Marketplaces/Commercial Districts

Shidong Market: Five-Star Traditional Market

• Source: Taipei City Government
• Date: 2010-03-23

Shidong Market opened its doors for business in 1992. Being the latest-established market in Taipei, it sports a more advanced design and modernistic environment than other comparable traditional-style markets. One of its more unique characteristics is the combination of Chinese and Western characteristics and flavors. The market is located in the foreign-expat enclave of Tianmu, resulting in a range of goods for sale of unusual breadth. Unusually, this market also offers a cool air-conditioning system to chase away the steamy and sticky summer air, and the interior design is such that you may sometimes feel you're ambling through a supermarket rather than a traditional market. All this leads to the public impression that Shidong Market is a “five-star model” market in Taipei.

A Fresh Market Catering to the Needs of All Different Nationalities

The first level of Shidong Market is dedicated to fresh seafood, fruit and vegetables, and sundry goods. We recommend that foreign visitors first make a stop at “Grass Songs Healthy Fruit and Vegetable Drinks,” for an invigorating refreshment fresh squeezed and blended only upon ordering. Fruit juice in hand, your “window-shopping” session launched, you'll find the first level choc-a-bloc with visually distinctive shops mixed among the fishmongers and meat sellers, creating quite the exotic stage setting. Check out the “Flagship Stands” first; these are four booths brought together as one selling-point with the support of the Dept. of Commerce, Ministry of Economic Affairs. Meat products, vegetables, fruits, and fresh flowers are sold here—the perfect all-purpose shopping destination for folks pressed for time, with most everything you might need in one location. This type of convenience defines Shidong Market's great attraction, and again with the support and guidance of the Commerce Department the Flagship Stands have created catchy signboards, displays, and decoration/ packaging; all these, along with product quality, are now judged against strict evaluation criteria. A visit to the Flagship Stands is a very pleasant experience, with their bright and friendly facade and their neat and tidy interior set-up, so very different from the general impression of disorderly crowding many people have regarding traditional markets. This, then, is a browsing environment that cannot but please the traveler/ shopper interested in local-style shopping habits.

At “Master A-Ji's Japanese Foods” you find classics from Japan such as the freshest sashimi and hand-formed sushi. It follows the Japanese common-folk custom of standing while eating. The delicious tastes bring a constant stream of hungry people, and the mix of diners standing about eating mixed with the line-up of soon-to-be diners patiently waiting creates a very interesting tableau—Japanese style. Nearby you'll find “Sihang Warehouse,” the name referring to a famous battle in the 1937 Battle of Shanghai. The shop front is a wonderful nod to nostalgia, and the refined furnishings and decorations within attract many appreciative visitors. Here you'll find goods from around the globe, with rice selections and other grains from dozens of lands. You'll find the national flags of the US, Japan, Thailand, and other countries flying from the sides of the rice bins, and even characters of each land written out, pleasingly creating a sort of mini “United Nations of grain.”

Next up is “123 Dumplings,” in place here for 16 years. Its dumplings are all made by hand, and there is splendid variety—dumplings with oat-flour skins and minced-pork stuffing, scallop dumplings, and fish dumplings. Each yummy nugget is dainty yet also fat with stuffing. The “Wei Ji” menu features fresh and delicious black pork in all offerings—dumplings, pot stickers, wontons, and more. Each and every one of these treats is tremendously popular, keeping customers arriving at the market in droves.

The Refined Second Floor Favorite with Ladies of Quality

The second level is dedicated to snack meals and drinks, general merchandise, antiques, and jewelry. The savory snack treats range from stir-fry dishes, lurou fan (rice with soy-stewed pork) and qiezai mian (noodles in soup with braised minced meat) to Western favorites such as steaks. There are also sweet treats such as tangyuan ( glutinous-rice flour stuffed dumplings in soup) and hongdou guiyuan zhou ( lit., red bean longan porridge). After browsing your fill on the first level, proceed to the second for some revitalizing snack treasures; the character of the second level is a world away from that of the first, filled with stimulating surprises.

Most of the clothes shops on the second floor feature imported women's attire, with selections from Europe to Japan. Great attention has been paid to the unique character of the interior decoration, attracting a steady flow of Japanese resident in Tianmu in particular. You'll also notice quite a few jewelry outlets on the second level, with curtains at times drawn down low to accommodate VIP customers in for viewings. These sellers are strict about maintaining the anonymity of their clientele, and provide professional, personalized delivery services. The result is a noticeably loyal corps of discerning Tianmu-based buyers. Foreign visitors and expatriates with an eye for Chinese antiques should take note that there are a number of antique shops here that specialize in Buddhist statues, antiques, and a wide variety of other expertly hand-crafted items, perfect for those Asian artifact hunters.

Those visiting Shidong Market for the first time are always struck by the difference in character between the two levels. Perhaps these differences can be seen as an accurate reflection of the overall Tianmu character, which exhibits great variation, absorbing the best from many cultures and demonstrating elegant style without affectation. According to one of the market's merchants, “Among our many customers, Japanese form the largest group, Westerners from Europe and North America come next and, surprisingly enough, local Taiwanese are fewest.” You might say Shidong Market is a reflection of Tianmu in miniature, and it must certainly be said this market is a must-visit spot to grasp the essential character of Tianmu living.