Nantun Old Street flourished through farming and was formerly known as "Plow Shop Street."

Nantun Old Street is home to unique traditional customs such as the Dragon Boat Festival "Wearing Wooden Clogs to Wake the Pangolin," the Mianhe Temple’s Second Mother’s Pilgrimage to Xitun, and the Clan Opera performances. (Photo by Huang Guofeng)

Formerly called "Plow Shop Street," Nantun Old Street is formed by the intersection of Nantun Road and Mianhe Road, commonly known as "Triangle Street." To this day, it still retains old shops like Zhongnan Rice Bran Store, Qinglong Plow Shop, and Yiyuan Rice Store. (Photo by Huang Guofeng)

Nantun is said to be the dwelling place of the pangolin (a type of anteater), and is home to the unique “Wearing Wooden Clogs to Wake the Pangolin” festival, found nowhere else in Taiwan. (Photo by Wang Wenji)

Formerly known as "Plow Shop Street," Nantun Old Street is formed by the intersection of Nantun Road and Mianhe Road, commonly referred to as "Triangle Street." The street is long and narrow. The triangular street-front buildings constructed during the Japanese colonial period were once the most bustling area, preserving Baroque-style façades, while the scattered traditional houses along the street continue trades such as tofu shops, blacksmiths, seed stores, rice bran shops, general stores, and Chinese medicine pharmacies.

Located as a stopover between Lukang and the Taichung Basin, Nantun Old Street became a shortcut for transporting goods to Dadun and Huludun areas after Lukang Port opened during the Qianlong and Jiaqing eras of the Qing Dynasty. With a large influx of immigrants for land reclamation, the manufacturing and selling of farming tools flourished, leading to dozens of blacksmith shops — hence the name "Plow Shop Street." Today, only "Qinglong Plow Shop" remains, still upholding the blacksmith craft.

With the passage of time, foot traffic in Nantun Old Street has gradually declined, but it still retains old establishments like Zhongnan Rice Bran Store, Yiyuan Rice Store, Min’an Chinese Medicine Shop, and Ayou Noodle Shop, each preserving their family skills. The fifth-generation Lin Jinsheng Fragrant Pastry Shop combines “Taiwanese vegetables” to create green sesame sun cakes and top-scholar cakes, with a fragrant yet slightly bitter taste that challenges the notion of overly sweet pastries. Nantun Market also offers nostalgic delicacies such as rice flour balls, pig’s blood soup, oil rice, sesame soup, and starfruit juice.

It is said that Nantun is the dwelling place of the pangolin (an anteater), which tends to become drowsy in the hot summer weather. Therefore, residents would wear wooden clogs and stomp the ground on Dragon Boat Festival to wake the pangolin, helping farmers turn the soil for a bountiful harvest. This tradition has evolved into the “Wearing Wooden Clogs to Wake the Pangolin” festival, praying for favorable weather and prosperity — and is a Dragon Boat Festival custom found nowhere else in Taiwan.

The faith center of Nantun, "Mianhe Temple," was built during the Yongzheng era by worshippers of 11 surnames. Later, clans funded opera performances to honor the deities, with a peak of 18 operas performed in a single day at its height. Mianhe Temple primarily enshrines the Heavenly Goddess, respectfully called “Eldest Mother” by worshippers. During the Jiaqing era, the temple added a statue of the “Second Mother.” At that time, the story of a young woman from Xitun’s Liao family becoming possessed by the deity spread, leading to the triennial Xitun Pilgrimage and Parade.