In a busy area once known as “Herb Alley” is a fourth-generation run herbal shop. The shop is currently run by Qiu Chui-Xian and it has various tea drinks and herbs available. Among the different drinks, the bitter tea and the herbal jelly tea are most popular.
Name: Qiu Chui-Xian
Job: Owner of Guangxing Herbal Shop (廣興堂青草店)
"Back when this street was busiest, it was called Herb Alley. The entire street was lined with herbal shops, and there were some noodle shops too. There were around 10–20 herbal shops–almost the whole street."
What makes Keelung unique?
Keelung rains a lot. For most of the year, it’s raining. That makes it unique.
What is something people might not know about Keelung?
Keelung has a lot of historic sites. There are many forts and batteries. For example, Shiqiuling Fort has a nice view. You can see about half of the port area there, though not all of Keelung city. The city lights are also nice at night, but it’s not easy to get there. You have to drive or ride a scooter, and sometimes even walk up. Keelung has many forts, so visiting these places to see the “Rain City” or the harbor is quite nice. For instance, the fort at Zhongzheng Park is also accessible, though it’s a bit risky. Those are the spots that visitors should definitely see.
There’s also the Xian Dong Yan. It’s at the bottom of a mountain with a small tunnel you can go through. Inside, there are some shrine-like structures. Nearby, there’s also another fort close by. One of Keelung’s distinctive features is that it really has a lot of forts, about five or six that I remember.
In your memory, what changes have you noticed in Keelung?
The changes are huge, especially with the train station reconstruction in recent years. There used to be many old buildings and pedestrian bridges, which are now all gone. The view is more open.
Keelung also has new special events, like the Water Lantern Festival in July. When friends visit, I take them there. There are floats and performances. The exact date changes yearly, but it’s always in July.
If a friend had a day in Keelung, what would you recommend them to do?
Keelung has many forts and historical sites so they can go check them out. But, I’d recommend they do it in good weather because if the ground is muddy and slippery, it’s easy to get hurt.
There’s also a place in Keelung that sells really good pepper buns. It used to be by the railway at the Kaohsiung terminal station but later the railway was rebuilt so the seller moved. He still sells them, though. The meat filling is delicious, but you need to call ahead to order, otherwise you’ll have to wait a long time. Usually, I buy a dozen or so, freeze them, and reheat as needed.
When friends visit Keelung, I also take them to eat at seafood restaurants next to Chenggong Market. That street is quite famous, and several restaurants there are good.
If you leave Keelung, what would you miss the most?
I just returned from Malaysia, and the first thing I did was find braised pork rice. The rice there is long-grain, which I wasn’t used to. Here we have Japanese rice, so the first thing I do when I return is eat Taiwanese braised pork rice.
You said you’re a fourth-generation shop owner? Can you tell us a bit about the area around the shop?
Yes, fourth generation. Our herbal shop wasn't always located here. But back when this street was busiest, it was called Herb Alley. The entire street was lined with herbal shops, and there were some noodle shops too. There were around 10–20 herbal shops–almost the whole street. At the entrance, there used to be a shop that specialized in cutting herbs. It was originally a knife-sharpening shop, but because there were so many herbal stores, people asked them to cut herbs. They would charge for the work.
But yes, this was one of the more famous areas in Keelung. People lived above, and all the shops were here.
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