A 38-year old market in the heart of Taipei City is closing its doors on Monday. Nanmen Market was the go-to place to purchase traditional Chinese foods. Now, the market is being torn down and replaced with a 12-story building connected to a subway station.
After 38 years of business, Nanmen Market is closing its doors. It’s a place where shopkeepers say that politicians, like former President Lee Teng-hui, love to buy their food. One shopkeeper says the building is as old as he is, and reminisces about sliding down the accessibility ramps as a child.
This store owner shows off a knife that has become a fixture in his shop. It’s a family keepsake that recounts the legacy his family left him at Nanmen Market.
The market is closed as of Monday, October 7. Sales and promotions marked the final three days of business.
Nanmen Market first opened in 1981. It quickly became a hotspot for authentic Chinese cuisine – everything from Cantonese sausages and Hunanese cured meats, to pastries from Fuzhou… All favorite foods for the Lunar New Year.
Regular patrons of Nanmen Market need not worry. All of the shops are moving to a temporary location nearby. Three years from now, the original Nanmen Market will have transformed into a brand-new 12-story building, complete with a connection to the subway station next door.