Wufenpu - Garment Street Introduction
Where is the center for ready-made clothing wholesale in Taipei? The first thought in everyone's mind is "Wufenpu." There are hundreds of wholesale stores concentrated near the Songshan Railway Station. The name comes from the Qing Dynasty when Wufenpu was the area where the Pingpu people, an indigenous group in Taiwan, lived. Later, five families—He, Zhou, Shen, Du, and Li—purchased this land from the Pingpu people to cultivate it and named the area Wufenpu. The economic development of Taiwan over half a century, from poverty to working day and night to wealth, mirrors the history of Wufenpu's development. People from central and southern Taiwan migrated north to seek a livelihood, gathering in Wufenpu to process leftover fabrics or unsellable textiles from export ready-made garments, simply piecing them together into underwear, children's clothing, or rough work uniforms for roadside stalls and retail stores, gradually establishing Wufenpu's reputation. Today, hundreds of ready-made clothing businesses gather here, sourcing materials from all over Taiwan and even importing from Hong Kong, Thailand, South Korea, Singapore, and other regions. The low-priced clothing attracts small vendors for wholesale and retail, and with a wide variety of styles and trendy cuts, many young people come to shop, mixing and matching to create eye-catching fashion styles. When the desire to shop arises but the budget is limited or there is a reluctance to spend too much, Wufenpu is the best place to go. It is noteworthy that haggling is also a common shopping phenomenon here, with a tug-of-war over prices with the shop owners adding to the thrill of the shopping experience!
