Fuzhong Street

Just across Nanmen Road from the Confucian Temple, you will see a large stone arch. It is the Pan Gao Stone Arch, which was built in 1749 and once served as an entrance to the temple. It is now the entrance to Fuzhong Street, a European-style pedestrian street that makes for a nice little stroll.
The pedestrian section of the street is just a couple of blocks long. It is paved with stone and lined with tiger’s claw (Indian coral) trees that are lit up at night. During the week it is a pleasant place to escape traffic and enjoy a clean environment. It is populated with cafes, eateries, tea houses, and young couples getting their wedding photographs done. On weekends and holidays, it becomes a crowded marketplace. Street vendors set up tables and sell souvenirs and specialty items.

At the far end of the strip at the corner of Kaishan and Fuzhong is a popular restaurant called Taiwan Oden NT $2. If you didn’t think you could buy anything for $NT2, you were wrong. This funky restaurant sells little (okay, they’re little) skewers of fish balls or other little nibbles for that unbelievable price. At the Confucian Temple side there is another popular restaurant selling western cuisine called Green House Delicatessen (EDIT: now moved to Fulian Rd.). It is down a little alley near Yonghua Temple.

If you’re on this street, you may as well give Yonghua Temple a look. It’s a small temple dedicated to Chen Yong Hua, a man who was instrumental in early city development during the Zheng period.Visiting this street, especially on weekends and holidays, is a pleasant bonus for tourists taking in the Confucian Temple. It’s a great spot to pick up some souvenirs, try some snack food, or just relax and have a coffee.