Sigur Center 2012 Chinese Language Fellow in Taiwan: Nightlife in Taiwan

New York is often referred to as "the city that never sleeps." If that's the case, then I believe that it's safe to give Taiwan the nickname as "the island that never sleeps." There is never a shortage of exciting things to do anytime when you're in Taiwan.

First, there are the night markets. There are several night markets in Taipei, and there are night markets throughout Taiwan.

The Luodong Night Market in Yilan

The night markets get very, very crowded at night. From 9pm-2am, there are people roaming around the night markets shopping and eating. My favorite thing about night markets is the liveliness and the street vendors that sell food. I think the night markets are one of the things that makes Taiwan distinctly unique.

Shilin Night Market in Taipei

Perhaps the most famous night market in Taiwan is the Shilin Night Market in Taipei--it is the most well-known and most popular. The Shilin Night Market has changed though. Many street vendors used to line up selling food on the roadsides, but that is not the case anymore. They have built a new indoor structure to house the street vendors to make the night market more organized and less crowded. 

I'm not a fan of the new structure. Although the Shilin Night Market isn't as crowded as it used to be, I think it takes out the unique feeling of being in a night market. However, if you're in Taiwan, it's definitely still worth a visit.

If you're interested in exploring the nightlife in Taipei, I would also recommend visiting the various clubs in throughout the city. I've only been to the club once since I've been in Taipei, but there is definitely a different feeling than going to a club in DC. In general, the clubs are more luxurious and classy. From what I've heard, Taipei is regarded as having some of the best clubs in Asia, so it's worth exploring if you're interested!

Luxy Club in Taipei

Chris Wang
B.A. International Affairs, Minor in Sociology 2014
Sigur Center 2012 Chinese Language Fellow
National Taiwan University, Taiwan