Huaxin Street (Myanmar Street) Introduction
Located near the Nanshijiao MRT Station in Zhonghe District, New Taipei City, there is a vibrant street for 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 Chinese migrants from Myanmar who moved to Taiwan for economic reasons. Consequently, the culinary traditions here have inherited cooking techniques from Yunnan and Myanmar, resulting in particularly authentic flavors. As the largest residential area for the Chinese community from Myanmar in Taiwan, Huaxin Street has developed into the largest Southeast Asian cultural community in Taiwan over the decades. It not only offers a variety of Southeast Asian dishes but also hosts the annual Water Festival celebrations. The signs of the shops along the street are displayed in both Chinese and Burmese, giving rise to Taiwan's first Southeast Asian-themed bookstore, Brilliant Time. The restaurants on Huaxin Street serve some of the most authentic homestyle Southeast Asian dishes, predominantly featuring snacks from Myanmar, Yunnan, Thailand, and India. These humble eateries are known for their genuine flavors, offering delicacies such as Babbas (noodle strips), coconut chicken, fish soup noodles, curry chicken, spicy rice noodles, chicken mixed noodles, and pea fritters. These dishes are hard to find elsewhere in Taiwan, making it a special destination for overseas Chinese scattered throughout the island, who come here to savor the tastes of their homeland and soothe their homesickness.
