Do the night market’s duty students mean Kaohsiung residents never have a “Monday Blue”?

Text & Photos / Ji Zihong Excerpted from / “I Love Kaohsiung, and Also Snacks, Strolls, and Killing Time” published by Flying Bird Society



The traditional night market that keeps Kaohsiung people from feeling blue on Mondays
In Kaohsiung, even when the two-day weekend is over, facing Monday can still be a happy, not melancholic, experience. The reason? There’s a night market at Labor Park in the evening — a night market that only sets up on Mondays. It's considered the most dedicated night market duty student in the hearts of Kaohsiung people.

These weekly night markets that appear on fixed days were once a common sight in my childhood — at Neiwei’s Jiuru Road, Chongshi New Village, and Ruifeng Community. I always clearly remember which one was “on duty” as the night market for the week. Back then, aside from the Liuhe Night Market, which operated every day as a tourist night market, most others followed this rotating schedule. Although you might spot a few familiar vendors across different night markets, it felt like unexpectedly running into an old friend while on a trip out of town — both delightful and surprising. When I returned to Kaohsiung, I thought such night markets no longer existed. But by chance, I discovered that one still operates next to Labor Park — limited to Mondays only. If you miss it, you’ll have to wait another six days. This night market is located on Yide Road beside the park, with a straightforward layout where all kinds of food, drinks, clothes, and entertainment are found along this single road.

Because the route is so simple, strolling through feels quite reassuring. You don’t have to worry about missing out on tasty stalls on the left side alley or whether the clothing shop on the right might be cheaper. Just decide whether to start with the left or right side, and when you loop back, check out the other side — ensuring you hit every stall without missing a single gem. It’s a bit like Taipei’s Tonghua Street Night Market, with a simple layout that lets visitors focus more on what each vendor has to offer. For someone like me with a straightforward mind, it’s the perfect night market.

What delicious treats can you find at this night market? There’s a salted chicken place where the line is always long, a drink shop managed by a plump white goose, grandma’s grilled corn brushed with traditional garlic sauce at a super low price, fluffy scallion pancakes that I buy every time, braised chicken feet for just three for ten NT dollars — perfect for munching while watching TV, a local-flavor street hotpot near the Minquan Road intersection, and a bread stall with so many choices and such low prices that I can never decide which to get. Every time I go, I make sure to try them all for a full and satisfying feast before leaving the night market with a happy belly. That’s why Kaohsiung folks don’t have to worry about any “Monday blue”!