Ximending

Ximending (zh-tpw|t=西門町|p=Xīméndīng|w=Hsi-men-ting; Taiwanese POJ: Se-mn̂g-teng; Romaji: Semon machi; sometimes Ximenting) is a neighborhood in the Wanhua District of Taipei. The historical spelling of this area was Hsimenting, which is based on the Wade-Giles romanization of Mandarin Chinese. The use of the character 町 (machi or chō) is unusual in a Chinese context; It is part of a ward in the Japanese municipality system.

Ximending in Taiwan usually refers to Ximending in Wanhua District, Taipei City. This area is in the northeastern part of Wanhua District in Taipei City and it is also the most important consumer district in the Western District of Taipei. The well-known Ximending Pedestrian Area was the first pedestrian area built in Taipei. Ximending generally refers to the area surrounded by Zhonghua Rd., Kangding Rd., Hankou St., and Chengdu Rd.

Access

Since many bus lines gather in Zhonghua Rd., Ximending is also an important area for bus transfers.

Ximending is also accessible via exit 6 of MRT Ximen (Bannan Line and the future Songshan Line).

The Name

The Ximending Pedestrian Area is named after the administrative division Seimon Machi (西門町), which existed during Japanese rule. The area of Seimon Machi included modern-day Chengdu Rd. (成都路), Xining S. Rd. (西寧南路), Kunming St. (昆明街), and Kangding Rd (康定路). However, today the Ximending Pedestrian Area not only includes Seimon Machi, but also Wakatake Machi (若竹町) and Araki Machi (新起町).

The Origin

The name of Ximending was derived from its position outside the west gate of Taipei City. In the beginning during Japanese rule, Ximending was an area of wilderness, through which there was a road connecting the west gate of Taipei to the town of Bangka. Later, the Japanese decided to follow the example of Asakusa in Tokyo to set up an entertainment and business area. The earliest entertainment facilities constructed included the Taihokuza in 1897, Eiza (now called New Wanguo Market) in 1902, and the Red House Theater in 1908.

Theater Street

Ximending became a famous theater street in Taipei in the 1930s and grew even more prosperous after the defeat of Japan. In the 1950s, every theater was full to capacity and scalpers ran wild. Gradually, more theaters opened one by one; At one point, WuChang St Section 1 had over ten theaters opening. However, in the 1990s, as Taipei City developed toward the Eastern District and away from Ximending, it began to lose business. In the late 2000s, the city government and local stores established Ximending as a pedestrian area, prohibiting the entrance of vehicles on weekends and national holidays, a move that attracted young consumers and brought back business. Today, Ximending has over twenty theaters and six thousand vendors, and is a popular area for small concerts, album debuts, and street performances.

Popularity

Ximending is now called the “Harajuku” of Taipei. The local bookstores sell Japanese magazines, books, CD albums, and clothing, making it a heaven for the "Harizu", or Japanese culture adorers. Individual vendors gather in the streets as well as the large business buildings, such as Wannien Department Store and Shizilin Square in the early days, and Wanguo Department Store and Eslite 116 in the later period.

Due to the density of young people, Ximending is comparable to Shilin Market and the Eastern District to be areas with the highest crime rates. In addition, Ximending is well-known for Enjo kosai (Japanese for student prostitution).