Areas: Da-Dao-Cheng

Located at the southwest corner of Datong district in Taipei, Da-Dao-Cheng, used to be the most prosperous and bustling place which exceeded others both economically and culturally in the island of Taiwan. It was named for being a large tract of threshing ground. Located by the side of Dan-Shuei River, Da-Dao-Chen Wharf had connected Tangshan, China and even the furthermost place like Europe and America. Cargo and products from the north and south, Chinese herbal medicine, cloths and so forth, all kinds of groceries gathered here. People were hurrying to and fro, and in and out the harbor, and ferry boats and cargo ships take turns, which had made Taipei City the capital today.

The aboriginal residents in Da-Dao-Cheng were mostly Pingpu tribes. They moved to Da-Dao-Cheng for safety due to the serious armed fight between Mongga and Tongan people in Wan-Hua, which therefore developed the area gradually. Under open-door economics, the overseas commerce had risen rapidly along with the development of stores by the natives of southern Fujian, which made Da-Dao-Cheng the most prosperous distribution center in Taipei. During the Japanese ruled period, the Japanese government focused on regional development, and moved the administration center to Chungshan and Chungcheng districts that made Da-Dao-Cheng a region for the pure locals in Taiwan.

Today, Da-Dao-Cheng Wharf has transformed into a scenic spot. We can only imagine the magnificent age of Da-Dao-Cheng Harbour through those tour ferries travel to and fro Dan-Shui. Though it is not the economic center anymore, it still preserves a certain atmosphere of urban settlement in those days, which always attracts tourists who look for souvenirs. There are must-visit spots such as Dihua Street, the most thriving place in the past, and the Spring Festival Street which is always packed during Lunar New Year. There are tea and rice stores, Chinese herbal medicine stores and groceries from the north and south. Some century-old stores that sell goods and materials for people’s livelihood are still dateless, through which we can still see its unsurpassed grace of the good old days.

If you want to take a walk in Da-Dao Cheng, it is always a good idea to do some homework beforehand. It used to be the cultural center of Taiwan and also the place for new culture movement. There are plays established along with the fiestas in honor of the deity; Beijing opera and stage play that brought to Taiwan by the Mainlanders; glove puppetry by local Taiwanese, and the transformed Taiwanese opera by the Japanese. In 60s and 70s, there were dozens of big and small shows at night in Da-Dao-Cheng, where the folk culture could therefore settled down. After years of dormancy, Da-Dao-Cheng is now presenting itself with great fanfare. We can still encounter the roles that perform in an opera with charming appearance. There are also relics of theater stages in the allies. Meanwhile, Da-Dao-Cheng Theater and Guisui Opera Park Stage were set up for keeping the stage for local dramas.

The three areas chosen by Close To You Festival this year including Wenzhou Street, which is close to National Taiwan University and has the traces of Japanese occupation under which they rooted their power through education; Yongkang Street has blended various cultures like delicacies and transformed them into something new that represents the strong adaptability and omnivore characteristic of the Taiwanese. As to Da-Dao-Cheng, it is a secret land for the local Taiwanese spirit. Far-Tsu Temple, Xiahai Chenghuang Temple, Tzu-Sheng Temple are three religious centers where you can see the unpredictable of the outer world and the strong desire from the bottom of the heart in the Taiwanese through the eyes of those who put the palms together and whisper in the temples. Also, between Yen-Ping North Road and Guisui Street was the famous whorehouse alley. There were stores with goods and materials for people’s livelihood from the north and south, religious places for sacrifices to the gods, whorehouses and harbours….If there is a list of human basic needs, you can find each of them and check every single item. Furthermore, the flashpoint for 228 Massacre where one of the agents of the Tobacco Monopoly Bureau hit the cigarette vendor Lin Jiang-mai in February 27th, 1947, was just under the arcade left to the tavern across Far-Tsu Temple.

Therefore, don't forget those John Does in the all days when you visit Close To You Festival, thinking about how those tiny basic needs by human beings had built up a city, how thousands of people had died for it, and how it had stood up in a fresh appearance. How special is this city, Taipei, small but full of scenes that you can witness while walking through the streets and allies.