Dadaocheng
Dadaocheng, also known by its elegant names Daojiang or Daojin, is a historic and traditional district located in the southwestern part of Datong District, Taipei City. The name "Dadaocheng" originated from the large open spaces in the area once used for drying harvested rice, referred to as "dao cheng" (rice-drying grounds).
In the first year of the Xianfeng era (1851), Lin Lantian from Tong’an County of Quanzhou Prefecture moved to Dadaocheng from Keelung to escape pirate raids. There, he established a shop and began commercial activities, marking the beginning of Dadaocheng’s commercial development. By the third year of Xianfeng (1853), conflicts arose between people from Sanyi and Tong’an over docking rights at the Bangka (Monga) port, leading to a violent feud known as the “top versus bottom guild conflict.” The weaker Tong’an group, unable to defend themselves, fled with their deity, the Xiahai Chenghuang (City God), to seek refuge in Dadaocheng. Since then, trade activities began to flourish at Dadaocheng’s port along the Tamsui River, sparking a period of commercial prosperity.
Following the opening of Tamsui Port to international trade in the tenth year of Xianfeng (1860), Dadaocheng rapidly developed into Taipei’s most prosperous trading hub, particularly known for its tea and textile trade. With the support of foreign trading firms, Dadaocheng's tea exports expanded significantly, bringing considerable wealth and economic prosperity. During the Japanese colonial period, Japanese merchants sought to oust foreign trading firms and instead focused on developing markets in Japan and Southeast Asia, continuing to boost local trade.
However, after World War II, the Tamsui River gradually silted up and lost its function as a river port. Combined with Taiwan’s tea industry losing competitiveness to Ceylon tea, Dadaocheng's economy began to decline. As Taipei’s city center shifted eastward and the population migrated, Dadaocheng gradually transformed into an aging area on the fringes of the city.
