Culture of Taiwan’s Traditional Markets | Characteristics of Taiwan’s Traditional Markets | Disappearing Traditional Markets | History of Taiwan’s Traditional Markets Compared its heydays, Huilong Market is finding it harder to attract passerby and a steady stream of patrons. The vendors instead rely on their regulars to sustain them. During Keelung For A Walk’s interview with Zhou, a butcher at … Read More
Keelung is one of the few places I’ve visited where I’ve spent days without seeing another tourist, and it’s one of the reasons I’ve loved staying here. Sometimes it can be hard to get off the beaten track and find somewhere truly authentic; yet Keelung is a place that I feel really offers that experience (as well as being very … Read More
There’s something so exciting about escaping the busy streets of a city and discovering a piece of forgotten and abandoned history. If you’re interested in urban exploration, the ruins of this Keelung’s abandoned mansion called the Khóo Tsú-song Old House (Qingyu Hall) are well worth a visit! Walking through the streets of Keelung, I had noticed a few eerie-looking old … Read More
How did I get to Keelung and heard about Pudu? Six months ago, I decided I wanted to travel to East Asia. I didn’t know where I wanted to go, but with a newly earned bachelor’s degree in Asian Studies and an interest in conducting research, I knew I wanted to immerse myself in a culture I had never experienced … Read More
Keelung City is a port city located in the northeastern part of Taiwan. It’s just about 30 minutes from the capital Taipei by bus, which is perfect for a day trip! The city was founded by the Spanish in 1626 and has been subject to various international influences since then. Major historical periods include the Spanish Empire, the Qing Dynasty, … Read More
The Keelung Night Parade takes place two weeks after the end of the Ghost Month. When the time comes, huge dancing figures take over the streets of Keelung. The entire city gets wrapped by the smoke from firecrackers and the smell of incense. The usual noise of the motorcycles is replaced by melodies from trumpets and drums. And people of … Read More
I recently had the privilege of joining a very special walking tour with Keelung For A Walk: The Ghost Festival Tour. Despite the fact that there are currently no English tours happening (and likely won’t be for some time as COVID-19 has meant such restrictive travel measures), I was able to accompany the group for a Chinese tour, of which … Read More
There are only a handful of countries in the world that have survived to the modern day while having been coveted by so many major powers. Some famous ones like Poland springs to mind. Sandwiched between larger neighbors and even disappearing off the map for a good century, they’ve had a less than enviable history. Or Vietnam, a country that’s … Read More
Visiting Keelung History Up Close Before we get to the Ershawan Fort in Keelung, let’s talk history. If you’ve ever been sightseeing in Taipei, you’ve probably noticed that there are hardly any pre-World War II sites left. Taipei is, generally speaking, a city that was deprived of its historical shape by the politics Kuomintang Party governing after the war. It … Read More
In an earlier article, I made a call for establishing a red light district in Keelung. Controversial as it sounds, I believe that Keelung City has the potential to be the Times Square of Taiwan — provided the city is willing, and able, to overcome its taboos and culture of conservatism. During the 1970s and 1980s, New York’s Times Square was the site of … Read More
