Dihua Street 3.6

Dihua Street is a street located in the Dadaocheng area of Datong District, Taipei, Taiwan winding from the south of the district to close to the north in the old village of Dalongdong. The street, then known as Centre Street (中街), was constructed during the 1850s, when many commercial entities belonging to Quanzhou-originating owners moved in from the nearby village of Bangka. Since then and throughout the rest of the 19th century, Dihua Street has been an important centre for commerce in Taiwanese products and produce such as Chinese medicinal herbs, fabrics, incense materials, and for the post-processing of Taiwanese tea.The name "Dihua" was given in 1947 by the Republic of China government, in reference to the city of Dihua (now called Ürümqi) in Xinjiang, and effectively joins a string of older streets in this area of Taipei existing prior to the Chinese Civil War. Locals living in the district refer to the portion of the street north of the Minsheng West Road (民生西路) as “north street” (北街), and the portion south as “south street” (南街). Being the oldest street in Taipei (with sections in existence since the rule of Dutch Formosa from 1624–1661), its architecture has been under preservation and conservation efforts by the city. Modern Dihua Street along with its surrounding neighborhood and streets, known as the Dihua Street commercial loop (迪化街商圈), remain one of the most commercially active in Taipei with transactions in excess of 3 billion US dollars.