Traditional Market Transformed into Tourist Attraction: Blending Daily Life with Aesthetics – The New Look of Dongsanshui Street Market
▲The Dongsanshui Street Market is undergoing vendor renovations.
Reported and photographed by Yu Jiayun / Taipei
How long has it been since you last stepped into a traditional market? Those vivid yet distant memories of childhood—holding your parents’ hands, strolling from stall to stall filled with chicken, duck, fish, meat, vegetables, and fruit, exchanging greetings with the vendors, and ending up with a handful of extra bags—are they not both clear and far away? To prevent such everyday traditions from disappearing in the tide of time, Taipei’s Wanhua District’s Dongsanshui Street Market has teamed up with Waterfrom Design to carry out a series of micro-renovations. Focusing on spatial and environmental color schemes, detail improvements, as well as family and tourism friendliness, these efforts are breathing new life into this 82-year-old market. They also encourage younger generations to step into the market not just to shop for groceries at supermarkets, but to “meet” and understand the produce.
▲The % level??? quality item has been here since 1935.
Since its development as a market culture hub beginning in 1935, the Xinfu–Dongsanshui Street Market is the largest local market in Wanhua. Xiao Jiahui, president of the Dongsanshui Street self-governing association and a Wanhua native, said that most vendors at the Dongsanshui Street Market have been operating here for over 50 years, forming close ties with locals. Almost all aspects of daily life revolve around the market. In memory, the Dongsanshui Street Market was a warm, bustling place full of human connection. But with the rise of supermarkets, traditional markets have gradually declined. Enhancing the overall market environment and implementing food and agricultural education became the first steps in renovating the market.
▲Most shops here have a history of over 50 years.
▲Freshly made red turtle cakes | Kang Hanzhong and Yan Jue are less than
The “Workshop on Creating Family-Friendly Spaces with Designers” began hosting discussions and communicating with market vendors in May. In June, vendors spontaneously organized a large-scale market cleanup, followed by the start of renovating 13 shops in July. The project involved over 30 people working for two months on cleaning, painting, and detailed design. Zhou Yuru, the project leader at Waterfrom Design, said that initially, just clearing out the mountain of clutter was met with complaints from the vendors, who lamented, “What a waste,” unwilling to part with items. But after the renovation, the refreshed storefronts made the vendors “not want to go home,” and even passersby couldn’t help but stop and take a look.
▲The small shopfronts, revitalized after renovation.
▲An old noodle shop that makes fresh noodles daily now offers free kids’ experiences.
Although the participating shops may not have undergone dramatic external changes, they have all achieved a harmony between aesthetics and their original character. Whether it’s colorful walls adorned with illustrations, hand-painted calligraphy fabric signs, or modern minimalist storage spaces, they all connect the concept of a “traditional market” with “life aesthetics.” At Dongsanshui Street Market, there’s no blood on the ground or the smell of fishiness in the air. Instead, there are children wide-eyed as they learn about ingredients, their amazed expressions, and the satisfied smiles of the vendors.
▲A child listens attentively to the vendor’s explanation.
▲The chicken shop’s wall now features cute hand-drawn graffiti.
▲A 60-year-old grocery store now looks very modern.
Dongsanshui Street Market
No. 70, Sanshui Street, Wanhua District, Taipei City
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