Dihua Street, known throughout Taiwan for its Lunar New Year shopping scene, actually refers to the section of Dihua Street south of the Taipei Bridge. Geographically, Dihua Street is part of Dadaocheng (present-day Datong District). The first shops on Dihua Street appeared in 1851. Two years later, people from Tong'an, Quanzhou, in the Bangka area, established businesses along Dihua Street, forming the "Central Street." During the Japanese colonial period, shops primarily focused on groceries and tea, with rice, cloth, and traditional Chinese medicine gradually gaining ground. Over time, the streetscape and exterior of the buildings have undergone significant changes, evolving from simple Minnan-style shops to elaborate Baroque-style ornamentation to the present-day landscape.
After World War II, Dihua Street continued to be a hub for wholesalers of groceries, traditional Chinese medicine, and fabrics. It remains the largest wholesale and retail market for these three industries and is the most intact and historically significant old street in Taipei. Dihua Street is not only Dadaocheng's oldest market street, but has also been the core of the Dadaocheng business district since the late Qing Dynasty, maintaining its historic charm and vibrant commercial activity.
Walking into Dihua Street is like stepping into a corridor of history. Many businesses retain the Baroque architectural decorations of the Taisho period. Evolving since the late Qing Dynasty, Dihua Street is known to many as a wholesale distribution center for Taiwanese goods, tea, Chinese medicine, and cloth. Dihua Street truly captures the early stages of Taiwan's commercial development. The shophouses on Dihua Street are long, strip-like, terraced buildings with narrow frontages and deep, deep facades, embodying both commercial and residential functions. They are a typical example of commercial streets in Taiwan during the Qing Dynasty.
