【Traveler’s Notebook】Taipei’s Creative Culture Mini-Tours

By TRAVELER Luxe Traveler’s Notebook, Hong Zhenlu & Zhuang Weiting

From a pen or a notebook to the tableware you use every day, your travel bag, or even a wall or a garden—when infused with culture and creativity, a cozy and delightful daily life is actually all around us. Amidst the festive cheer of the Lunar New Year, join us as we visit art villages brimming with creative energy, or explore old neighborhoods in search of specialty shops. Let boundless imagination enrich our minds, and craft the seemingly unchanging everyday with taste and character. Also, hear from cultural and creative artists as they share their creations and new discoveries from their travels, embarking together on a uniquely personal cultural journey.

● Taipei Treasure Hill International Artist Village
Living art in a maze-like hillside village
Once a water source for the city, Treasure Hill is located along the Xindian River in southern Taipei, developing a unique landscape where art and original life coexist. This labyrinthine settlement built atop a hill is tucked away in a corner on the southern edge of the city. Follow Section 3 of Tingzhou Road behind the Shuicai Market and turn into Lane 230 to find the only access road connecting the site to the outside world. The settlement is built against Little Guanyin Mountain, with the terrain starting to gently undulate from the entrance—perhaps why some used to call this place “Little Jiufen.”

Since the first Han settlers arrived 300 years ago via the Xindian River and built the Treasure Hill Temple, which primarily worships Guanyin, the immigrant community naturally named the settlement “Treasure Hill,” following their faith and the contours of the mountain. In later land records, this area has been a water source zone, a military stronghold, and even hosted illegal military dependents’ villages. Local veterans married foreign brides, while young students moved in for the low-cost housing. The population of Treasure Hill has never been divided between locals and outsiders—anyone who moves into this isolated haven becomes a resident living in harmony here.

【Info】
Treasure Hill International Artist Village
Addr: Inside Lane 230, Section 3, Tingzhou Road, Taipei City (Exit 1 of Gongguan MRT Station)
Hours: 11:00–22:00, closed on Mondays.

● Taichung Zhongxing 1st Lane Green Light Project
The charm of grid spaces in old houses
It all started with an old house that couldn’t be rented out. The property belonged to FuTeXi shareholders and was conveniently located in Lane 117, Section 1, Meicun Road, right next to the Grass Jelly Path. Standing at the lane entrance, you can see the green living wall of the Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Green Park. With such a prime location, why wasn’t anyone renting it? From those who came to inquire, they found many young aspiring entrepreneurs had limited funds and couldn’t afford high rents—and didn’t actually need that much space either. So they tried dividing the old house into several small spaces for rent, giving rise to the FuTeXi Store No. 1, Store No. 2, and the "Green Light Project."