Artsy heritage gems and laid-back getaways in Taipei
Published on
20 Dec 2022
Published by
The Straits Times
TAIPEI – A walk through Taipei can take you back in time.
A rundown 1960s concrete block looms next to a neat 1920s brick building. A modest Qing Dynasty-era wooden house is snuggled between 20th-century developments.
The cosmopolitan city is familiar to Singaporeans who go for street food, bubble tea and shopping. Dig a little deeper, however, and you can unearth deep pockets of history in its neighbourhoods which, like Singapore’s historic districts, have been undergoing gentrification.
Taiwan reopened to international visitors on Oct 13. On a recent trip, I discovered some artsy heritage gems, thanks to recommendations from Taiwanese friends and a helpful tour guide.
From cosplaying in Dadaocheng to hanging out at hipster cafes, these are laidback ways to rediscover the city.
1. Treasure Hill Artists Village
No. 2, Alley 14, Lane 230 Dingzhou Road, Section 3, Taipei, 100
This area became an Instagram magnet for locals during the pandemic when borders were closed and it is easy to see why.
There are picturesquely cluttered alleys, random street art on quaint buildings and ruined walls set against scenic views. Chairs are located helpfully for Instagrammers at the most popular photo spots.
This quirky cluster of small old houses clinging to a steep hillside actually has a long history, having been occupied since the 1920s. Some houses are still home to the third generation of the same families.
Once regarded as a slum, it was refurbished in 2010 and is now an artists’ colony. Some artists live on the premises, while others have studios and residencies there.
Pop by No. 40 Select, a tiny shop which carries prints and books by local artists.
Look out for the Pillbox, built by the Japanese to defend a water reservoir on the hill, which now hosts occasional art exhibitions. You can also wander into artists’ studios which are open to the public. Some of them incorporate tiny cafes.
You can even stay here at Attic Traveler’s Hostel (str.sg/wy3G) if you do not mind climbing slopes and rickety stairs every day.
The neighbourhood is actually named for the Treasure Hill Temple, which dates back to the Qing Dynasty and is the first thing you encounter on the path up to the artist village.
Dedicated to Guanyin, the goddess of mercy, the temple is intriguing because the modern extension has been built as a giant shell around the original smaller 19th-century temple. So you can climb to the extension’s second storey to get a close-up look at the sculptures decorating the roof of the old temple.
2. Dadaocheng
This area, crammed with architecture from Taipei’s founding to the present, is one of the oldest districts of the city, alongside the Wan Hua neighbourhood.
If cosplay is your thing, book a free costume at the Taipei Tourism Bureau’s new Visitor Centre (No. 44, Section 1, Dihua Street, Datong District, Taipei City 103). You can dress up in vintage Chinese/Japanese costumes. The centre has even built sets for visitors to grab that perfect Instagram shot. There is a vintage kissaten (Japanese coffee shop) set-up as well as a very pretty room filled with colourful lanterns.
Lockers and changing rooms equipped with dressing tables have been thoughtfully provided as well.
The service, offered in collaboration with the Kikumoto Harmony Clothing Shop, is very popular. You have to register online (https://str.sg/wy3d) a month before your visit and pay a refundable deposit of NT$1,000 (S$44).
You can also choose to go sightseeing in your cosplay get-up for a truly immersive experience.
Dihua Street is packed with restored buildings with surprisingly modern interiors and quirky attractions.
Across the street from the Visitor Centre is the A.S. Watson building, a franchise of the Watsons health and beauty retail chain, which now houses the ASW Tea House.
On the other side of the road is the Yongle Fabric Market (No. 21, Dihua Street), which is packed with textile stalls.
For a more curated fabric experience, head to InBlooom (103 No. 248, Section 1, Dihua Street, Datong District, Taipei City). This indie stalwart is stocked with small batch, locally designed fabrics and clothes, and conducts printing workshops.
Another reason to stop here is Cofe, co-located on the second floor. This award-winning chocolatier concocts amazingly intense tea chocolates using locally grown tea leaves and cocoa butter.
If chocolates are not your thing, head down the street to Juelin Nuts (No. 89, Section 1, Dihua Street). This traditional confectionery makes old-school peanut candy and assorted nut crisps.
This outlet has a counter where bakers are churning out fresh bakes and free samples. The peanut candy comes in bigger chunks than Singaporeans are used to and it is delicately fine-grained, melting on the tongue. The sesame crisps are fragrant and dangerously addictive.
Other old-school businesses along this street sell dried seafood and goods, which makes this a hot destination come Chinese New Year.
The Sin Hong Choon Tea Company (No. 309, Minsheng West Road, Datong District) is worth a detour from Dihua for a look at what a thriving tea merchant’s business and home looked like in the early 20th century.
The restored 1934 shophouse still has all the original tea processing facilities and paraphernalia which the Wang family donated, along with the building, to the city.
There are intriguing electricity-driven mills to separate tea leaves and old-school pits where leaves were smoked and processed. Look out for the shipping tins, with an iron address template in Thai as the business had a branch in Bangkok.
The family’s ancestral altar is still located on the third floor, which used to be their private residence. Every day, a member of the family still comes to light incense offerings.
Admission is free and there are daily curator’s tours at 2.30pm. It is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
3. Rongjin Gorgeous Time
No 157, Rong Jin Street, Da’an district, Taipei City 106
This row of newly restored Japanese houses opened in September and quickly attracted hordes of Instagrammers to its charmingly low-beamed wood buildings and neatly manicured miniature gardens.
The houses were accommodations for the administrators of a colonial jail, of which only a lone stone wall remains behind this development. There are 15 cafes and shops now occupying the buildings.
The most popular eateries are Kyomachi Yamamotoya, which specialises in Kyoto-style obanzai cuisine, and Good Cho’s, a branch of a hipster cafe famed for its bagels.
Dessert fiends will want to check out Kyushu Pancake’s Waffle House at the end of the row, the Japanese chain’s first overseas outlet, and Jin Jin Ding, which specialises in honey cake topped with gold leaf.
The stretch is less crowded in the evening, which was when I visited and had a leisurely dinner in JeeWoo.
The eatery is decorated with vintage toys from the owner’s collection, which are also for sale. The standout in the modest menu here is the softly fluffy fish tofu.
4. Wang Da-hong’s house and DH Cafe
10491, Zhongshan District, Taipei City
Tucked into a corner of the grounds of the Taipei Fine Arts Museum is this little architectural gem. It is a recreation of architect Wang Da-hong’s home. He is one of the pioneers of modernist architecture in Taiwan, and he designed this one-storey building.
His philosophy embraces both modernity and traditional Chinese ideas about homes and gardens. This tidy dwelling is minimalist but cosy and won acclaim for its fusion of Western architectural vocabulary with Chinese features.
Next to the building is the welcoming, book-lined DH Cafe. Buy a book and you will get a cuppa for free. You can also settle in for a leisurely lunch as the cafe offers a small menu of nicely made sandwiches and cakes.
5. Sleepless At Chousan
Alley 81, Lane 25, Dongshan Rd, 99, Shihlin District, Shilin, Taipei 111; go to facebook.com/chousan01
Drive up a winding road along Yangming Mountain and you will find this restaurant which offers great views of Taipei city. Split across three levels are indoor and outdoor dining areas as well as a standing bar.
The food is unpretentious Taiwanese fare such as sanbei ji (three cup chicken) and sweet and sour pork. Dishes come in generous family-size portions.
But the real reason to come here is the spectacular view. Time your visit for sunset. Even on the cloudy drizzly evening I visited, the views were beautiful.
Covid-19 advisory
Taiwan opened its borders in October and travellers no longer need to show polymerase chain reaction test results nor quarantine on arrival. There are no vaccination requirements.
The Taiwan Centers for Disease Control’s website (str.sg/wy3x) advises “a seven-day period of self-initiated prevention” which means travellers should self-monitor. In practice, it is not enforced, although the Taiwan authorities very kindly hand out boxes of test kits to airport arrivals. Each box contains four test kits.
Mask-wearing rules relaxed slightly from Dec 1. Masks can be removed outdoors, but are still mandatory indoors. But Taiwanese people still masked up diligently both indoors and outdoors when I was there from Nov 28 to Dec 3.
Three hotel picks
1. Hua Shan Din by Cosmos Creation
No. 79, Section 2, Zhongxiao East Road, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City, Taiwan 100
The hotel has a hilarious bank theme, thanks to the building’s history – it was built in 1952 as a warehouse for the First Commercial Bank. So there is an Instagram corner in the lobby featuring a bank vault with “gold bars” tumbling out, and tissue boxes in rooms come in the form of a “gold” bar.
Colourful decor inspired by street art also perk up the spacious rooms and corridors.
Rates start at NT$3,090 (S$136) for a superior room for two persons, without breakfast. There are triple and quadruple room options – great for groups of friends travelling together.
Breakfast (an additional NT$273) at the Hua Shan Din Cafe x Bar is buffet style with the obligatory porridge with condiments and lu rou fan (braised pork rice) as well as Western items. Instead of the usual boring breakfast vouchers, however, you get a gold coin to drop into a little barrel to redeem your meal.
The best thing about the hotel is its location across the street from the Hua Shan 1914 Creative Park.
The park, housed in a Japanese colonial-era distillery, offers a range of quirky boutiques and fun cafes.
Vinyl Decision (100, Taiwan, Taipei City, Zhongzheng District, Section 1, Bade Road; go to str.sg/wy3Y) is a must-visit. The cafe boasts rows of tightly packed vinyls for every conceivable genre from jazz to soundtracks to rock.
Film fans can pop into the flashier offshoot (https://str.sg/wy3m) of Spot, the indie cinema founded by renowned film-maker Hou Hsiao-hsien. The programming emphasises Taiwan films.
Info: huashandin.com.tw/en
2. ArTree Hotel
No. 76, Section 3, Bade Road, Songshan District, Taipei, Taiwan, 10559
As its name suggests, ArTree Hotel takes inspiration from nature. A video installation of flowers reminiscent of Japan collective TeamLab’s work greets guests in the spacious lobby while each of the three lifts is decorated with a different floral motif.
Rates for the comfortably appointed and spacious rooms start at NT$3,700 a night for two persons without breakfast. Top up another NT$500 for the generous breakfast spread in the Forest Restaurant, which includes cong yu bing (spring onion pancake) and che zai mian (cart noodles) cooked a la minute.
About a 15-minute walk away is the Songshan Cultural and Creative Park, with shopping, exhibitions and cafes located in an old tobacco factory, and the Taiwan Design Museum.
The best reason to stay here, however, is the hotel’s onsen offering. You can book a luxe private onsen room at NT$1,800, plus 10 per cent tax, for an hour.
The water is piped in from the famous Beitou hot spring. The onsen bath is generously sized, and the room is equipped with a shower and amenities. Additional spa services are available on request and need to be booked in advance.
Info: artreehotel.com.tw
3. Hotel Eclat
No. 370, Section 1, Dunhua South Road, Taipei 00106 Taiwan
Hotel Eclat, with its classic stone facade, wrought iron detailing, French windows and red awnings, looks like it has been plucked right out of a Parisian arrondissement and plonked in the middle of Taipei.
The rooms are the smallest of the hotels featured here and cost the most, with rates starting at NT$7,507.50 a night. But this member of the Small Luxury Hotels Of The World group is about the details. So, rooms are kitted out with Philippe Starck chairs, Mont Blanc stationery and Le Petit Prince toiletries.
The lobby is furnished with modern art, including two Salvador Dali sculptures, and an array of modern Chinese works, including Chen Wen Ling’s distinctive elongated red men.
The neighbourhood may not have the youthful vibe of Hua Shan nor the cosmopolitan chic of Song Shan, but the Da’an district offers some eclectic surprises, including the Taipei Grand Mosque, built along Arabic architectural lines and opened in 1960 (str.sg/wy3M).
Another neighbourhood landmark is the Wistaria Tea House (wistariateahouse.com), once a private home and a meeting place for the literati and political dissidents as well as a catalyst for the renaissance of tea culture in the 1980s.
Today, it is a charming venue for a long leisurely tea. You can choose between a Western- and a Japanese-style seating area and take your pick from a huge menu of Chinese teas and a lovely selection of traditional Chinese snacks, including almond cakes and melon seeds. There is a modest meal menu and a two-hour dine-in limit.
Info: str.sg/wy3Q
The writer’s trip was hosted by the Taipei Fine Arts Museum and the Taiwan Tourism Board.
Source: The Straits Times © Singapore Press Holdings Limited. Reproduced with permission.
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