Ximending 西門町

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Ximending is a historical neighborhood and shopping district in west Taipei. Originally built by the Japanese as an entertainment district, it later became the first designated pedestrian zone in Taiwan. Here you can find night market like food choices, historical sights, and endless shopping options. It is definitely worth a stop on your trip to Taipei.

Historical Background:
The land that Ximen Shopping District stands on was once part of Basay tribal land. The Basay people had lived on the land for thousands of years before the first Chinese settlers.
Sections of the area indicate that there was settlements here during the Dutch rule in the 1600s.
The name Ximending refers to the neighborhood just outside the west gate of Taipei City. Before the Japanese colonization of Taiwan, this area was wilderness connecting Taipei with Bangka. The Japanese decided to develop it into an entertainment area around the turn of the 20th century.  The walls of Taipei were later torn down in 1905. 
One historical building here is the Red House Theater (紅樓劇場) which was built in 1908. Originally the building was a department store, but after 1945 the building was transformed into a theater. After a fire in the year 2000, it was renovated and turned into a museum with shops and theater with more modern equipment. 
In the year 2000, Ximending was designated as a pedestrian zone, the first in Taiwan.  Because if its popularity, the area is also known for more crime and illicit activities. 
Currently the area sees over 300 shoppers per month. The area is also especially popular with young people because there are many high schools and cram schools nearby. 

Price:
Free

Hours:
24/7

How to get there:
By Car/Scooter: From Taipei Main Station, go east on Zhongxiao East Road until you reach Zhonghua Road and take a left. Take another right on Chengdu Road and you are there. There is some scooter parking on the street, but if you are driving a car I suggest parking at Carrefour and walking over. 
By MRT: Take the green line to Ximen Station. The shopping district can be found at exit 6.

Map:
Please see below:

Our Journey:
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I have been to Ximending countless times. What keeps me going back is the need to buy clothes, especially shoes. Some Taiwanese friends of mine have the impression that Ximending is the main hangout spot for high school students in Taiwan, and they are not wrong.

Shunxin Hall 西本願寺

Traveling on Zhonghua Street, you will come across Shunxin Hall, which is an old Japanese Buddhist Monestary which was completed in the early 1900s. Later it was damaged in a fire, and was partially renovated in 2006. Above you can see the renovated bell tower. 

More photos of this place can be seen in the gallery above.

Every time I go to Ximending I always see these people with "Taiwan Independence" flags on their bicycles. One time I saw them fighting with the "one China" people. 

The main square at Ximending with more "Taiwan Independence" flags. 

Ximen Red  House Theater 西門紅樓

One historical building here is the Red House Theater (紅樓劇場) which was built in 1908. Originally the building was a department store, but after 1945 the building was transformed into a theater. After a fire in the year 2000, it was renovated and turned into a museum with shops and theater with more modern equipment. ​

You can check out more photos inside the Red House in the photo gallery above. 

Ximending Shopping District 西門町商圈

The main part of Ximending is of course the pedestrian shopping district. This place is normally always packed with people, even on weekends. 

Pretty much every major name brand you can think of is here. 

In the middle of the district there is a rainbow road. 

Here you can see lots of street performers and sometimes there will be food stalls. 

View of some street performers.

Another view of the shopping district from another entrance. 

Here there are restaurants and clothing shops mixed together.

There are also many many shoe shops, and because of this it is one of my favorite places to buy shoes. 

There are also lots of these cell phone accessory shops.

Candy apples and candy tomatoes. 

Braised goods stand.

Some people argue that Ximending is a night market. While it certainly does look like a night market, it's officially a shopping district. But 差不多.

There are tons of food options down the little alleyways toward Zhonghua Road. 

Another alleyway full of food. 

Main street with lots of name brand stores on either side.

Check out the gallery above for more photos of the shopping district. 

If you have time you can also walk over to the Presidential Office Building which also dates back to the Japanese era, and gives free daily tours. Check out our full blog here for further details. 

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more of our blogs on Taipei to come!

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