Hua Hsin Street (Myanmar Street) Introduction
Located near the Nanshijiao MRT Station in Zhonghe District, New Taipei City, there is a diverse street of Southeast Asian cuisine known as Huaxin Street, commonly referred to as Myanmar Street. This area is home to many descendants of troops who retreated from Yunnan to Myanmar and Thailand, as well as ethnic Chinese from Myanmar who immigrated to Taiwan for economic reasons. As a result, the culinary traditions here reflect both Yunnan and Myanmar cooking techniques, yielding particularly authentic flavors. Huaxin Street, the largest settlement of Chinese from Myanmar in Taiwan, has developed over several decades into the largest community of Southeast Asian culture in Taiwan. It not only offers a variety of Southeast Asian delicacies but also hosts the annual Water Festival celebrations. The shop signs along the street are written in both Chinese and Myanmar language, and it is also the birthplace of Taiwan's first Southeast Asian-themed bookstore, Canlan Shiguang. When it comes to authentic home-style Southeast Asian cuisine, nearly all the restaurants on Huaxin Street serve dishes influenced by Myanmar, Yunnan, Thailand, and India. These simple yet unassuming eateries offer genuine Southeast Asian snacks such as Ba Bas (rice noodles), coconut chicken, fish soup noodles, curry chicken, spicy rice noodle, chicken shredded noodles, and pea fritters. These dishes are rarely found elsewhere in Taiwan, making Huaxin Street a special destination for overseas Chinese who travel from various parts of Taiwan specifically to enjoy the flavors of their homeland and soothe their nostalgia.
