Ximending (sometimes Hsimenting, ; Tâi-lô: Se-mn̂g-ting; Japanese Romaji: ) is a neighborhood and shopping district in the

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 ...

, along with its main rival, the

Eastern District of Taipei The Eastern District of Taipei () refers to the newly developed area in eastern Taipei, Taiwan. In its broadest sense, the Eastern District of Taipei is the whole region east of Fuxing South Road. In general, however, the Eastern District re ...

Overview

Ximending has been called the "

Harajuku is a district in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. Harajuku is the common name given to a geographic area spreading from Harajuku Station to Omotesando, corresponding on official maps of Shibuya ward as Jingūmae 1 chōme to 4 chōme. In popular refere ...

of Taipei" and the "

Shibuya Shibuya (wikt:渋谷, 渋谷wikt:区, 区 ''Shibuya-ku'') is a Special wards of Tokyo, special ward in Tokyo, Japan. As a major commercial and finance center, it houses two of the busiest railway stations in the world, Shinjuku Station (southern ...

of Taipei". Ximending is the source of Taiwan's fashion, subculture, and Japanese culture. Ximending has a host of clubs and pubs in the surrounding area. This area is in the northeastern part of Wanhua District in Taipei and it is also the most important consumer district in the Western District of Taipei. The well-known Ximending Pedestrian Area was the first pedestrian area built in Taipei and is the largest in Taiwan.

Access

Because many bus lines gather on Zhonghua Road, Ximending is also an important area for bus transfers. Ximending is also accessible via exit 6 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 ...

Ximen Station (

Bannan Line The Bannan or Blue line (code BL) is a metro line of Taipei Metro in Taipei, Taiwan, with a total of 23 stations serving the districts of Nangang, Xinyi, Daan, Zhongshan, Wanhua, Banqiao and Tucheng. The line's name is a portmanteau of ...

and Songshan-Xindian Line).

History

Name

The Ximending Pedestrian Area is named after the administrative division , which existed during Japanese rule, referring to an area outside the west gate of the city. The area of Seimon-chō included modern-day Chengdu Road (), Xining South Road (), Kunming Street (), and Kangding Road (). However, today the Ximending Pedestrian Area not only includes Seimon-chō but also Wakatake-chō () and Shinki-chō (). The historical spelling of this area was Hsimenting, which is based on the

Wade–Giles Wade–Giles () is a romanization system for Mandarin Chinese. It developed from a system produced by Thomas Francis Wade, during the mid-19th century, and was given completed form with Herbert A. Giles's '' Chinese–English Dictionary'' o ...

romanization of Standard Chinese. The use of the character is unusual in a Chinese context: it denotes a

chō is a Japanese actor and narrator from Kōnosu, Saitama. His former stage name was . He is a graduate of the Nishogakusha University Department of Literature and received training at Bungakuza's research establishment and the Seinenza Theater C ...

(a part of a

ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

) in the Japanese municipality system.

Origin

The name of Ximending was derived from its position outside the west gate of Taipei City. In the beginning of Japanese rule, the area was still wilderness, through which there was a road connecting the west gate to the town of Bangka (now called Wanhua). Later, the Japanese decided to follow the example of

Asakusa is a district in Taitō, Tokyo, Japan. It is known as the location of the Sensō-ji, a Buddhist temple dedicated to the bodhisattva Kannon. There are several other temples in Asakusa, as well as various festivals, such as the . History The ...

in Tokyo to set up an entertainment and business area. The earliest entertainment facilities constructed included the Taihokuza () in 1897, Eiza (, now called New Wanguo Market) in 1902, and the

Red House Theater The Red House Theater (), often called Hong Lo Red Play House, Red Theater, Ximen Honglou or Ximen Red House in English, is a historic theater in Ximending, Wanhua District, Taipei, Taiwan. The theater is located at 10 Chengdu Road. History Bu ...

in 1908.

Theater street

Ximending became a well-known theater street in Taipei in the 1930s and grew even more prosperous after the defeat of Japan. In the 1950s, every theater was full to capacity and scalpers ran wild. Gradually, more theaters opened one after another; At one point, Wuchang St Section 1 had over ten theaters. However, in the 1990s, as Taipei City developed toward the Eastern District and away from Ximending, it began to lose business. In 1999, the city government and local stores established Ximending as a pedestrian area, prohibiting the entrance of vehicles on weekends and national holidays, a move that attracted young consumers and brought back business. Today, Ximending has over twenty theaters and six thousand vendors, and is a popular area for small concerts, album launches, and street performances. It is also home to the Red Envelope Clubs set up in the 1960s.

Historic sites

Because of its history, Ximending is home to several historical sites. Built during Japanese rule, Ximending Mazu Temple () is one of the important and prominent historical temple. Originally opened as a market, the

is another prominent building from the Japanese era. The namesake West Gate and the

Walls of Taipei The Taipei City Walls () were constructed in 1884 in Taipeh Prefecture, Taiwan, Qing dynasty (modern-day Taipei, Taiwan). Shortly after the Qing dynasty established Taipeh Prefecture in 1875, Prefect Chen Hsing-chü (陳星聚) ordered the foundati ...

were torn down in 1905. Chunghwa Market used to extend to this area, but was demolished in 1992.

Popularity

Ximending attracts an average of over 3 million shoppers per month. It has been called the "

of Taipei". The local bookstores sell Japanese magazines, books, CD albums, and clothing, making it a haven for harizu (), or Japanese culture adorers. Individual vendors gather in the streets as well as in the large business buildings, such as Wannien Department Store and Shizilin Square, during the day, and Wanguo Department Store and Eslite 116 later at night. The area around the Red House Theater is considered a center of Taipei's

LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term ...

culture, and Ximending has often featured prominently in

Taiwan Pride Taiwan Pride () is the annual LGBTQ pride parade in Taiwan. The parade was first held in 2003. Although joined by groups from all over the country, the primary location has always been the capital city of Taipei. The parade held in October ...

marches/parades. Due to its popularity, Ximending also has a higher crime rate compared to the rest of the city with reports of violent brawls and prostitution. In response, the area is also subject to more policing.

Transportation

Ximending's central location within Taipei renders it easily accessible, covering the area northwest of

's Ximen Station.

References

External links

* http://www.ximending.tw/ {{coord, 25.042643, 121.507539, format=dms, display=title Neighbourhoods in Taipei Culture in Taipei Shopping districts and streets in Taiwan Shopping in Taipei Pedestrian malls in Taiwan