Dadaocheng
Dadaocheng is one of the most interesting districts of Taipei. During the 19th century it grew from a sleepy port into the commercial heart of Taipei. Fortunes were made exporting tea and other goods and this wealth drove the construction of mansions and baroque shophouses. After World War two the area declined and Taipei grew eastward. However this lack of interest from developers preserved many of the grand buildings and narrow alleys. Now the main street, Dihua, is preserved as a historic thoroughfare and the area has seen a surge in interest from people looking for a sense of old Taipei.
I’d walked down Dihua Street during one of my first months in Taipei. Back then the revitalization of the district was underway but the central and northern sections were still ungentrified and full of abandoned buildings. I had left the district off the Taipei map as adding it to Modern Taipei would have meant adding other much duller districts above Nanjing East Road.
Running east from the river through the middle of Dadaocheng is a street called Guisui. Following it toward a hulking modern Carrefour you find a collection of old buildings and the long shuttered remnants of one of Taipei’s red light districts. In 2013 I was contacted by people trying to preserve some of this area’s history from a developer who wished to flatten the whole lot (and sadly by 2022 was mostly successful). They introduced me to the area and asked if I would draw it to help their preservation efforts. I agreed and began to survey the surrounding streets myself.
Every street I turned down had something interesting! It’s often difficult to decide where the edges of these drawings are going to be, but in this case it was near impossible. Eventually I found I’d wandered as far as Dihua Street which I’d wanted to draw anyhow. I then walked the lanes near the river and the areas north of Taipei Station. I also found what seemed to be a remnant village full of machine workshops and old brick homes. I wanted to record all of this, they seemed like parts of the city that wouldn’t be around much longer. Eventually the drawing grew to encompass all of Dadaocheng.
Images taken in 2013 of places now demolished
A detailed account of all the different places in this district could easily fill a book. I have written some articles about a few parts of the district and linked to them below. They are English only but I believe online translators are getting pretty good! The Main Station one mostly covers the area to the south of the station but there is some overlap with this map. I have also designed a three hour long English language tour that takes in many sights from Beimen to Daqiaotou, with a focus on the lesser known parts of the district. Feel free to contact me or the Community Services Center in Tianmu about that.
Artwork Details
Dadaocheng , 2013 , Pencil on Paper , 93 x 89 cm
Original drawing: Available but some slight damage (some small yellow spots). Also drawn across multiple small pieces of paper. Unfortunately given I used to like to take these older drawings out with me to draw they were a bit more susceptible to damage than my later pieces.
Available as an open edition paper or canvas print. Custom sizing is available. Follow the links below:
The Etsy shop is a little pricier given the much higher taxes and fees on that platform
The main difference between paper and canvas is how they can be framed
International airmail usually takes 2-3 weeks. Expedited mail is available on request
Part of the Dadaocheng Map is also available as a postcard
A few match ups of historic buildings and their places on the map. While I don’t have time to update it much anymore I added a ton of locations to the Hidden Taiwan Map here. I’m sure most have not changed significantly.
Looking back on the Dadaocheng map, I forgot I put so many boats on it! I don't think I've ever seen people rowing on that river! I also noticed I put a little audience watching an opera on the stage in the appropriately named Guisui Opera Park. That I actually did see! Sometimes it's fun to re-explore some places years later!