< Visited in Jul 2019 >
Huashan 1914 Creative Park 华山1914文化创意产业园区, being 1 of the 2 most prominent cultural parks in Taipei, attracts a good crowd with its rigorous line-up of exhibitions, activities, pop-up stores and F&B offerings. I make periodic trips here (and to Songyan 松烟), for shopping and dining even if not for exhibitions; though I was blessed with 3 interesting exhibitions this trip.
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[Taipei 台北] Huashan 1914 Creative Park 1/2 ♦ 华山1914文化创意产业园区 1/2
Within a 10-minute stroll from exit 1 of Zhongxiao Xinsheng MRT 忠孝新生站, Huashan Din 华山町 stopped me in my tracks enroute. The eyecatching frontage conceals a design-centric boutique hotel and cafe launched in 2018, though the historically-rich premises existed from the 1950s.
⇩ Familiar grounds across the T-junction
Huashan 华山 was set to welcome the summer vacation crowds with a rich calendar in July. Right upon reaching the park, you can hardly miss the emoji Pop-up Store, at a prominent corner.
未来市 The Gala Asia gathers a beautiful collection of Asian labels and products, that makes a great place to stroll for treasures. inBlooom 印花乐 was there too.
One Day 小日子商号 is another Taiwanese label that is rather popular with 文青 (cultural youths) and boasts several outlets, including one at Taichung's Shenji 368 New Village 审计新村.
There were some new shops (including pop-ups) among the permanent ones since my last visit, which makes each visit refreshing.
The Japanese-ware label Xiao Qi 小器生活空间 is another retail chain worth checking out. I had the opportunity to dine at their F&B spin-off 小器食堂 at Breeze Nanshan 微风南山 outlet, and wanted to settle late lunch here if not for a preference that day for somewhere less crowded and noisy (considering the school holiday crowd).
A mini (and indoor) bazaar of local products - 缤纷夏日序曲 - loosely translated as 'a vibrant summer overture'. (The prowess of Taiwanese marketing/branding...)
The Toy Story 4 craze was ongoing, would have gone into this (shop disguised as a free exhibition?) if not for the (once again) terrible school holiday crowd.
Decided on a quick and simple stand-up lunch at 小确幸红茶牛奶合作社. Missed their milk tea (which allows you to choose from different levels of milk or tea) and wanted to try their sandwich.
⇩ Classic cheese sandwich NT$70 + large 正浓奶茶 (balanced milk & tea) NT$80. The cheese sandwich was worth the 15 minutes wait as it emerged rich and gooey. The iced milk tea was comforting to have on a hot afternoon and to wash the cheese down.
⇩ "Give me a little bliss and I can (have the courage to) face the whole universe". Really, the simple pleasures in life that everyone needs...
Finally, for the highlight of this visit! 3 very attractive exhibitions that fortunately took place all at Huashan 华山. I am often impressed by how many interesting exhibitions take place in Taiwan, not only that, with admission prices I deem more affordable and friendly than where I come from. No wonder its reputation and success as a popular cultural hub. I myself have initiated many trips thanks to exhibitions that caught my eye online.
The 3 that motivated this July 2019 trip - 玩具解剖站 Jason Freeny Asia | 动物也疯狂 朝隈俊男的 Animal Life | Starbucks Taiwan Coffee Journey (which unfortunately had ended its run by the time I blog this). The former 2 are ongoing at press time and absolutely worth checking out (my photos don't serve the exhibitions enough justice) - I had so much fun especially when I was there in the morning and only had the company of a handful of patrons. Catch them if you are slated to be in Taipei before they end! (Note: not captured - the mementos I had to walk away with.)
⇩ Mementos: dissected figurine, keychain & stickers
⇩ Mementos: figurines & phone stand
⇩ Tucked away at the back of Huashan 华山 was Starbucks' exhibition, which I had actually visited earlier on another day, passing it enroute my walk to another destination. Just last year in Mar 2018, I had visited Starbucks' 20th Anniversary exhibition at Songyan 松烟. By comparison, 2019's is much smaller in scale and of a different theme, but worth a stroll if you are a Starbucks fan.
The admission bundle included a redemption coupon for a coffee blend of your choice, but I had maxed my caffeine quota for the day and bought a refreshing fruity-floral Nitro Passion Tea (Grande NT$145) instead.
⇩ The admission bundle (NT$280) consisted of a small tote bag, pencil and exhibition booklet (containing a coffee redemption coupon) - quite a creative alternative to a mere ticket stub. The 2 Starbucks cards are purchased separately ($150/pc without stored value).
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Huashan 1914 Creative Park | 华山1914文化创意产业园区
(Website in Chinese & English)
Address --- No. 1, Section 1, Bade Road, Zhongzheng District, Taipei 台北市, 中正区, 八德路一段1号
Nearest MRT Station --- Zhongxiao Xinsheng 忠孝新生 (BL14 on blue line / O07 on orange line), exit 1, followed by a 10-min stroll
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