-Arrive at Ximending in the evening

-Explore the Red House and its evening performances

-Shop around the area

-Take the metro to Longshan Station to enjoy an affordable dinner at Huaxi Night Market

Ximending gets more entertaining as the evening wears on. As a youth, there is more to see in the evening than the daytime because more stores are open. There is a great variety of merchandise to buy but many stores sell the same product so be sure to compare prices before making a purchase.

If you want to buy something that is one-of-a-kind then the Red House is the place. After viewing the evening performances, you can head to the back of the Red House where many local designers make handmade goods such as silver jewelry or clothing.

The Red House

The food at Ximending may be a bit pricier due to its commercialized nature so take one MRT stop to Longshan Temple Station and try out the affordable Huaxi Night Market! There are four night markets in total in the Monga area of which three are interconnected, so you will be sure to find something you like to eat.

Shopping at Ximending: As a tourist you may be approached by young high school aged boys asking if you're from Taipei. If you reply no, they will immediately move onto their story about earning money to pay for high school and ask you to buy their product which could be anything from a fan to a pencil. Beware of this situation and walk away because they are simply sales people.

Red House 

The shopping outlets within the Red House have a whole range of interesting and exquisite merchandises. There’re generally expensive, but if you like designer products (i.e. keychains, accessories, stationery), you may find something you like.

Behind the Red House is a short street of pubs and bars. The locals refer it as the “Gay Bar” (You know what I mean).

Toilet Café

This themed café is located at Ximending Shopping Street. One simply has to walk into the shopping area till you see Starbucks Café on the right side of a junction. Turn left and walk straight towards the end to find the Toilet Café on your right.

Main Course Meal

Dessert

This Café is a little pricey and small but the food and atmosphere is good. Regardless of your order, each person will have to spend a minimum of NT80 (no sharing).

Ximending Shopping Street

Wanhua Night Markets

Entrance of Huaxi Night Market

Some of the famous outlets in the night market: This dessert stall is famous for its glutinous rice balls sweet soup. With different flavours such as red bean, peanut and sesame, you'll definitely be able to find one that satisfies your taste buds! You'll be able to find this famous hot glutinous rice ball dessert within Huaxi Night Market, at the traditional stall, "Bei Gang Tian Tang"(北港甜湯).

Tips

At Ximending Shopping area, teenagers who claim that they are raising funds for charity may approach you. These youths can be quite persistent and may be from a larger illegal association. Thus, unless you are interested in purchasing their products, try not to respond to them too enthusiastically. They may not be willing to leave you.

Also, there are also restaurants located on the 2nd/ 3rd floors of the various shop houses found at the shopping district. These restaurants usually have good discounts and promotions. Thus, to grab these offers, do look up to spot their advertisement!
Huaxi Night Market

Huaxi Night Market is linked to other night markets in Wanhua. Walk through all the night markets to taste all the delicious local delicacies!

-Arrive in the morning at Longshan Temple
-Grab a snack at Tai Ho Bakery
-Walk to Bopiliao Historic Block to understand not just the culture of Wanhua, but also information regarding Taiwanese Education System and medicinal developments.
-Proceed to Ching Shui Temple, one of the most traditional temples in Taipei
-Finish off with another well-known temple, Chin Shan Gong!

Optional stop: For visitors who are really interested in knowing more about temples, you can consider taking the MRT to Ximen Station, just one stop away from Longshan Temple Station, to visit Mazu Temple. This is one of the most famous temple in Ximending.

Directions via Video

Feeling lost? Watch this YouTube video for the exact directions to lead you through your self-guided tour of Wanhua!

Longshan Temple

Wanhua (萬華), having prospered during the Qing Dynasty, have quite a number of temples within the district. The most famous being Longshan Temple (龍山寺) as it is one of the biggest and oldest in Taipei.

Longshan Temple

Due to its widespread popularity, Longshan Temple is often filled with tourists and other followers. Most people visit the temple to pray, making the ambiance really special. While this temple may not be the grandest or largest in the world (you’ll find many large temples in China), observing the temple’s close affinity with its worshipers has made visiting this place a worthwhile trip.

To further understand the temple’s heritage, there are information boards and brochures near the entrance that gives an in-depth description of the place. Also, for worshippers, you may enjoy walking along the streets surrounding Longshan Temple as it is filled with shop houses selling various incense, Buddhist sculptures and other religion-related merchandise.

Herbal Lane

After visiting the temple, you may want to drop by Herbal Lane, which is right beside Longshan Temple (on the left). Herbal Lane is a small alley selling different medicinal herbs and health products. Otherwise, we would suggest you walk down Guangzhou Street (廣州街) till the next junction where you will see Bopiliao (剝皮寮歷史街區).

Tai Ho Bakery (太和)

Bopiliao consists of a row of shop houses that has been preserved for historical and cultural reasons. Before entering Bopiliao, there is a bakery just nearby. This shop is called Tai Ho Bakery.

Taiho Bakery

With at least 60 years of history, the pastries sold here is easily one of the best in Wanhua district. Grab some pastry, such as its mochi first before continuing with the tour. You can always ask the shopkeepers for some samples before buying their pastries as well. They are amicable and will be more than willing to provide you with some samples first.

Bopiliao Historic Block (剝皮寮歷史街區)

Walk back for another 2 minutes to reach Bopiliao. The shop houses are used mainly showcases various exhibitions now. To enter its street, keep walking forward for another 5 minutes till you reach an open area that leads you to the entrance of its old street.

Bopiliao Historic Block

The main attraction of Bopiliao, however, is The Education Center of Taipei City. Admission is free. Nevertheless, do note that it is closed on Mondays and opened till 5pm daily. This education center is family-friendly as it not only provides substantial historical information regarding Wanhua, it also has numerous interactive gadgets and displays for children to play with. Apart from explaining Wanhua’s history, it also has exhibitions displaying Taiwanese traditional and modern education system, as well as the medical developments in Taiwan. We would consider this place to be interesting for those who want to learn more about Wanhua.

Ching Shui Temple (艋舺清水巖祖師廟)

After the education center, take a detour and walk back to the junction near the Tai Ho Bakery. Continue to proceed forward for another 10 minutes and you’ll see another famous temple of Wanhua, known as Ching Shui Temple. This is one of the oldest temples in the area which worships a well-respected monk. While the temple is normally quiet, with little worshippers, one will be able to experience how a traditional temple in Taipei is like by visiting this temple as compared to Longshan Temple which has already been revamped many times.

Ching Shui Temple

Chin Shan Gong Temple (青山宮).

Thereafter, cross the traffic juncture in front of the temple’s main entrance and walk across the small park. Take the left juncture and walk through the shop houses till you reach the next junction. Over there, turn left and you’ll soon see yellow lanterns from afar. Walk towards that direction to find Chin Shan Gong.

Chin Shan Temple

Like Ching Shui Temple, Chin Shan Gong is usually quiet on normal days. Yet, this temple is special as it has three different levels and one will expect to see some large General Deity Figures (see pictures here). The temple’s primary deity is General Chin Shan.

These are the three main temples within the vincity of Longshan Temple MRT. To visit another temple in Wanhua District, one can walk back to the MRT station and take to Ximending Station, one stop away. To find out more about the Mazu Temple (媽祖廟)at Ximending, click here. 

Mazu Temple

Tips

Metro: 

Going to the temples in Wanhua is easy. One simply has to take Taipei’s MRT to Longshan Temple Station on the Bannan Line (Blue) and exit from Exit 4. The Longshan Temple is just across the street. However, as the traffic can be quite busy, do be careful when crossing the road. You must first walk out of Exit 1 at the MRT station, turn right into the Longshan Underground Mall, walk to the end and ascend up the escalators to leave the mall at Exit 4. There are clear signs hung above along the way.

Walk to discover:

All the temples are within walking distance (with the exception of Mazu Temple). There are many interesting shop houses one will have to pass along the way, so take your time to observe the activities carried out in each shop house. They are unique in their own way!

Visiting Temples: 

There are some temple etiquette one should follow before entering the temple. As a form of respect, one should never point using the finger, as that is considered rude. Instead, to indicate something, use your right hand with palm facing upwards. Also, never enter the temple from its main entrance. It is advisable to enter from the right entrance and leave from the left exit.

• Arrive before lunch at Longshan Temple to walk around with the children before the crowds
• Grab lunch at a local delicacy
• Learn more about Taipei and Wanhua’s history at Bopiliao Historic Block with kid-friendly exhibitions
• Take one MRT stop to Ximending and visit the Red House to look at art and local designer pieces
• Eat dinner at one of the many themed restaurants
• Finish off with dessert like the tall ice cream!