![Huaxi Street Tourist Night Market paifang at night 20120101](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/59/Huaxi_Street_Tourist_Night_Market_paifang_at_night_20120101.jpg)
Snake Alley (), also known as Huaxi Street Night Market or Huaxi Street Tourist Night Market () is a market in
Wanhua District
Wanhua District, known in Taiwanese Hokkien as Báng-kah khu and historically as "Monga" or "Monka", is a district in Taipei, Taiwan. It is Taipei's oldest district. The district is home to historic buildings such as the Bangka Lungshan Temple, ...
,
Taipei
Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the ...
,
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
. The market is located near the
Bangka Lungshan Temple
Bangka Lungshan Temple (also Lungshan Temple of Manka, Mengjia Longshan Temple) is a Chinese folk religious temple in Wanhua District (alternately known as Bangka/Mengjia), Taipei, Taiwan. The temple was built in Taipei in 1738 by settlers from ...
as well as other night markets located on Guangzhou Street, Wuzhou Street and Xichang Street.
The Huaxi Night Market is a two-block long
night market
Night markets or night bazaars are street markets which operate at night and are generally dedicated to more leisurely strolling, shopping, and eating than more businesslike day markets. They are typically open-air markets popular in East Asia, So ...
in
Wanhua District
Wanhua District, known in Taiwanese Hokkien as Báng-kah khu and historically as "Monga" or "Monka", is a district in Taipei, Taiwan. It is Taipei's oldest district. The district is home to historic buildings such as the Bangka Lungshan Temple, ...
, the oldest district of
Taipei
Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the ...
,
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
. It contains stands serving local snacks, and restaurants that serve traditional Taiwanese dishes and many delicacies including snake blood and meat, turtle blood and meat and
deer penis
In traditional Chinese medicine, a deer penis (; Vietnamese: ''Lộc pín'') is said to have important therapeutic properties.
Purported properties
In Angang, Taiwan, women are reported to consume deer penis during pregnancy as it is said to ha ...
wine, which are not normally found anywhere else.
Many stands used to sell various snake delicacies and drinks, hence its nickname "Snake Alley".
Many Taiwanese have a negative view of Snake Alley, which was once a legal
red-light district.
History
The Huaxi Street Night Market has a history of over 50 years. Until the 1990s, it was a red light district, with pornography shops and strippers congregating along the two sides of these streets. Prostitutes could be easily found in the brothels in the area, where they waited for customers in plain view. In 1991 the Taiwanese government outlawed
prostitution.
Snake Alley got its nickname due to the numerous restaurants serving snake meat in the past.
Previously, snake-meat restaurants would get attention from passersby by putting on performances where handlers would kill and skin live snakes.
However, the government banned performances in the 2000s, both to adhere with Article 13 of Taiwan's Animal Protection Act, as well as appease the public's growing concerns about animal welfare. On May 21, 2018, the night market's last snake-meat restaurant, the Asia Snake Meat Store (), closed down.
Because of its various restaurants and food stalls, the night market has been recognized by the
Michelin Guide
The Michelin Guides ( ) are a series of guide books that have been published by the French tyre company Michelin since 1900. The Guide awards up to three Michelin stars for excellence to a select few establishments. The acquisition or loss of ...
. In its 2019 Michelin Guide to Taipei, the guide gave the entire night market the Bib Gourmand. In August 2020, food vendor Wu Huang-yi, who sells
gua bao
The ''gua bao'' (), also known as pork belly bun, ambiguously as bao, or erroneously as bao bun, is a type of lotus leaf bun () originating from Fujian cuisine. It is a popular snack in Taiwan and is commonly sold at night markets and restaura ...
at his food stall in the night market, also received a Bib Gourmand.
Transportation
The night market is 500 meters (1650 feet) northwest of Exit 1 of the
Longshan Temple Station
Longshan Temple (Bangka Commercial Zone) (), formerly transliterated as Lungshan Temple Station until 2003, is a metro station in Taipei, Taiwan served by Taipei Metro. The station is named for the nearby Lungshan Temple.
Station overview
The ...
of the
Taipei Metro
Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT), branded as Metro Taipei, is a rapid transit system serving the areas of Taipei and New Taipei in Taiwan, operated by the government-owned Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation, which also operates the Maokong Gondo ...
.
See also
*
List of night markets in Taiwan
This is a partial list of night markets in Taiwan sorted by location.
Northern Taiwan
Keelung
* Miaokou Night Market, Ren'ai (廟口夜市)
Taipei
* Dalong Night Market, Datong (大龍街夜市)
* Gongguan Night Market, Zhongzheng (公 ...
References
{{Night markets of Taiwan
Night markets in Taipei
Red-light districts in Taiwan
Restaurant districts and streets in Taiwan