Feng Chia Night Market

Location/Accessibility

Feng Chia Night Market is located in one of Taichung's famous commercial business districts. It covers an area within Wenhua Road, Fengjia Road and Fuxing Road. It is accessible by train. People can take bus number 25 or 35 from Taichung Railway Station to Feng Chia University. The night market can then be seen from the bus stop.

Map of Feng Chia Night Market (Credits: My Kafkaesque Life)

Feng Chia Night Market

Specialities

The stalls at Feng Chia Night Market are mostly food stalls, with minimal number of apparel shops. These stalls serve traditional food and beverages such as smelly tofu, fried chicken cutlet and bubble milk tea. There are also stalls serving international food such as French steak, German pig knuckle as well as Korean rice cake. We think that there would be more of such stalls appearing in Feng Chia Night Market due to the influence of the international cultures such as the Korean wave in Taiwan. As such, the night market may be expanding in the near future. Furthermore, the expansion may attract more tourist to visit the night market. Nevertheless, this could be a boon and bane to the Taiwanese. Firstly, these international stalls together with the increasing number of tourists would contribute to the Taiwan's economy. Having that in mind, the locals actually face stiff competition from these international stalls. As a result, the Taiwan's culture might be diluted as supported by the talk given by the professor in NTNU whereby the current situation of the youth culture is greatly influenced by the Korean wave.

Traditional food such as bubble milk tea, smelly tofu and fried chicken cutlet 

International food like French cutlet, German pig knuckle and Korean rice cake

Layout of Stalls

Feng Chia Night Market consists of both high-end retail shops and makeshift stalls. For the stalls, some of them are situated in front of shops that are closed. Perhaps, once the main shops are open, the makeshift stalls may shift to elsewhere. The stalls are also neatly aligned. Basically, the layout of the night market is similar to that of Shida Night Market. They, too, have stalls being set up in adjacent to the main street shops. Surrounding the night market are high end retail shops that are international retail brands such as Levis, The Body Shop and Adidas. In our opinion, this shopping area could be the downtown area of the people in Taichung due to the variety of shops that caters to different consumers.

Make-shift stalls found in front of shops that are closed

International retail brands like Levi's, The Body Shop and Adidas

Shida Night Market

Location/Accessibility

Shida Night Market is situated at Shida Road and it is in between the residential areas. Something interesting that we found out about its location from the wonderful National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) Hosts was that previously the alley that the night market is situated now is for the purpose of mitigating the spread of fire during the Japanese Colonial Rule. Back in those days, the area used to be a residential area in which the houses were made from wood. Hence when the occurrence of fire or bombings by the enemy occurred, the alley created would not destroy the whole area totally. Back to the topic, the night market is convenient for us since it was merely a 5-minutes walk from NTNU and also the Taipower Station. With that, we find that this night market is crowded with the younger generation and this should probably be the students from both NTNU and National Taiwan University (NTU).

Map of Shida Night Market

Nearby Attractions/Amenities

This night market is located between two biggest universities in Taiwan, as mentioned earlier NTNU and NTU. Due to its proximity to these famous universities, we find that this night market is catered to the needs and interests of the youths in Taipei. This is due to some observations made about the things such as shoes, dresses, leggings and trench coats that are being sold at this market.

Chengying and Zenn with their hosts at NTNU

Shikin and Serene with their loots!

Shoes bought in Shida Night Market

Clothings bought in Shida Night Market

Specialities

As mentioned previously, this night market caters to the youth of Taipei for this instance the students from both NTNU and NTU. As such, food, clothing, accessories to even stationery stalls are a common sight at this night market. Moreover the things sold here are much cheaper on top of the variety of products as compared to the other night markets that we have visited preciously. For example, we noticed that the average price of a trench coat at the other night market can go up to NT$1500 whereas a similar piece could be sold at only NT$1000 at this night market. Thus this would support our claim made that it is catered to students as being students, we have lower purchasing power. On the other hand, the food are relatively similar to those from the other night markets. One thing which is different is that the food stalls do not provide any seating area for customers' consumption of their food on the spot unlike for example Ningxia night market. Furthermore, the stalls are widely spaced out in which we think could have contributed to the 'non-smoky' alley. This definitely provides better ventilation especially for tourists like us who are not accustomed to the smell and the smoky environment.

Food Stalls in Shida Night Market

Clothes stalls along the alley

Layout of Stalls

The stalls here are along the alleys of Shida Road. The stalls are upfront instead of those makeshift stalls in comparison to the other night markets. Therefore, even during a rainy weather, it would not affect shoppers as the area is well-sheltered with the protruding canvas from each stall. At the same time, we find that the stalls here have different franchises either along the same alley or adjacent to it. Therefore this could be a double-edge sword to the stall owners. Firstly, this could be a good business strategy since stalls that are located near the main road would be one of the first that would be patronised. Hence with the different franchise all over the night market, the main stall owner would not lose out since he or she could still earn as they are located at different places. Nonetheless, this would not be a good idea since it not only limits the choice provided to customers but simultaneously, customers like us who have recognised the shop names would not even enter the shop with similar names. This case in unlike Raohe Night Market whereby a clothing stall could be position next to a food stall. At the Raohe Night Market, customers who are particular about cleanliness would not purchase the apparels as the smoke and smell from the food stall may affect the cleanliness of the clothings. We are a good example. We did not buy any clothes from Raohe Night Market as we do not want our new clothes to be full of the food smell.

Cluster of food stalls with protruding canvas for shelter

Raohe Night Market

Location/Accessibility

Raohe Street Night Market is located in Songshan District at Raohe Street. It begins in the west from Bade Road to Tayou Road. This night market is easily accessible by various modes of transportation. Firstly, one could alight at the Songshun Railway Station and make a five-minute walk down Raohe Street. Due to the cost of purchasing a railway ticket, visitors with budget could get the MRT ticket and alight at Houshanpi Station. After which, visitors would need to take approximately a 15-minute walk to Zhongpo North Road. Secondly, visitors could make use of the numerous bus services and alight at the Raohe Street Night Market Stop. Lastly, one could board the ferry at the Dajia Wharf in the Dajia Riverside Park and alight at Blue Highway River Ferries. In our opinion, it is not advisable to use the last transportation mode as there is no fixed schedule for the ferries since it is determined by the sea or tide conditions. 

Map of Raohe Night Market

Entrance of the Raohe Night Market

Nearby Attractions/Amenities

Raohe Street Night Market is relatively near the Songshan Ciyou Temple which seems to serve as the spiritual center for the area. While walking towards the night market, visitors would first see this temple which is brightly decorated with neon lights and it is simply hard to miss this sight. The night market is also located near to the Wufenpu Clothing Market. This wholesale market is about 850m away from Raohe Night Market and it is definitely an excellent bargain place for consumers who like to purchase apparels and accessories in bulk. 

Ciyou Temple located beside Raohe Night Market

Wufenpu Wholesale Centre

Wufenpu Wholesale Centre located about 850m from Raohe Night Market

Specialities

The Raohe Street Night Market offers various kinds of general merchandises, accessories and traditional snacks at reasonable prices. Food include barbequed oysters, grilled mushrooms and sponge cakes with various cartoon characters. We felt that the stall selling such sponge cakes is very appealing to not only the young kids but also the young adults. The stall also offers a wide array of flavors such as honey and chocolate. Besides, there is a traditional bakery shop named, He He Tang, that caters to the pastries lovers. Among the night markets we have visited, this is the only night market that has a halal cafe, Aladdin Cafe, that sells freshly made kebabs. As such, muslim friends may  want to include this night market into their itinerary should they want to expose themselves to the food culture in Taiwan. Other than food, visitors can buy unique product such as the 'magic flowers' which bloom when the surrounding experiences low humidity and close when there is high moisture content in the air. It is interesting to note that such beautiful flowers can last up to 10 years and it is only available in Taiwan hence, they could be ideal souvenirs for tourists.

Barbequed oysters

Grilled mushrooms

Sponge cakes with cartoon characters

Traditional bakery shop

Aladdin Cafe selling yummy halal kebabs

'Magic flowers' in bottles

Layout of Stalls

The stalls are arranged neatly in a straight row between two narrow paths that are also lined with stalls. These paths seems to move in a one-way direction in which the path on the right after the entrance marks the start of the walking direction. On the other hand, the path on the left before the entrance marks the end of the walking direction. As compared to the Shilin Night Market, the food and apparel stalls seemed to be arranged side by side. In our opinion, we felt that visitors may not be that incline to buy their apparels as they may be stained by the strong smell from the various food stalls. In all, given the long historical background for being the oldest night market in Taiwan, Raohe Night Market is absolutely worth to be visited by many people. 

Start of walking direction on the right after the entrance  (visitors walking from the entrance)

End of walking distance on the left before the entrance (visitors walking towards the entrance)

Shilin Night Market

Location/Accessibility

Shilin Night Market is located in the neighbourhood of Dadong Road, Danan Road, Wenin Road and Jihe Road. Shilin Night Market is situated nearby the Jiantan MRT Station with a five- minute walk down the Wenlin Road. Besides travelling by train, visitors can also gain access to the night market using buses which stop at either the Xiaobeijie or Jiantan Metro Stop.
In comparison to the other night markets in Taipei City, Shilin Night Market is the most conveniently located night market. Being the largest night market in the city, Shilin Night Market would expect heavy human traffic at most times, especially during the weekends. Hence, it is important for the night market to be strategically located so as to ensure ease of accessibility for the visitors.

Map of Shilin Night Market

Entrance of Shilin Night Market

Nearby Attractions/Amenities

The attractions nearby Shilin Night Market included the Shilin Official Residence, Cixian Temple and Jiantan Mountain hiking trail. In general, it seems that the presence of temples seems to be a common sight in some of the night markets such as Raohe Night Market and Shilin Night Market. We felt that the building of such temples before or after the existence of night markets seems to give us the impression that the temples are there to bless the night markets with prosperity. Probably, this is part of the Chinese culture in Taiwan. If we have gone there in the day, we could have pay a visit to the temple and find out more information such as the history of the temple and the influence of the night markets on the temples. 

Signboard indicating nearby attractions 

Cixian Temple

Specialities

Shilin Night Market is filled with numerous food stalls which offer a wide variety of traditional food and beverages such as the large fried chicken cutlet, braised pork rice and oyster omelette. Beside food items, visitors can find apparels as well as accessories at affordable prices. This area may be a shopping heaven for youth visitors as it offers fashionable clothes, shoes and accessories. Based on our experiences and observations, we noticed that there were several tour groups visiting the night market. This shows that the night market is capable of meeting the needs of both the locals and international tourists. According to our research, Shilin Night Market is always listed as one of the must-see destination in Taipei City.

Delicious braised pork rice and oyster omelette

Fruits

Large fried chicken cutlet

A stall selling some traditional Taiwan food

Layout of Stalls
Stalls in Shilin Night Market are lined neatly indoor with two distinguished sections. One of which is the temporary market area across the Jiantan Metro Station while the other section is on Danan Road. There is also a basement food court which offers a whole range of traditional food and beverages. Similar to the layout in Feng Chia Night Market, stalls are located adjacent to the various main streets. These adjacent lanes allow visitors to walk over from one main street to the other.
Shilin Night Market offers a resting area filled with colourful benches for visitors who were tired from their touring. Behind the resting area are shops that sell children’s apparels. While in the front of the resting area, there are games stalls catered to the demand of young kids. In our opinion, this arrangement is family friendly as parents and children can rest on the benches after a day long at the night market. 

One of the main streets at Shilin Night Market

Left: Games stalls
Center: Resting area with colourful benches
Right: Children's apparel stores

Ningxia Night Market

Location/Accessibility

Ningxia Night Market is located in a small district called Datong in Taipei City. It is bounded by the area of Minsheng West Road, Nanjing West Road and Chongqing North Road. This night market is easily accessible from CityInn III Hotel, whereby a 15-minutes walk is all it takes to reach the destination. Hence, dinner and supper can be settled without much worries such as missing the last bus or train back to the hotel. Moreover, visitors to the night market are spoilt for choices due to the presence of a wide variety of food and beverages.

  Map of Ningxia Night Market

Entrance of Ningxia Night Market 

Nearby Attractions/Amenities

In the center of Ningxia Night Market, there is a school named Penglai Elementary School. This school may have existed way before the night market first operated. This assumption is made due to the fact that the architecture of the building is rather run-down and somewhat similar to those buildings that have been preserved during the Japanese colonial rule. Our assumption was justified when a local gave a brief explanation on the history of the school. Stalls are also set up with much flexibility along the street so as not to be obstructed by the school building. 

Penglai Elementary School

Specialities

Majority of the stalls at Ningxia Night Market sell food. Based on observation, the night market seems to cater more to locals instead of the tourists. Besides, visitors will have the opportunities to play with the traditional games and queue for local snacks such as the hot mochi and oyster mee sua. In this case, this may affect the number of tourists that would patronize this night market. For instance, there may be a decline in the number of visitors at a particular stall especially for those who are unwilling to try new things out or preferred to eat things that they are more familiar with. On the other hand, there may be a long queue at a specific stall particularly for those who are keen and adventurous to try out new food and snacks. Given the affordable food prices, we noticed that this night market was pretty crowded as their locals had just settled their dinner or supper here. Be prepared to immerse yourself in this delectable smoky lane!

Visitors playing the traditional mahjong game

Queuing for the hot mochi

Ready to savour the oyster mee sua

Layout of Stalls
The stalls in Ningxia Night Market are generally aligned neatly along both sides of the road. Nevertheless, the pathway for visitors to patronise the stalls is rather narrow. With that, problem such as a continuous crowd of people trying to break through the human traffic may arise. For instance, if a person buys or waits at a peculiar stall, that person may be deemed as an obstruction. Recognising that the night market has many food stalls, it is inevitable to find that the pathway remains constantly smoky. In our opinion, the pathway could be widen to accommodate the increasing number of visitors especially during the weekends. We also perceive such implementation as a win-win situation for both the consumers and stall owners. This is so that the latter would have ample space for their goods while consumers need not experience any human jam or have their clothes stained with smoke. With the different stalls set up side-by-side, it is natural that stalls would compete against each other to attract business. 

Narrow pathway in Ningxia Night Market