我的島內散步-艋舺走過不路過

從小對萬華的印象就是一個龍蛇雜處的地方，小時候或是大學時期都幾乎沒有去過。經由島內散步@walkin.taiwan，讓我對艋舺有了更深的一層認識。導遊一路上跟認識的店家寒暄，他說這些都是他從小就愛光顧的店，懷念的的老店還留著當年的建築細節，像是店面的後上方有個小小的空間是當時老闆打拼時，為了可以減少通勤的時間，直接安置一個可以睡覺的地方，這樣的設計可以看到那個年代的人們為了生活做出了多大的犧牲。

導覽帶著我們去一個退休的傳統市場-新富町文化市場。興建於日據時代可以看出日本的建築風格和各樣的巧思，為了防止肉攤賣肉時的惡臭和蚊蠅的干擾，每個攤位下面都有一個讓血水集聚的溝渠，所有的肉類處理也只能在中央的廣場進行。菜市場越做越大，室內的面積完全不夠所有的商家，因此許多商家慢慢的往菜市場的後面移動。許多商家也為了方便做生意，通常也會住在市場上面的公寓。

緊接著菜市場的後面是我第一次聽過的老街道-剝皮寮。滿滿的紅磚老式建築，看了心情很開心，有名的ＴＲ紅磚也是我第一次了解它的重要性。導覽慢慢地引導我們到龍山寺，原來擁有悠久歷史龍山寺，廟前地上的石頭是很有故事的，曾經為船的壓艙石為了不要浪費，拿來作為寺廟的基礎建設，而它們是整個廟最古老的元素。寺廟裡的匾額都有著深遠和歷史的意義，有著歐洲臉孔的小人為了贖罪而承受著寺廟龐大的重量，顯示出當時台灣人對於外來歐洲人的不滿，利用這種小小的細節來為自己出口氣。

萬華林宅很有遠見的主人，不管旁人的雜音，執意將自己的住宅建成一個熨斗形狀的大樓，以免除土地被政府徵收的命運。由於許多糖廠老員工的努力爭取，而得以保存下來的萬華糖廍文化園區。導覽還說這整社區的居民大部分都是糖廠的老員工或是他們的後代，一直仍然不遺餘力的維持這個社區與糖廠歷史的連結。我也真的沒想到，一個老舊不堪的老公寓社區也有著意義深遠的歷史。

就在糖廠附近的一個老社區-環南舊公寓，過去特別的生活型態使得商家都在二和三樓穿梭，一樓反而是無人問津的地帶，四樓五樓反而是住家區域。導遊說他小時候都跑去二樓買東西，到了台北市其他地方反而覺得很奇怪，為什麼商店都在一樓。非常令人難忘的艋舺散步，讓我更了解我的家鄉台北市。

From a young age, my impression of Mengjia (Bangka), in Taipei was that it was a place of hustle and bustle, but I rarely visited during my childhood and university years. Through the guided tour by @walkin.taiwan, I gained a deeper understanding of Mengjia. Our guide greeted familiar shop owners along the way and mentioned that these were the shops he had been visiting since childhood. Nostalgic old shops still retained architectural details from those days. For instance, there was a small space above the shop’s rear section where the owner used to sleep to minimize commuting time. Such designs reflect the sacrifices people made for their livelihood during that era.

Our guide then took us to the retired traditional market, “Shintomicho Cultural Market,” built during the Japanese colonial period. The Japanese architectural style and clever features were shown. To prevent the smell and flies at meat stalls, each stall had a channel beneath to collect blood. All meat processing had to take place in the central area. As the market expanded, indoor space became insufficient, so many shop owners gradually moved to the rear of the market. To facilitate their business, many shop owners lived in apartments above the market.

Next, we visited an old street I had never heard of before, “Bopiliao Old Street.” It was filled with red-brick, old-style buildings, and it was my first encounter with the significance of T.R. red bricks. The guide then led us to Longshan Temple. The temple has a long history, and the stones on the temple’s front ground have a fascinating story. These stones were originally ballast stones used to weigh down ships, repurposed as the foundation for the temple. They are the oldest elements of the entire temple. The temple’s plaques also hold deep historical and symbolic meanings. There are figures of European faces suffering under the immense weight of the temple, symbolizing the Taiwanese people’s dissatisfaction with foreign Europeans. This subtle detail allowed them to express their unhappiness.

The Lin Family Mansion in Wanhua demonstrated the foresight of its owner. Despite noise and disruptions from surrounding areas, he insisted on constructing his residence in the shape of an iron, which helped prevent his land from being confiscated by the government. Thanks to the efforts of many retired sugar factory workers, we were able to preserve the Wanhua Sugar Factory. The guide mentioned that most of the community’s residents are either retired sugar factory workers or their descendants, who continue to work tirelessly to maintain the community’s connection to the sugar factory’s history.

I was genuinely surprised to learn about the profound historical significance of an old and seemingly dilapidated apartment complex known as “Huannan Old Apartment,” located near the sugar factory. The unique lifestyle of the residents led to businesses occupying the second and third floors, while the first floor remained a deserted area. Surprisingly, the fourth and fifth floors became residential areas. The guide shared that he used to run down to the second floor to buy things during his childhood, and it felt strange to him when he went to other parts of Taipei and saw shops on the ground floor. This walk through Mengjia was unforgettable and gave me a deeper appreciation for my hometown, Taipei.”