Through a free professional tour guide provided by the Taipei City Archives, gain an understanding of the rise and fall of Dadaocheng and its transformation from the past to the present.

After the opening of Tamsui Harbor, Dadaocheng became Taipei’s busiest commercial center, with tea and fabric trade as the main industries. Under the guidance of foreign trading companies, Dadaocheng’s tea trade expanded its market and created immense wealth and prosperity. During the Japanese colonial period, Japanese businesses resisted the foreign trading companies and shifted focus to Japan and Southeast Asia as primary markets. After the war, Dadaocheng gradually lost its harbor function due to the silting of the Tamsui River, and the local tea industry declined as it couldn’t compete with Ceylon tea. Later, the urban development of Taipei moved eastward, and a large population shift led to Dadaocheng becoming an old, peripheral district of Taipei.

In the past, Dadaocheng extended from Zhongxiao Bridge in the south to Chongqing North Road in the north. There was no such thing as the famous "New Year Goods Street," but rather a gathering place for stores selling tea, Chinese medicine, rice milling, incense making, and goods from both the north and south. Due to the large number of business people coming to discuss deals, the demand for dining and entertainment grew, leading to the rise of restaurant culture, which once thrived. However, the once-popular restaurants like "Jiangshan Lou," "Donghuifang," "Chunfeng Lou," and "Penglai Pavilion" have all closed or been renovated.

With a history spanning over a century, Dadaocheng has witnessed many changes, and much of its past can only be heard in stories. However, with the collaboration of the government and the public, some historical sites have been preserved. Dadaocheng is home to several historical landmarks, including the Chen Tianlai Residence "Jinji Tea Shop" and the Taiwan New Culture Movement Museum, large buildings managed by government departments. In the eyes of Lin Yuzhi, the executive director of the Dadaocheng Creative District Development Association, the "Zhuang Xie Fa Port Town Cultural and Historical Pavilion" is particularly unique. It is the first building certified as a historic monument in the form of a grocery store, now transformed into a study and museum.