With the coming of the Lunar New Year holiday, several special arcades and food bazaars have been set up around Taipei to meet public demand for New Year goodies and necessities.
In the Tatung district, several special shopping areas have been designed to offer a comprehensive tour of both local culture and traditional commercial activities.
PHOTO: SEAN CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES
One of the oldest and most traditional shopping hubs for Lunar New Year goods is the Tihua commercial circle in Tatung district. Along Tihua Street (迪化街), shops selling candies, herbal medicines, dry goods and piece goods line the road.
PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES
Shoppers strolling this street noted for its historical architec-ture, are constantly enticed to buy some of the numerous delicacies on offer at food stands.
The Tihua street shops are open from noon to midnight daily.
The Ninghsia commercial area surrounding Ninghsia Road (寧夏路) sells traditional delicacies and is open from 4pm to midnight daily.
People shopping for clothes often head to the the Rear Station commercial area, which is formed by the intersection of Chungching South Road, Civic Boulevard and Chengde Road. Shops in the circle primarily sell clothes, ornaments, leather articles and suitcases and are open from noon to 10pm daily.
A special bus service has been organized for people wanting to visit these traditional shopping areas. The No. 518 Lunar New Year Shop-Around Special makes several stops at shopping areas in the Tatung district, including the Tihua, Ninghsia and Huain commercial areas.
Low-priced and ready-to-wear clothing is the major feature at the Meng-chia clothing area on Tali Street (大理街) in Wanhua district. The area is famous as the site of early commercial development in old Taipei and its retail market for ready-to-wear clothing, as well as being home to Lungshan Temple.
Around the temple there are a variety of shops selling traditional religious necessities such as incense sticks and stoves for burning ghost money.
Herb Lane (
The acrylic signs that decorate the entrance to Herb Lane also explain the history of the alley and the development of Chinese herbs in three languages: Chinese, Eng-lish and Japanese.
In the Chungshan district, there is the Siping Street New Year Shopping Promenade.
Based on the original Siping Street (
In the Chungcheng district, Yuanling Street (沅陵街), famous for its shoe stores, has expanded in size to house various kinds of snack bars and ornament stands. The Yuanling New Year Promenade will be open until Jan. 30.
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