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Snake Alley (), also known as Huaxi Street Night Market or Huaxi Street Tourist Night Market () is a market in
The Huaxi Street Night Market has a history of over 50 years. Until the 1990s, it was a red light district, with pornography shops and strippers congregating along the two sides of these streets. Prostitutes could be easily found in the brothels in the area, where they waited for customers in plain view. The Taiwanese government outlawed
Wanhua District
Wanhua District (), known in Taiwanese Hokkien as Báng-kah khu () and historically as "Monga" or "Monka", is a district in Taipei, Taiwan. It is Taipei's oldest district. The district is home to historic buildings such as the Bangka Lungs ...
, Taipei
, nickname = The City of Azaleas
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, Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
. The market is located near the Bangka Lungshan Temple as well as other night markets located on Guangzhou Street, Wuzhou Street and Xichang Street.
The Huaxi Night Market is a two-block long night market
Night markets or night bazaars ( zh, 夜市) are street markets which operate at night and are generally dedicated to more leisurely strolling, shopping, and eating than more businesslike day markets. The culture of night markets originates from C ...
in Wanhua District
Wanhua District (), known in Taiwanese Hokkien as Báng-kah khu () and historically as "Monga" or "Monka", is a district in Taipei, Taiwan. It is Taipei's oldest district. The district is home to historic buildings such as the Bangka Lungs ...
, the oldest district of Taipei
, nickname = The City of Azaleas
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, pushpin_map = Taiwan#Asia#Pacific Ocean#Earth
, coordinates =
, subdivision_type = Country ...
, Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
. It contains stands serving local snacks, and restaurants that serve traditional Taiwanese dishes and many delicacies including snake blood and meat, turtle blood and meat and deer penis
In traditional Chinese medicine, a deer penis (; Vietnamese language, Vietnamese: ''Lộc pín'') is said to have important therapeutic properties.
Purported properties
In Nangang District, Taipei, Angang, Taiwan, women are reported to consume de ...
wine, which are not normally found anywhere else. Many stands used to sell various snake delicacies and drinks, hence its nickname "Snake Alley".
Many Taiwanese have a negative view of Snake Alley, which was once a legal red-light district
A red-light district or pleasure district is a part of an urban area where a concentration of prostitution and sex industry, sex-oriented businesses, such as sex shops, strip clubs, and adult theaters, are found. In most cases, red-light district ...
.
History
The Huaxi Street Night Market has a history of over 50 years. Until the 1990s, it was a red light district, with pornography shops and strippers congregating along the two sides of these streets. Prostitutes could be easily found in the brothels in the area, where they waited for customers in plain view. The Taiwanese government outlawed prostitution
Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, no ...
in 1991.
Snake Alley got its nickname due to the numerous restaurants serving snake meat in the past. Previously, snake-meat restaurants would get attention from passersby by putting on performances where handlers would kill and skin live snakes. However, the government banned performances in the 2000s, both to adhere with Article 13 of Taiwan's Animal Protection Act, as well as appease the public's growing concerns about animal welfare. The night market's last snake-meat restaurant, the Asia Snake Meat Store (), closed on May 21, 2018.
Because of its various restaurants and food stalls, the night market has been recognized by the Michelin Guide
The ''Michelin Guides'' ( ; ) are a series of guide books that have been published by the French tyre company Michelin since 1900. The ''Guide'' awards up to three Michelin star (classification), stars for excellence to a select few restaurants ...
. In its 2019 Michelin Guide to Taipei, the guide gave the entire night market the Bib Gourmand. In August 2020, food vendor Wu Huang-yi, who sells gua bao at his food stall in the night market, also received a Bib Gourmand.
Transportation
The night market is 500 meters (1650 feet) northwest of Exit 1 of the Longshan Temple Station of theTaipei Metro
Taipei Metro (also known as Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) and branded as Metro Taipei) is a rapid transit system operated by the Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation serving the capital Taipei and New Taipei City in Taiwan.
It was the first rapi ...
.
See also
* List of night markets in Taiwan * Wang's BrothReferences
External links
* {{Taipei Night markets in Taipei Red-light districts in Taiwan Restaurant districts and streets in Taiwan