A sensory overload awaits when visiting the food stands and curios stores of Jinbaoli Old Street. Experience 300 years of history as you eat and shop your way along one of the last surviving Qing dynasty streets on Taiwan’s north coast. It was once a place where traders would gather to sell farm products and fish. Today locals and tourists visit Jinbaoli Old Street to feast on traditional Taiwanese foods.
Stroll the short street, breathe in the pleasant aromas and observe the lively conversations between storeowners and customers. Sample sesame pork jerky, yam notable for its bright red color and taro cakes made from the locally grown Tiaoshi taro vegetable. Visit a time-honored rice shop that uses centuries-old scales and containers. See the lines of people outside the kitchen of the Guan An Temple as they wait for plates of the famous aromatic Jinshan duck meat.
If you have a sweet tooth, try slices of hei tang gao (black sugar cake) and caramelized yams. Purchase bags of cookies and potato chips to eat while on the move.
In among the food stands, shops sell everything from hats and scarfs to beach equipment, footwear and toys. Don’t miss the herbal medicine store, whose furniture and storage jars are from the Qing era (1644 to 1912).
Dedicate time to seeing the Jinshan Cihu Temple, which honors the Mazu sea goddess and is the largest temple in the Jinshan District. Admire the temple’s richly ornamented towers, its elaborate prayer halls and a statue of a golden-faced Mazu. Close to the temple, old houses showcase a combination of southern Fujian and Western architectural styles.
Jinbaoli Old Street is in the center of the downtown area of Jinshan District. Public buses travel here from Taipei City Hall Bus Station. Drivers can use the metered car park located at the northern end of the street.
Other attractions worth visiting in the Jinshan District include Jinshan Shitoushan Park and Zhongshan Hot Springs Park.
