Xinfuchang Cultural Market Introduction
The Xinfuxiang Food Retail Market was completed in 1935 and is a public market built in the later part of the Japanese colonial period, featuring various construction materials from that era. The main building of the market has a horseshoe shape, with a flat roof supported by reinforced concrete beams, and the walls are made of reinforced brick. Additionally, there are auxiliary structures such as wooden Japanese-style dormitories and brick public restrooms, the latter of which symbolizes the modernization of the market at that time, although it has not been fully preserved over time. In 1930, the Taipei Prefectural Government announced the "Food Retail Market Regulations," which provided detailed specifications on the construction and spatial configuration of market buildings based on hygiene considerations. Against this backdrop, the "Xinfuxiang Food Retail Market" was established; contemporaneously built markets such as the Taipingxiang Food Retail Market (1938, now abolished), the Xingxiang Food Retail Market (1938, now "Xing'an Market"), and the Rufenchang Food Retail Market (1938, now "Zhi Xing Market") have all been remodeled or demolished, making the Xinfuxiang Market a precious example of public market architecture from the Japanese colonial period that reflects new sanitary standards and architectural styles. The Xinfuxiang Market was built on a site of about 506 ping, with a building area of about 199 ping, surrounded by a red brick wall approximately 160 cm high. The walls of the main hall are made of reinforced brick, with the exterior walls featuring refined horizontal lines created from washed gravel. Each entrance has a rain canopy above, the roof is made of poured concrete, and is supported by reinforced concrete beams. The overall architectural style is simple with minimal decorations, while exhibiting strong functionality; for instance, its horseshoe-shaped plan is quite rare among public markets in Taiwan, creating a smooth shopping flow and a unique central skylight that meets the needs of ventilation and natural lighting within the market. (Source: Xinfuxiang Cultural Market Website)
