Yuanli Old Street (Tianxia Road)

The story

Tianxia Road, once called Yuanli Street, took shape in the 18th century and was the town's economic and cultural centre in the Japanese era. In the 1920s rush-woven hats and mats were a major export and the street was packed with dealers, with exports reportedly exceeding ten million hats and briefly outpacing camphor. Plastics and mechanisation killed the trade, leaving only a few century-old shops; rush weaving is now registered intangible heritage and local groups are reviving it.

Architecture

Baroque facadesJapanese-eraArcades

Themes

CraftsJapanese eraQing eraFarming