Brian Q. Webb
Like last year, this past Christmas Eve the family headed to the Vieshow Village shopping area in the Hsinyi District of Taipei to take in the holiday decorations, various street acts, and just to take advantage of the clear weather.
In fact, this past Saturday had been the first rain-free day all month. How convenient. 
You know how I’m constantly saying that you should always have a camera with you? Well, after you go out a few times without one and develop your “sight” a little. But after that, I’m always drilling in the point that you should never leave home without a camera. You never know what will pass in front of you.
I honestly don’t know why I don’t go here more often. It’s fairly close to my home, it’s got some great games for my kids to play, great food to eat, great shopping to do, and great culture to experience. Oh, and there are some great photographic opportunities, too.
So here are some pictures of Raohe Night Market in Taipei, taken during my most recent visit this past Saturday.
Like Dasi Old Street in Taoyuan, Minquan Old Street in Sanxia was born in the early part of the 20th century. Like Daxi, it came out of being strategically located on a commercially-trafficked river. Unlike Dasi, as roads and rails replaced the rivers used to transport goods and reduced the commercial importance of such market hubs, Minquan Old Street didn’t really re-invent itself in any manner. It’s buildings and shops still appear as they would have decades ago in the time of our grand-and-great-grandparents.
One thing that I’ve discovered about Taiwan, especially outside of Taipei, is that people want you to know how they make things. Be it a food stall in a local night market, a piano factory in Taoyuan, or a bakery in the Sanxia district of New Taipei City (formerly Sanxia city).
Before the completion of the North-South Railway in 1909, Dasi was the connective trade point between Taipei and the south. It was made so by a combination of two major factors: it was located on a river used to transport goods north-south (the Dahan river, also known as the Takoham river in the native aboriginal language) and loads of investment capital. A civil war between Hakka clans forced refugees from the wealthiest of the clans, the Lin clan, into the Takoham river region. Realizing the importance of the location, the Lin clan invested heavily in it’s development and it was soon filled with traders and merchants. I’ll make this analogy: the Takoham river was the silk road of Taiwan, Taipei was Europe, southern Taiwan was Asia. Dasi was Persia.
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