The Dihua Street was flanked by low-rise buildings and the blue sky was seen at the end of the street

After filling up on Doujiang, I decided to go to Dihua Street. This is a tourist spot where stores selling Chinese herbs, dried foods, dried fruits, and dried squid meat stand side by side in the old streets that have remained since before World War II. Some of the stores sell swallow's nests, which are rarely seen in Japan, making it a fun place to walk around.

This area, which is now a downtown area, was originally a settlement of the Ketagalan tribe, an aboriginal tribe in Taiwan. The Chinese began to live there in the 19th century, and the area became prosperous after it was incorporated as part of Tamsui Harbor, one of the treaty ports at the end of the 19th century. It was once the center of commerce and politics, as it is said to have housed the German and American consulates.

I took a leisurely walk along Dihua Street, where old buildings that remind us of the past still remain. Low-rise buildings stand on both sides of the straight street, and there are many signs on the walls. The signs were written in Chinese characters, so I could guess what they were selling. If it said “茶," they were selling tea. If it said “薬行," it was a Chinese medicine store. The blue sky spread out at the end of the road.

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