Taipei's 5th gate, whose name means Little South Gate, dates back to when the capital was a walled city under the Qing dynasty. It now sits like a lonely landmark in the middle of a cross-section. The one you can see today is a reconstruction. The original was destroyed by the Japanese in their attempt to modernise Taipei once they took control of Taiwan at the end of the 19th century.
Xiaonanmen
Ximending & Wanhua
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
5.04 MILES
Home to the world's largest and arguably finest collection of Chinese art, this vast hoard covers treasures in painting, calligraphy, statuary, bronzes,…
0.5 MILES
Founded in 1738 by Han immigrants from Fujian, this temple has served as a municipal, guild and self-defence centre, as well as a house of worship. These…
1.28 MILES
This former 'Centre Street' has long been known for its Chinese medicine shops, fabric market and lively Lunar New Year sundry market. It has attracted…
3.54 MILES
Towering above the city like the gigantic bamboo stalk it was designed to resemble, Taipei 101 is impossible to miss. At 508m, Taipei 101 held the title…
3.66 MILES
This former detention centre, court and jail was where political prisoners were incarcerated and tried during the White Terror period (1947–87). The…
0.88 MILES
This grandiose monument to authoritarian leader Chiang Kai-shek is a popular attraction and rightly so. It is a sobering feeling to stand in the massive…
1.43 MILES
Borrowing from western urban-regeneration models, this early-20th-century wine factory has been restored as Taipei's most retro-chic venue. Remodelled…
2.55 MILES
Recipient of a Unesco Asia-Pacific Heritage Award for both its restoration and its revival of temple rites and festivities, Bao'an Temple (also called…
Nearby Ximending & Wanhua attractions
0.26 MILES
This small park is the site of a former Japanese temple, which was built at the end of the 19th century for the country's military, and which offered…
0.33 MILES
An oasis in the city, this 8-hectare park has well-stocked greenhouses, literature- and Chinese-zodiac-themed gardens, a lotus pond and myriad lanes where…
3. Presidential Office Building
0.34 MILES
Built in 1919 as the seat of the Japanese governor general of Taiwan, this striking building has housed the offices of the Taiwan president since 1949…
0.38 MILES
Ximending's most iconic building was built in 1908 to serve as Taipei's first public market. These days it's a multifunctional cultural centre, with…
0.38 MILES
One of the best-preserved historic sections of Wanhua, Bopiliao covers both Qing and early Japanese-era architecture. Some of the buildings house art…
0.41 MILES
This horseshoe-shaped market is now a spruced-up studio and exhibition space in minimalist white-and-concrete. There are remnants of the 80-year-old…
0.42 MILES
This small, atmospheric temple appears from the outside as a narrow, elaborate shopfront in the Ximending area. But walk through the gate and you'll find…
8. National Taiwan Craft Research and Development Institute
0.44 MILES
This striking red-and-white building, with its circular neoclassical Chinese-style roof, dates back to just 1956. It now houses the Craft Research and…