard. Founded in 2008, the company rents, renovates and repurposes old houses on Dihua Street. ArtYard uses some of the space it has refurbished to sell its Hakka Blue brand of ceramics and rents the rest to other cultural and creative enterprises. Current tenants of the company’s renovated properties include a bookstore, cloth merchant, fruit vendor and tea shop, as well as a small theater with a capacity of about 60 people.
As fresh ideas revitalize Dadaocheng, some second-generation heirs are returning to their family businesses. Gradually, the picturesque community is regaining its prosperity by merging old and new.
—by Jim Hwang
A baroque-style building on Dihua Street in the Dadaocheng neighborhood of Taipei City
A calligrapher prepares spring couplets for Lunar New Year on Dihua Street.
Built in 1859, Xiahai City God Temple is the religious center for Dadaocheng residents.
The rejuvenation of the area is prompting second-generation heirs to return to their family businesses.
An open space in front of Dadaocheng’s Yongle Market, famed for its numerous textile vendors
A store on Dihua Street selling modern kitchenware imported from Spain
CHO-PI, located on the second floor of a renovated building, is a treasure house for fans of old cameras.
ArtYard’s store in Dadaocheng sells its Hakka Blue brand of ceramics.
Boan 84, a cafe, and Yongle Bookstore share a refurbished clinic on Dihua Street.
Bookstore 1920s is a tenant in one of the buildings refurbished by ArtYard in Dadaocheng.