Wanhua

Wànhuá (萬華) is the oldest and most historically significant district of Taipei. It encompasses the Qing dynasty settlement of Bangka (艋舺), the trendy entertainment district of Ximending (西門町), and the former floodplains of the Tamsui River (淡水河), tamed and reclaimed for post-war public housing and industry. Its most famous sights include Bangka Lungshan Temple, a resplendent shrine venerating Guanyin, the goddess of mercy; Ximen Red House, established in 1908 and recently revitalized as an artsy mall and center of Taipei’s burgeoning queer community; Bopiliao Historic Block, a neatly restored streetscape of old shophouses; Huaxi Street Night Market, the famous “Snake Alley” of decades-old guidebooks; and the hidden Taipei Tianhou Temple, a magnificent shrine to the goddess Mazu with numerous relics of the Japanese colonial era inside.