Monga (Wanhua) 艋舺(萬華)

 It was a raining Sunday, so I skipped hiking and  met another world tracer in Monga (Wanhua) 艋舺(萬華). 

The development of Taipei City is inseparable from the Tamsui River 淡水河 . The earliest settlement in Taipei developed from the Tamsui River near Monga (Wanhua), and then moved north to the Dadaocheng area. Relying on the convenience of water conservancy, it became the earliest bustling place in Taipei. At that time, the Pingpu people used canoes to carry agricultural products from the upper reaches of the Tamsui River to trade with the Han people. The Pingpu people called the canoe "Monga", which is the origin of the ancient name of Wanhua "Monga".

Longshan Temple 龙山寺 is known as the first famous temple in Taipei. It was built in the third year of Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty (1738). At that time, Monga was just developed, the environment was dangerous, and plagues were frequent. Therefore, the immigrants from the three counties of Quanzhou took the Guanyin Bodhisattva of Longshan Temple in Anhai, Quanzhou Prefecture, Fujian to Taiwan and jointly built Longshan Temple.

The old street of Bopiliao 剝皮寮老街 has been preserved thanks to the slow administrative efficiency of the government. If the government was efficient, it would have been planned as a designated area in the 1970s and it would have been demolished. Fortunately, the case was delayed until the democratic era and it escaped the fate of being demolished. After all the renovations were done to make it look like the old, it became an atmospheric retro old street.

Longshan Cultural and Creative Base   龍山文創基地 is based on the history and culture of the Wanhua area, developing local brands, and allowing the public to participate and experience guided tours, art performances, and interactive workshops, so that tourists can experience and discover the cultural and creative energy of Wanhua. The four cultural and historical museums, including Taipei Renji Hospital 台北仁濟院, were originally established to rescue baby girls because the Chinese used to have the concept of favoring boys over girls, which gradually extended to the Renji Hospital behind.