The Vibrant Shilin Night Market in Taiwan

Posted on Nov 28 2013 - 1:32pm by Shem MD

Everyone in Taiwan knows that if you want to see the most vibrant night view, you must go to Shilin Night Market. Shilin Market Taiwan is also one of the most famous tourist destinations in Taiwan, and it is much recommended for travelers who visit this country. Located in the district with the same name, this colorful place is also the biggest night market in Taipei, Taiwan’s capital city.

This market has everything, from food stalls to clothing and jewelry, from bars to video arcades, and from street side snacks to toys. This is also a favorite place for students to hang out with friends, because the market usually opens around 4 PM, after school is over. This is also a favorite place for locals to buy fresh goods for dinner, or hang out during weekend.

History of Shilin Market

Shilin Market Taiwan has been operating since 1909. It was used as a place for trading agricultural and farm products between Shilin District and other areas such as Dadaocheng and Banka. The humble market soon grew into bigger market that sold a lot more things and invited more customers. Gradually, the market turned into a trading, culinary and entertainment center. More vendor owners and merchants started business here. So many were they that the market finally turned into night market (it was previously a regular day market).

Eventually, Shilin Night Market became so crowded that it began to face fire risks as well as sanitation problems. Finally, the government relocated all food vendors; now, food vendors are located near to Metro Jiantan Station. Meanwhile, the old structure that previously housed food vendors were demolished and renovated. The project finished in 2011, and Shilin Market became its current look.

What You Find at Shilin Night Market

Just like its old days, Shilin Market Taiwan sells a lot of things and houses hundreds of vendors, including food stalls. There are about 540 food stalls at the food court, and there is a second structure above the non-food sections. It becomes a parking lot. This is a good place to really see the vibrant nightlife of Taiwan and see the lively interaction between locals and tourists. You can find almost everything, clothes, jewelry, souvenirs, accessories, bootlegged DVDs and imitation products of original European and America brands, video game arcades, bars, karaoke bars, nightclubs, toys and many more. However, the most famous place to visit at this night market is probably the food stalls.

Shilin Market Taiwan sells a lot of foods, but the favorite menus are usually traditional Chinese buns and their fried variations, fried steak (usually made of chicken), milk tea with ‘pearls’ (sweet gelatin balls), and oyster omelet. There are also popular Japanese fried foods, such as many types of tempura, and sweet treats such as peanut candy and jelly.

As a popular tourist destination, Shilin Market Taiwan is located in a very strategic spot and it can be reached from different areas using public transportation called The Red Line by locals (officially known as Taipei Rapid Transit System) that ends at Jiantan Station, located near the market. You can also use bus with particular numbers, such as 216 to 218, 224, 277 and 280.

Save up to $525 when you book your flight and hotel together at Expedia.com!

Shem MD
Follow me

Related Posts

About the Author

Shem MD is a young doctor who really has a passion for travel and food. He started his hobby of writing about travel and food when he graduated from medical school and became the founder of Travelfore.com. Through a blog created by him, he aspires to gather stories from people all over the world about their experiences in travel and food. He also was a true lover of the art of magic, musical instruments, and mind-blowing movies. And most importantly he is a big fan of Liverpool Football Club. The words often out of him were "Nomad is my middle name !" Shem MD also get Internet Marketing Fundamentals Practitioner Certification, Social Media Practitioner Certification, Content Marketing Practitioner Certification, Display Advertising Practitioner Certification from Marketmotive.com and a member of OMCP Organization. Shem MD also get Hootsuite Certified Professional and a Hootsuite Media Inc. Community Ambassador for Asia Pacific (ID) (Volunteer) Passionate in Digital Marketing, Internet Marketing, and Social Media. Specialties: Entrepreneurship, Business Building, Creative Strategy, Social Media Strategist, Travel and Food Blogging, General Medical Practitioner, Skin Care Business, Magic Props, and Concept Consultant.