Wanhua's Night Markets

The night market is famous for its local delicacies, including pig organ soup, danzi noodles, cuttlefish soup, glass jelly, stinky tofu and desserts such as peanut/ redbean mochi soup. Among the extensive choices of food available, the most famous remains as the Snake and Turtle Soups. 

In fact, their presence explains the market’s initial name, “Snake Alley”. This is because Wanhua was once a red light district, full of brothels. Therefore, many local men patronize these food outlets as the soups are regarded as effective traditional remedies that treat or stimulate male potency. Nevertheless, after former President Chen Shui Bian took over, he made prostitution illegal. Subsequently, this resulted in a sharp decline in not only the number of brothels, but also these food outlets, thereby improving the overall safety and order of the night market. At the same time, other food stalls, such as those stated above, blossomed in order to cater to the tourists’ needs. Some locals also believe that the bustling night markets in this area can be attributed to the regulations that prohibit locals from cooking openly in indoor shopping centers. Hence, these stall owners end up setting up stalls along the streets such as Hua Xi in order to continue their business.