Marketplaces/Commercial Districts

Shilin Night Market: Landmark of the Shopping Marathon Challenge

• Source:Taipei City Government
• Date:2010/2/9

Each day from 5 to 6 pm, the city's largest night market – Shilin Night Market – stirs to life, people first dribbling and then soon pouring in. They've come, locals, expats, and tourists from overseas, to explore this independent world of traditional snack foods along with the latest and hottest in commercial goods. Local folk love the fun that comes with the thick crowds here that they like to say that“not even a drop of water could trickle through.” Nearby the market are many school campuses, including those of Soochow University, Ming Chuan University, and Taipei Municipal Shilin High School of Commerce. Prices thus tend to be affordable, accommodating to student budgets, and in turn attract local and foreign tourists in hefty number. This is a bustling cultural icon that all tourist guidebooks will recommend on your Taiwan-travel itinerary.

The market came to life near the end of the Qing Dynasty, in the plaza before Cixian Temple on Danan Rd., where hawkers gathered to deal. In 1909, the Shilin Market was formally established, and vendors in greater numbers gathered in the evenings. The market sprawled out of the temple plaza and into the surrounding Wenlin Rd. commercial district, with the core shifting to and concentrating around Yang Ming Theater, which also still stands today. In 2002, a thoroughgoing reconstruction and refurbishment overhaul was launched, and the market's name formally changed to the “Taipei City Public Shilin Market”, generally rendered as“Shilin Public Market”in English. The countless snack-food vendors have been moved and concentrated on Jihe Rd., and the scope of the night market as a whole has been much expanded, now encompassing the area defined by Jihe Rd., Wenlin Rd., Dadong Rd., Danan Rd., and Anping St. This is a hot ticket at any time, but a super-hot one on any non-workday, as the happy throngs will clearly show you.

Base Camp for Authentic Local-Style Snacking Foods Shilin Public Market

The majority of the people who come out at night to prowl the night market have snacking and shopping in mind. Located across from MRT Jiantan Station where Wenlin Rd. and Jihe Rd. meet, the Shilin Public Market—more familiarly known as the Shilin Night Market—is stuffed with hundreds of stalls. This spot is known throughout the country as perhaps the single finest bazaar for the culture's virtually unlimited amount of tasty traditional snack delicacies.

Back in the days of the Department of Information of the Taipei City Government, now called the Department of Information and Tourism, an interesting contest was held. The public was asked to name the ten best night-market snack foods in Taipei. The oyster omelet, which everyone calls e-a-jian in Taiwanese , was voted as the fan's favorite, judged via their picky palates. The freshest oysters are added to an egg fried on a special griddle, with the slightly gooey concoction seemingly addictive to foreign night-market aficionados. Next on what was called the Taipei Ten Greatest Night Market Snack Foods list was chou doufu, often called stinky doufu in English. It smells bad but tastes mighty good. Capturing third place was the XXL crispy chicken cutlet, a super-size, deep-fried breast cut with a captive smell that stimulates drooling folk to line up. The stir-fried squid comes in a thick slowcooked soup stock that fills the senses. The super-chewy dabing bao xiao bing or “little roll wrapped in a big roll” is a sweet and savory Shilin Night Market specialty. It requires a strong jaw and patience, but this means joy that lasts and lasts. The scrumptious tianfuluo, the term a Mandarin approximation of the Japanese “tempura,” is a firm and chewy dish fresh-fried until firm, before you and sprinkled with fresh-sliced pickled cucumber. Hungry now? Little wonder. Best get yourself over to Shilin right quickly, and best plan more than one trip. Now off you go.

Each day from 5 to 6 pm, the city’s largest night market – Shilin Night Market – stirs to life. People first dribbled and then soon poured in. They’ve come – locals, expats, and tourists from overseas – to explore this independent world of traditional snack foods along with the latest and hottest in commercial goods. Local folk love the fun that comes with the thick crowds here that they like to say that “not even a drop of water could trickle through”. Nearby the market are many school campuses, including those of Soochow University, Ming Chuan University, and Taipei Municipal Shilin High School of Commerce. Prices thus tend to be affordable, accommodating to student budgets, and in turn attract local and foreign tourists in hefty number. This is a bustling cultural icon that all tourist guidebooks will recommend on your Taiwan-travel itinerary.

The market came to life near the end of the Qing Dynasty, in the plaza before Cixian Temple on Danan Rd., where hawkers gathered to deal. In 1909, the Shilin Market was formally established, and vendors in greater numbers gathered in the evenings. The market sprawled out of the temple plaza and into the surrounding Wenlin Rd. commercial district, with the core shifting to and concentrating around Yang Ming Theater, which also still stands today. In 2002, a thoroughgoing reconstruction and refurbishment overhaul was launched, and the market’s name formally changed to the “Taipei City Public Shilin Market”, generally rendered as “Shilin Public Market” in English. The countless snack-food vendors have been moved and concentrated on Jihe Rd., and the scope of the night market as a whole has been much expanded, now encompassing the area defined by Jihe Rd., Wenlin Rd., Dadong Rd., Danan Rd., and Anping St. This is a hot ticket at any time, but a super-hot one on any non-workday, as the happy throngs will clearly show you.

Window-Shopping Heaven at Danan Rd. and Anping St.

Still got the energy for more action? Let's move on over to see what's up on Danan Rd., both sides filled with the colors of trendy clothing and accessories wares on display. Here again are flocks of locals, day-trippers, and travelers checking things out. Wafting through are also the aromas of Shanghai shengjian bao (pan-fried pork-filled buns), of fragrant Guangdong congee, of the delectable“Shilin Giant Sausage” shop, of runbing juan or Fujian-style spring rolls, of the sweet“frog laying eggs” drink containing pearl tapioca, of the yummy“brown sugar shaved ice,” of the savory congyou bing (spring-onion pancakes;), of the squid and crab versions of geng, a full-bodied porridge-like soup, and much more. The mind boggles and the tongue thrills at this veritable emperor's feast of snacking delights.

Information

Public Transportation: MRT: Jiantan Station, Exit No. 1 Bus: No. S15, S16, S17, S18, S19 to Yangming Theater stop No. 109, 203, 216, 220, 260, 267, 279, 280, 285, 310, 606, 612, 646, 685, 902, to Ming Chuan University stop No. 41, 529, 620, R30 to Shilin Market stop Shilin Public Market (Shilin Night Market) Add: 60, Jihe Rd. Tel: （02）2882-0340

In the winding lanes and alleys off busy Anping St., among the many clothing shops jostling for your attention, is a hidden gem of another sort—a renowned little shop selling traditional-flavor shaved-ice treats for 40 years, providing menus in English and Japanese. Come and dig into a bowl of delicious snow ice with red bean and tea powder, or the traditional sweet-bean ice, each topping light, sweet, and coolly refreshing. While on this turf, you might spot a tattoo parlor or two, featuring the sight of a foreign expat or tourist sitting down for some decoration, perhaps getting an image of Taipei City permanently imprinted on body as well as mind.

The sparkling Shilin Night Market —with the bright lights of hanging lamps has its own culture, a special world designed for the bringing everything the shoppers are searching for. If you're in Taiwan and want to eat, drink, or shop in the quintessential night-time Taipei style, here is where you should be bringing yourself.