Harking back to a simpler time
There are others, like 33-year-old Qiu Yi, who are more interested in the stories of the ordinary folk of the area. Qiu, born and raised in Dadaocheng, has rented a second-floor apartment on Guisui Street near his home to open Vintage Travel & Hostel.
Walking into the old apartment, your eyes are met by the retro terrazzo flooring, leather sofa, and 1950s furniture. The wood-framed, frosted-glass windows and modern lighting add to the relaxing atmosphere, while the traditional couplets and red lanterns add an extra touch of Taiwanese flavor.
Qiu has maintained a sense of spaciousness in the living room and dining room, giving guests places to hang out, and the attention to detail and thoughtfulness with which he has renovated the hostel makes it hard not to be won over by it.
Already experienced in the travel industry, Qiu Yi set up a blog to give people a grassroots perspective on Dadaocheng, and has worked on developing guided tours of the area in Chinese, English, and Japanese. In 2012, to further help people get to know his beloved Dadaocheng, Qiu opened his hostel to serve foreign travelers.
“Generally my guided tours of Dadaocheng only last about two hours, but if you’re at a hostel like this, you get to experience the area 24 hours a day,” he explains.
Dadaocheng is a very different place in the nighttime than the bustling face it presents by day. In the evenings, Qiu will take his guests to the neighboring Ningxia and Yansan Night Markets for a taste of Taipei street food, while around noon he’ll take them to the food stalls near Cisheng Temple for lunch, where they can sample sparerib soup, pigs-feet vermicelli, and sishen soup.
He has also been working closely with local businesses, culminating in this August’s “Vintage Market,” held in front of Yongle Market. This flea market event brought together street stalls, speeches, and stage performances to provide a lively weekend activity.
“Dadaocheng shouldn’t just be ‘that place you go for Chinese New Year goodies.’ Each year, outside businesses just set up shop for a couple of weeks around New Year, but they don’t really help the area develop in the longer term,” says Qiu. He hopes that in the future the Vintage Market will grow and become a mecca for treasure hunters, like similar events in Paris. “Tourists could come here to explore, and so discover what an amazing place Dadaocheng really is.”
Such activity is bringing back more and more of Dadaocheng’s devotees. Old neighbors Qiu remembers moving away when he was young are slowly returning, glad to see the organic evolution the area is undergoing.
“What makes Dadaocheng special is its grassroots culture and connection to Taiwan’s history. I want to help bring the area into a new era of that,” says Chou Yi-cheng, who hopes that over the next decade, a new glory will light up this historic area.
Qiu Yi, who grew up in Dadaocheng, opened Vintage Travel & Hostel out of a desire to offer a local living experience along with tourist activities like flea markets.
Chou Yi-cheng’s ArtYard endeavor has provided a base for aspiring young entrepreneurs.
The Dadaocheng 1920s Costume Parade filled the area’s streets with lively, nostalgic scenes.
ArtYard’s high-ceilinged Thinkers’ Theater is home to seminars and theatrical performances.