When the Lunar New Year is just around the corner, stalls of dried goods and traditional snacks and sweets are set up in the arcades of the baroque-style buildings flanking Dihua Street, and the cries of merchants hawking their wares fill the air.
The street is a place people go for their annual New Year’s shopping, or simply to bargain for goods at a fair price. One of the oldest neighborhoods in west Taipei City’s Datong District, backing onto the Danshui River, its origins can be traced to the 1850s when immigrants from mainland China’s Fujian province began to sell tea in the area.
According to Huang De-jhen, executive director of the Dihua Shopping District Development Committee, the street grew into an important commercial center thanks to convenient location. “In the past, ships docked on the riverbank behind the buildings on Dihua Street, unloading their cargos into the stockrooms at the rear for the stores in front.”
Chien Hong-tsuen, chairman of the Cereals Merchants Association of Taipei City, who has lived on Dihua Street since he was a boy, said, “At that time, there were no factories in Taiwan to process goods. Many goods such as black fungus and fish had to be shipped from abroad.” Dihua Street thus became an important place for trade in foodstuffs and general goods.
However, changes in the transportation system—the gradual silting up of the river combined with improved road and rail transportation—led to the downfall of the Dihua area. The construction of Taipei Bridge in 1925 connecting Datong and New Taipei City’s Sanchong District was a key factor.
“In the early days, the bridge reached as far as Yanping North Road, next to Dihua Street, so people could come to the area easily without having to take a boat from Sanchong,” Huang explained. “But the extension of the bridge to Chongqing North Road in the 1970s and 1980s made it very inconvenient to get to the area.”
Another reason for the decline in the flow of shoppers is the inadequacy of parking lots. In 1973, many Dihua Street landowners were in talks with the city government to expand the width of the street from 7.8 meters to 20 meters, which would have resulted in the tearing down of historic buildings. However, voices calling for preservation prevailed and the plan was canceled, Chien recalled.
In a move to regain popularity among customers, Chien and other shop owners decided to organize a New Year shopping event in 1997. “The idea was that the Lunar New Year is a time when families get together and reward themselves with better food,” Huang explained. “We hoped that people would buy snacks and other things they needed for the New Year at Dihua Street, as these are all specialties of the area.”
Their ploy was successful, and New Year shopping at Dihua Street has now become one of the most important family events before the holidays, attracting tens and thousands of shoppers annually.
“Though the street is considered an old commercial quarter and the goods sold by different stores are mostly the same, the friendliness of the shopkeepers makes the area stand out from other shopping locales,” Huang stressed. “They tell customers where their products are from and how to cook them, information you’d be lucky to get in supermarkets even by carefully reading the packaging.
“About 10 percent of the goods on sale in different shops are unique, so stores are not afraid of competing with each other, and easily attract customers. In a Chinese medicine store, for example, the owner will serve patrons health drinks made according to his own formula.”
The goods available on Dihua Street are of high quality and relatively cheap compared to those found in supermarkets, Huang said. “Many of the shops have been here for generations, and the businesspeople are very skilled at product selection. To maintain a steady supply of first-rate goods, many store owners sign contracts to purchase everything a supplier produces, which is what keeps prices low.”
Chang Shu-fang, a Dihua Street shopper, echoes Huang’s view on the quality of the products.
“The dried goods sold here are top-grade, but some products like the sea cucumbers are really expensive,” Chang said. “Consumers can purchase everything they want in just one trip, but mostly, I’m here to experience the Lunar New Year atmosphere.”
For consumers nowadays, one drawback of merchandise sold on Dihua Street is the lack of labeling. The older generation of shopkeepers will be offended if buyers insist on looking at a label, sensing distrust, according to Huang. “They feel that their products are of the best quality, and if customers have questions, all they have to do is ask,” she explained.
Nonetheless, this has started to change as younger family members take over operation of the stores, especially following renovations along the street since 2005. “We hope to provide shoppers with a bright, lively atmosphere, and first-class traditional wares in consumer-friendly packaging,” Chien said. (THN)
Write to Grace Kuo at morningk@mail.gio.gov.tw