A market established in 1900, under Japanese rule. A greatly expanded second-generation building went up in 1911, but it was heavily bombed in World War II and demolished; the present building was completed in 1977, with space for more than 500 vendors. After declining in the 1990s, the upper floors were repurposed from the mid-2010s for young entrepreneurs' studios and shops, and new eateries opened at ground level.
Sources: ey.gov.tw spectralcodex.com
This moment in the journey
Dongmen Market
Following the Dongqian Street sign, I went to Dongmen Market, said to be the oldest market in Hsinchu. It was established in 1900, under Japanese rule, and the present building dates from 1977.
Red lanterns hung in the passageways, and a glass roof covered the atrium. Signs in old lettering, rows of shutters, an escalator. Somehow nostalgic, like a film set.
Watch this scene on YouTube2:26
More notes from this journey
Hsinchu, Taiwan
Xian doujiang (savory soy milk soup)
A classic Taiwanese breakfast.
From: An apartment in Hsinchu and the steam of the night market
Hsinchu, Taiwan
Hsinchu rice vermicelli (instant)
Hsinchu rice vermicelli has a history of more than 150 years.
From: An apartment in Hsinchu and the steam of the night market
Hsinchu, Taiwan
Hsinchu City God Temple
A City God temple whose construction began in 1747 and was completed in 1748.
From: An apartment in Hsinchu and the steam of the night market
Hsinchu, Taiwan
Hsinchu Station
The station opened in 1893.
From: An apartment in Hsinchu and the steam of the night market
Hsinchu, Taiwan
Hsinchu rice vermicelli and the Jiujiang wind
Hsinchu is nicknamed the "Windy City" for the strength of the Jiujiang wind, which blows around the ninth lunar month (October to November).
From: An apartment in Hsinchu and the steam of the night market
Hsinchu, Taiwan
Gongwan, Hsinchu meatballs
Hsinchu's meatballs, made by pounding pork into a paste and boiling it.
From: An apartment in Hsinchu and the steam of the night market
More notes from Overseas
Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu
Longsilog
Silog is the name for a family of Filipino breakfasts built on garlic fried rice and a fried egg; the name changes with what comes alongside.
From: Everyday life on Mactan Island
Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu
Pancit canton (from instant noodles)
Pancit, noodles brought to the Philippines by Chinese immigrants, has become a full part of Filipino cooking.
From: Everyday life on Mactan Island
Hualien, Taiwan
Breakfast of purple waxy corn and Taiwanese sweet potato
In Taiwan, breeders have developed sweet waxy corn that carries both sweet kernels and sticky waxy kernels on a single cob.
From: Hualien: the sea and delicious everyday life
Hualien, Taiwan
Taiwanese instant zhajiangmian set
Wei Lih zhajiangmian is an instant dry noodle launched in Taiwan in 1973 by Wei Lih Food Industrial.
From: Hualien: the sea and delicious everyday life
Somerset Region, Queensland
Bacon and eggs with the owner's fresh eggs
Eggs fresh from the farm owner's hens, fried in an iron pan alongside bacon.
From: Borrowing a small house in the Australian countryside
Somerset Region, Queensland
Barbecued kangaroo steak
Kangaroo from the town butcher, grilled on the barbecue in the yard.
From: Borrowing a small house in the Australian countryside